• As Jesus hung upon the tree of iniquity, taking upon Himself the sins of the world, He used SEVEN profound words
• These words, all with specific purpose and meaning, can be applied to our lives as we go about life on earth
• These words, carry all the authority and power that God had bestowed upon his Son
• As we look at these words over the next few weeks, it is my prayer that when times get tough, when we struggle with life, when things aren’t where they ought to be; my prayer is that we take one or more of these words, analyze how and why Jesus spoke it and apply it to our life that God through us might be glorified
1. THE WORD OF AFFECTION (John 19:25-27)
• John 19:25-27: “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
• Jesus, as He looked down upon His mother and the disciple that He loved greatly, He saw the need to unite the two so that one could encourage the other and provide for one another throughout the remainder of their lives
• Let us first look at Mary, the mother of Jesus
• Mary was called upon by God to be the mother of Jesus because of her ‘right’ standing before God
• Luke 1:28-29: “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.”
• When Mary received this word from the angel, Luke described her response as being ‘troubled’
• The word troubled here means that she was “Troubled at his saying. Disturbed or perplexed at what he said. It was so unexpected, so sudden, so extraordinary, and was so high an honour, that she was filled with anxious thoughts, and did not know what to make of it.”
• In other words, she wasn’t broken hearted but rather anxious at the thought of having been selected and realizing the magnitude of the calling
• This commission, no doubt, brought with it great honor, but it also brought the reality that there was great danger to Mary’s reputation
• Why? Because she was engaged but not married, and for her to be ‘pregnant’ would mean an illegitimate child would be perceived by society
• This would be no small trial on Mary’s faith
• Nevertheless, she was faithful and trusting in God’s call in her life:
a. Luke 1:38: “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
• The response and the call were tremendous actions but the fact that Mary was ‘troubled’ is a precursor to many trials and sorrows to come in the life of her Son
• Mary was troubled throughout the life of Jesus. Some of the instances include:
a. The fact that there was no room at the inn and her Baby had to be placed in a manger
b. Herod’s push to destroy her babies life
c. She and her family had to flee to a foreign country for protection
d. Her Son was despised and rejected of men
e. He was hated and rejected by His own nation
f. It was her Son that hung upon the cross
• Realizing this then, if Christ was a Man of Sorrows; wouldn’t Mary qualify as a Woman of Sorrows?
• “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…”
2. THE WORD OF AFFECTION WAS THE FULFILLMENT OF SIMEON’S PROPHECY
• In order to fulfill the Mosaic Law, the parents of Jesus took Him to the temple to present Him to the Lord.
• It was then that Simeon, took Jesus into his arms and said:
a. Luke 2:29-32: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
• After the proclamation to God, Simeon turned to Mary and pronounced the scene in which we currently study:
a. Luke 2:34-35: “And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
• “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…”
• Once past the youthfulness of Christ we hear very little regarding Mary, His mother
• Her life was lived in the background of this great man, living among the shadows of history, but here at the climax of His reason for being here, there stands Mary, the mother of the Savior, with the ultimate display of affection for her Son
• Of the followers of Christ, Mary was closest to Him at the time of suffering and death; place aside her hope and faith
• The sight of her Son upon the cross of crucifixion must have been a paralyzing and strange scene to behold
• Yet, without concern for herself, she stood by her Son, the chain of love not having been broken by fear, she stood, as any mother would, looking with affection upon her Son
• Knowing His purpose, understanding it’s importance for all man, but the affection for her own Son was overwhelming
• Here we see the AFFECTION between mother and child; the love of a mothers heart
• She is the dying man’s mother, The One who is suffering in agony is her child, Yet, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother,”
• The one who kissed the brow, long before the crown of thorns were placed, the one who watched those little legs learn to walk before they canvassed the nation’s proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, the one who knew His purpose before the world ever did, That woman, in the greatest show of affection by any mother, ever, she stood with affection, by the side of the Savior
a. His disciples deserted Him
b. His friends forsook Him
c. The nations despised Him
• But there stood His mother, at the foot of the cross
• The crowds were mocking, the thief was taunting, the priests were jeering, the soldiers were callous and indifferent, The Savior was bleeding and dying and there stood His mother
• She could have:
a. Fled the scene
b. Crouched Away
c. Fainted
d. Lost her mind
• What did she do? She stayed, as a pillar of strength in the greatest showing of affection a mother has ever given
3. THE WORD OF AFFECTION WAS OBEDIENT TO THE COMMANDMENT FOR CHILDREN TO HONOR PARENTS AS WAS HANDED DOWN BY GOD
• John 19:26: “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”
• The term ‘Woman’ although viewed in our culture as being less than respectable was a term of respect and acknowledgement in the culture of Jesus’ time
• It was in no way a term of disrespect towards Mary, but more so an acknowledgement of her authority as His mother
• God engraved upon the ten commandments the responsibility of children to obey their parents
a. Exodus 20:12: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
• This commandment was reestablished in the NT in the book of Ephesians:
a. Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
• Here we have it, even at the moment of death, our Savior hanging in agony, proclaiming the concern for His mother, notifying her of His provision for the future through John
• Honoring Mother and Father go far beyond simply being obedient, it embraces:
a. Love
b. AFFECTION
c. Gratitude
d. Respect
• This commandment, however, is not just for young folks; it is for all children throughout a lifetime with parents
• The obligation to our parents does not cease just because we are no longer under their ‘rule’ or ‘control’
• It continues on in holding parents to a high esteem, to put them in a place of superiority and to reverence them
• In the perfect scenario, we find both obedience and esteem
• In the last few moments of Jesus’ upon this earth; amid the sufferings of the beatings and the cross, The Lord Jesus thought of her who first loved Him, He thought of her present necessity and provided for her future need by committing her to the care of the disciple who most deeply understood His love
• His thought for Mary at that time and the honor He gave her was one of the manifestations of His victory over pain
• So the question begs. How are we treating our parents? Are we truly honoring them? Does the example of Christ on the cross put us to shame?
• So, the saying of affection of Christ on the cross was exemplified in the honoring of His mother, even in extreme sorrow
4. THE WORD OF AFFECTION WHEN JOHN, ONE OF THE DISCIPLE’S WHO FLED, RETURNED TO THE SIDE OF JESUS
• As if it wasn’t bad enough that the world had rejected Him
• As if it wasn’t bad enough that He was being murdered for no apparent reason
• As if it wasn’t bad enough that He had been spat upon, beaten and bruised by the very people he had come to save
• As if all that wasn’t bad enough, the very men whom he befriended and taught upon this earth, were the first ones to forsake Him at the time of trial
• Matthew 26:56: “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
• What an indication to us of just how fragile our faith actually is, could we, more assuredly than the disciples stand in the face of persecution by the side of our Savior
• Jesus warned His disciples of their impending denial:
a. Matthew 26:31: “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.”
• Jesus warned the disciples that in the time of trial they would forsake Him, the warning stands for us just the same
• The word offended in the scripture above could be changed to “scandalized”
• The disciples were ashamed to have been known by the world to have associated with Jesus, why? They feared for their own life
• We read, however, that when John returned to the side of Jesus and Mary, that Jesus did not rebuke him, but did in fact commission him with an unspeakable privilege
• What is the lesson in the word of AFFECTION shown by Jesus to John?
a. It is simple, quit running from Christ; deny Him no longer; don’t be afraid of the faith that is in you
b. Christ will greet you with a word of welcome and cheer; and who knows but what He has some honorable commission awaiting you!!
• In the parable of the “Prodigal Son;” Jesus expressed what it meant to Him to show us affection on the cross to come
• Luke 15:31-32: “And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”
