Behold Your Son
Our text for today is found in John chapter nineteen. Please follow along as I read:
Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. John 19:25-27 (NASB)
This is the third saying of Jesus as he hung on the cross. A crowd has gathered near the cross to watch the goings-on. Among the crowd was Mary - the mother of Jesus. When Jesus saw his mother there he said to her, "Woman, behold, your son!"
As we consider this particular statement, it is interesting to note that the first three of Christ’s sayings regarded the needs of others. The first was a prayer of forgiveness:
“Father, forgive them” —thinking of his enemies.
The second, a promise of redemption:
“Today you will be with me in Paradise” —thinking of the criminal by his side.
The third, a word of provision for His mother.
“Woman, behold your son” —thinking of his mother.
Jesus died as he lived—thinking of others.
A. W. Pink once wrote:
"The Lord Jesus was dying as the Savior for sinners. He was engaged in the most momentous and the most stupendous undertaking that this earth ever has or ever will witness... Nevertheless, He does not overlook the responsibilities of natural ties; He fails not to make provision for her who, according to the flesh, was His mother."
Family ties are very important.
Just short of a year ago I made my way back to Arizona. It is the state where I grew up. A special celebration was going to take place. It was my mother's 90th birthday. Cathy had arranged for all of our sons and their families to go along. (We have four sons that live in Osage county.) I think we ended up taking four cars and two days getting there. Mom now lives in an independent living facility. She has come to like it there even though she went in there kicking and screaming. It really only took a short time to come and enjoy the place. She has kind of a small apartment there with a bedroom, bathroom and living room with a kitchenette in it. She doesn't do much cooking because she goes down the hall to the dining room for breakfast and lunch.
I don't get to see my mother too often since she lives in Arizona and I live in Kansas - but every time we get together it is a special time. A few years ago while I was still in the Army - stationed at Fort McCoy, WI - I had to go to Arizona for some training. I took a couple extra days and went to see my mom. I arrived in the evening and sat and visited for awhile. My mom asked me if I could come back in the morning and eat breakfast with her before I had to go and catch my flight out. I said, "Sure." Then I suggested that I wear my uniform so that we could have "show and tell" at breakfast. She thought that would be great and we had a fantastic time.
When her 90th birthday came up my older brother had made all the arrangements for the party and it was a great event. Ten of the Kansas clan ended up going to Arizona. We ended up taking four cars. We met with the Arizona clan which included my brother and his family. There were cousins there from Arizona, Ohio and Texas. I saw people there who I had not seen in years and some of them I had never seen before - yet I was related to them. It was a grand time.
We had a big celebration for my Mom. We had the party in a large room with lots of tables set up in it. It took mom a few minutes to come down to the room - because she doesn't walk too fast any more. My brother John had arranged the catering. There was a big sheet cake with yellow flowers on it and the words - "Happy 90th Birthday Rita." We all had a good time. Near the end of the party - residents from the home came down to enjoy cake and punch and it was then that mom could do her "show and tell". She likes doing "show and tell". She was smiling ear to ear.
Just a couple days ago I looked back on the pictures that were taken that day. Do you know what I saw in that picture? I saw my Mom with gray hair around her temples. Her face was etched with the passing of the years. I saw a 90 year old woman - with two sons. One of them 62 - the other one 60 - and that made me smile.
When I was a kid I never thought of my mother growing old. When you’re young it’s hard to picture your mom getting old. There’s nothing wrong with growing old. That’s the natural course of life. It’s going to happen to all of us if we live long enough. But it's one of those things we just don't think about.
In our story today - Mary is older now too. The years have passed. Jesus has grown up - he is a man. How old is Mary. We don't know for sure - she might be in her late 40's or even late 50s. We don't know for sure - but one thing's for sure - she’s not a young teenage girl anymore.
Mary stands at the foot of the cross with two other women - all of them with the same name. John the apostle is there too and on the cross is Jesus. It is at that point that Jesus says:
"Woman, behold, your son!"
She watched as they had beat him. She watched as they walked by and slapped him and cursed him. She saw her son being tortured to death. And she couldn’t lift a finger to help him. She could do nothing about it. How much can a mother take? How much can a mother stand to see? Yet Jesus said:
"Woman, behold, your son!"
A DYING SAVIOR
At first this puzzled me. Had she not seen enough? She had seen the brutality that her son was enduring. She had seen His pain and torture. She was watching as His life was slowly coming to end. Yet maybe - just maybe - Jesus wanted her to see more. Maybe He wanted her to look to the cross. He knew why He was up there. He knew the significance of His crucifixion. Maybe He wanted her to know it too.
Maybe He wanted her to view the sacrifice that was made for her sins. Maybe Jesus wanted her to see Him as more than just a son - but as the Savior. She was highly favored of the Lord. She was privileged above all women who ever lived in that she was chosen to bear the Messiah. But, Mary was just a woman. Just like all humanity - she too needed a Savior! She too needed to believe upon the power of the cross.
We sing about the power of the cross - don't we? Isaac Watts wrote that hymn that we all know:
At the cross, at the cross,
Where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away -
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day.
"Woman, behold, your son!"
That is His desire today. Jesus wants every man, woman, and child to behold the Son. He wants them to look to the cross and the precious blood that was shed. He wants them all to come in faith believing on Him as their personal Savior! He wants everyone to realize that apart from Him there is no hope.
He is the only way! If we are to be saved and reconciled to God, we must come by the way of the cross. If you have never believed in Christ and the finished work of Calvary, Jesus desires you to look upon Him today. Look at the cross and the sacrifice that was made. Look at the hope that is offered to you through Christ our Lord! Behold the Son of God that has taken away the sins of the world! He died for Mary - but He died for you and me too.
A DYING SON
But there is another element in this story too. Jesus was dying - and He was leaving behind His mother. He was despised and rejected. But He did not want her to feel that way too. He wants her to feel loved. He wants her to be cared for. Who was to take care of her? Who was to see to her needs?
Jesus looking down from the cross sees his mother Mary and sees John standing next to her and cries out from the cross, “Woman, Dear Woman - Mother, behold your son.” and to John He says, “Behold your mother.” The Bible says that when Jesus said those words:
From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
John 19:27 (NASB)
In short - Jesus was saying to his mother, “Mom, I’m leaving you now and I’m not going to be able to take care of you after I’m gone. Mom, there’s nothing else I can do for you. Mom do you see John? John will be to you as I was to you. He will be the son you need. He will take care of you.” “John, do you see my mother? Take care of her after I’m gone. Do for her what I would do if I were still alive.”
"From that hour the disciple took her into his own household."
Families ties are very important.
Let me give you three facts about families:
1. Families are about RELATIONSHIPS
Families are a mixed group of people nowadays aren't they. We have blended families and bonded families. We have family members by blood and family members by marriage. But we are all family. We may not like the same football team or hold the same political views - yet we are family. We may not have the same personalities - but we're family. Families are important.
The other night Cathy and I went out to dinner in Osage City with my sister-in-law and her husband Bill. There was another couple sitting there and this couple actually knows both me and Bill - but they though it strange that we were together. (Our personalities are not exactly alike.) Bill explained to them that we were related. He said, "Tom's wife and my wife are sisters. We're related." They responded, "Oh, that explains it." We just laughed.
I have often heard - you can choose your friends but you don't choose your family. Families are related.
Also:
2. Families are about OBLIGATIONS
How many of you have heard the statement:
Blood is thicker than - water.
That is a statement about obligations - isn't it? It means that if we are related - I am going to stick by you - I'm going to take care of you.
Jesus loved His mother deeply. Even in His dying moments He was concerned about her physical well being. He was not going to leave her uncared for.
And:
3. Families are about LOVE
I heard a story the other day of a man who was in his car with his three sons. The oldest son was 12, the youngest son was 8 and the middle one was 10. As they were riding along the man on the radio was talking about families and he was saying, "If we want our kids to spend time with us later we have to spend time with them now. If we want our kids to talk with us later we had to talk with them now.”
The man thought, "That sounds good - but I'm sure it's hard principle to get across to my boys - let me see what the kids think of this." So he turns off the radio. He starts talking to the boys and he says, "If mom and I spend time with you now, what will you do for us later?” From all the boys came the chorus, “We’ll spend time with you later.”
The man thought to myself, “Okay, we’ll try it again.” “If we talk with you now what will you do with us later?” The chorus rang out again, “We’ll talk with you later.”
The man thought he’d go for another one - so he says, “If we give you money now what will you do for us later?” There was a little pause and then the youngest son, said, “Don't worry dad, we’ll give you money if you need it.”
Then the man thought, "Okay - let me go for the big one." He said, “If we let you live with us now, when we get older what will you do for us later?” At that point there was silence then the oldest one started laughing and said, “Yeah, we’ll let you live in a one-room apartment all by yourself - but you can visit us.”
Taking care of others sometimes is not easy.
I think all of us know John 3:16 don't we? It says:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16 (NASB)
This verse shows us how far God would go to show us His love. But how many of you know 1st John 3:16.
"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3:16 (NASB)
This verse shows how much we are to love others - that includes our families.
