FAMOUS LAST WORDS: GOD'S FAMILY
This morning we come to the third of the seven final statements that Jesus Christ made from the cross as we continue with our sermon series, “Famous Last Words.”
In the first sermon, we heard the word, forgiveness.
In the second sermon, we heard the word, salvation.
Today in this third sermon, we will hear words of family.
Seven times Jesus pushed up on His feet, grasping for breath. And in each of those moments, He uttered seven statements that are so profound with meaning and purpose that it would take a lifetime to ponder them. These seven statements are the famous last words of Jesus.
Famous last words…
We all know that words have tremendous power. It has been said that words are more powerful than the sword. Words have the power to heal or to wound. Words have the power to give hope, or to bring despair. Words have the power of peace or to destroy. But most importantly, words are important because words have the power to impact eternity.
As the Son of God, as the eternal King of kings, as the Living word of God, Jesus knew the importance of His words from the cross. And that is why He spoke them. Of all the famous last words that have ever been spoken, there are no words that can ever match the final eternal words Jesus spoke from the cross.
If you will take these final words of Jesus and apply them to your heart, His powerful words will impact your life for eternity.
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore, the soldiers did these things. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. NKJV
Lord Jesus, may these words that we have read today speak into our hearts with the power of eternity so that your name will be glorified.
WORDS FROM THE CROSS
This is the type of scripture that you might hear for a Mother’s Day sermon. However, I have never used this scripture for a Mother’s Day message because these final words of
Jesus from the cross are more than just a sentimental message for Mother’s Day.
Within His words are several powerful principals that reveal the kind of life we are called to live as believers and followers of Christ.
The Bible speaks in Isaiah of how we are to build precept upon precept and line upon line and by doing so we can establish and understand the principals of how we are to live godly lives that honor the Lord and impact eternity. And that is the kind of message that is before us today.
AT THE CROSS
Jesus third statement from the cross was spoken for the sake of two people and yet what Jesus said to them can be applied to the life of every believer and follower of Christ.
So far in this series we have been looking at the cross. But, for now, allow the Holy Spirit let you see through the eyes of Jesus. What did He see? Who did He see?
From His viewpoint on the cross, Jesus sees the Roman soldiers. He sees the crowd and the Priests who are there to mock Him. But most importantly, standing near Him, He also sees five people that are dear to His heart.
Picture Jesus looking out at the crowd and He sees these five. Just five… five…
Where are the others? Where are the ones He called to follow Him? Where is Peter who said He would die with Him?
He sees only these five who have the faith and the courage to stand with Him at the cross. He sees these five who dare to stand close to the cross knowing that their closeness to Christ could result in their arrest and death.
That’s a message that still speaks to us today.
He sees His mother, Mary; His mother’s sister, Salome, the mother of James and John; He sees Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and John, His beloved disciple.
These five stood at the cross. These five heard Jesus speak His famous last words. These five experienced the cross of Jesus Christ.
But most importantly, these five were there for Jesus. They knew the cost of going to the cross and yet they went anyway.
LIVING NEAR THE CROSS
Now picture Jesus as His eyes scan across the faces of the crowd looking for those He had hoped would be there, His disciples. Looking across the crowd He does not see them, but standing near Him are five who love Him so much that they dare to come in spite of the Roman soldiers and the religious leaders.
Before we look at Jesus third statement from the cross, there are two very powerful life-changing messages that speak to us here.
First, there is a message that speaks of those who would dare to draw near to Christ even
at great cost and of those who do not. You are either following Christ and seeking Him, or you are not. We can talk about the cross; we can sing about the cross; but to experience the truth and power of the cross, you must go to the cross and stand in the presence of the cross.
It is only in the presence of the cross that you hear the ringing hammering of the nails. Only at the cross could you have heard the dull thud when the cross was dropped into a deep hole. Only at the cross can you hear the final words of Jesus.
To experience the cross, you have to go to the cross and determine for yourself who is this man on the middle cross.
And that brings us to this life changing question that comes to us from the cross; just how close are you willing to get to the cross? How close?
We humbly sing songs that speak of Kneeling at the Cross; At Calvary, When I survey the Wondrous Cross or There is a Fountain filled with Blood.
We sing songs of the cross and we talk about the cross but what does it mean to stand in the presence of the cross? How is that possible?
When I speak of going to Christ and standing in the presence of the cross, I am not speaking of a literal, physical moment, but of a spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are not talking about the physical here, but of a spiritual principal.
How close are you willing to get to the cross?
Are you willing to risk your life to stand so close to the cross that His blood spills on you? Are you willing to face the ridicule and scorn of the world so that you can stand close to the cross of Christ?
Do you choose to be close to Christ or stand far off and watch from a distance?
The choice is yours and only you can decide just how close you are willing to get to the cross of Jesus Christ.
We are talking about a spiritual principle here. But how do we do this? How can we get close to the cross of Jesus Christ and hear His words? Jesus gives us the answer in Luke 14 and Matthew 10.
Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. NKJV
Matthew 10:37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. NKJV
These words are the answer to what you are searching for in your life. If you desire to be close to Jesus Christ and His cross; if you desire for your life to have purpose and meaning and fulfillment, then you must become His disciple and a disciple who loves Jesus Christ far above anything and anyone on this earth. That’s the answer your heart is looking for.
And for that to happen, you must go to the cross; you must see the cross of Jesus Christ and believe with all of your heart that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, who died for your sins, and then choose to live for Him with all of your heart and soul. That’s the great call of God on your life.
Anybody can hide like in the back of crowd, in the far distance and call themselves a disciple. But a real disciple is one who goes to the cross and stands close to Christ even in the presence of those who hate Christ and His followers.
Are you looking for the true purpose of your life?
Do you want your life to have fulfillment and to impact eternity?
Then you must choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ who loves Him so much that you would dare go near the cross.
Again, how close do you want to be to Jesus at the cross? And the answer is, you can be as close as you want to be.
MISSING THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS
There is a second message here that speaks to us from the cross and it is certainly a message that speaks to the world and to this generation.
Look closely at the soldiers who sit in the very shadow of the cross.
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled…
These soldiers are closer to Jesus than anyone and yet they are clueless to what is happening.
These soldiers who sat in the shadow of the cross heard every word Jesus spoke.
They saw the noonday sun turn to darkness
They saw the breaking of the ground and felt the earth shake like Jell-O
They saw the inscription that proclaimed Jesus as the King of the Jews
They saw all of these unique miracles and yet they were still unmoved at what they saw and were absolutely clueless to what it meant.
Here’s the point.
Like these Roman soldiers, many in the world gamble their lives away even as they are in the shadow of the cross and they are clueless about the cross and its power to save their eternal souls.
The world knows about Jesus. The world talks about Jesus. The world admits to the cross of Jesus, but the world does not know the Christ of the cross.
There are many who glamorously wear a cross of diamonds around their neck and yet they are clueless to the true meaning and power of the cross.
Do not miss the meaning and the purpose of the cross for your life.
Can you imagine these soldiers stepping into eternity and discovering what they missed at the cross? There’s going to be a lot of people like that and that’s exactly why I am taking the time to preach this series on the cross. Maybe, just maybe by the grace of God someone will hear these messages and choose to believe in the cross of Jesus Christ.
Listen carefully.
It takes more than just being at the cross. There were many just like these soldiers who stood in the presence and shadow of the cross and were completely clueless and unmoved by what they saw.
The soldiers were at the cross and they missed it
The religious leaders were at the cross and they missed it
The thoughtless crowd was at the cross and they missed it.
But there were five who came to the cross, just five.
These five stood at the cross and believed
There will come a day when you will suddenly find yourself before the cross, and on that day, you will have to choose for yourself what you believe about the cross and the man, Jesus Christ who died on the cross.
WORDS OF COMPASSION
Now that you have this picture in your mind, I want you to hear powerful words of Jesus third statement from the cross.
John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!"
I realize that when you first read this and hear it, you immediately think this has nothing to do with me. These words are between Jesus and His mother. But that’s only what it looks like when you first read it.
These words of Jesus to His mother reveal a great truth of an eternal purpose for every follower of Christ.
Picture in your mind as Jesus mother and those with her make their way through the crowd to stand near the cross. See her as she watches the soldiers crucify her beloved Son. And as she watches the scene unfold, she remembers the words of Simeon the prophet.
Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this
Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." NKJV
You would think that raising the Son of God would produce in your family peace and joy and protection from sorrow. But Simeon the prophet told Mary that her life with Jesus would be like a sword piercing her heart to the depth of her soul.
What does that mean and how does it fit in with the cross and us?
Mary’s heart was pierced when Herod killed the children of Bethlehem because of Jesus.
Mary’s heart was pierced at the whispers that Jesus was conceived in shame.
Mary’s heart was pierced when Jesus brothers rejected Him and mocked Him.
Mary’s heart was pierced when Jesus hometown rejected Him and wanted to throw Him off a cliff.
Finally, at the cross, the sword slices through her heart as she watches Jesus suffer on the cross.
When Mary lifts her eyes to the cross, remembers when she would kiss His brow that was
now covered in thorns and blood.
She remembers the moments when she held His little hands, the same hands that were now nailed to the cross for her salvation.
She remembers the time when He said to her, “My hour has not yet come.” Now as she watches Him struggle on the cross, she realizes this is the hour He spoke of.
WORDS OF COMFORT
We see this and we see Mary’s sorrow, but what does it mean for us? How does this apply to our lives?
The first thing that grips my heart regarding Jesus words, is that His words to Mary are words of comfort, and not only are they meant for her, but for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
I need you to look back at this with me. Why did Jesus speak these words to Mary and why at this moment on the cross?
Look carefully what is happening here.
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore, the soldiers did these things. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother…
We read that the soldiers divided Jesus garments among themselves, and then we read that they gambled for His tunic. It is immediately after this that we read that Mary was there at the cross. She could see the soldiers dividing His garments and she could hear them gambling for His tunic.
The garments meant nothing to Jesus, but the moment they touched the tunic, they were touching His heart because the tunic was a special piece of garment made by the mother for her son. And this tunic that the soldiers were now quibbling over was made by Mary for Jesus and most likely was given to Him when He left home to begin His public ministry.
Jesus knew this and it is at this moment that I believe Jesus looked into the eyes of Mary and spoke His famous last words to Mary and John.
OUR GOD GIVEN FAMILY
There are two meanings here that apply to us and both are important.
First Jesus gives us an example of our God given responsibility to our blood family. It is God’s design and purpose that we care for the members of our family.
See Him as He looks down at His mother. With all of His strength, He pushes up on the nails in His feet and He says;
Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!"
Hear the power of these words. With eternity hanging in the balance, Jesus takes this moment to care for His mother.
God knows how messy it can get in a family. The family Jesus grew up in was not a perfect family, and yet He did not use that as an excuse. His brothers were not at the cross. They did not believe in Him. And it was a source of conflict between them.
And knowing the sorrow and suffering His mother was experiencing, He says to John, the beloved disciple, "Behold your mother!"
From that moment, John took Mary, the mother of Jesus and cared for her as if she was his own mother.
If it was so important for Jesus to take care of His mother and His family, how much more so is it for us to care for our earthly families.
There is also a second meaning here that is absolutely beautiful.
John and Mary are not blood related. John is not the son of Mary and yet Jesus gives John the honor to care for Mary. On a physical level Jesus is making sure that His mother is cared for. And that is very important but there is much greater meaning here.
Through these powerful words from the cross, not only is Jesus demonstrating the importance of caring for our earthly family, but more importantly He is demonstrating
that when we become members of His Kingdom, we also become members of His
eternal family.
And our membership into His eternal family is far greater than any earthly family ties.
The moment you choose to believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord, you become the member of His eternal family.
Mary and John had one great thing in common; they both loved and believed in Jesus Christ and because of that, they were more than just friends; they were members of the same eternal family.
The moment you become a believer in Christ, you immediately become a member of a
great eternal family.
When speaking of this eternal family Jesus said;
Mark 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. NKJV
If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, then you are a member of a great and wonderful eternal family.
How big is our eternal family?
Revelation 7:9 gives us a small glimpse of this.
Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, NKJV
Our spiritual, eternal family will consist of people of every race, from every nation, and of every language on earth. Just as we have no control over the family we are born into, neither do we have any control as to whom will be in our kingdom family.
It is actually God’s desire that everyone be a part of His family and kingdom, including you.
IN CLOSING; OUR ETERNAL OPPORTUNITY?
Today, you and I can have the same opportunity that Jesus gave to John at the cross.
Listen to how this works.
Mark 3:31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." 33 But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." NKJV
All who love Jesus Christ; all who seek to do His will are members of His eternal family.
That means we are members of the same eternal family.
Jesus said;
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' NKJV
Whatever you do for other believers, it is the same as if you were doing it for Jesus.
So, in closing, we must hear the final words of Jesus from the cross.
When Jesus said to John, “Behold your mother,” what He was really saying was for John to care for Jesus mother until He returned.
So until Jesus returns, let us love one another and care for one another just Jesus called John to care for Mary.
That is the will of God for our lives as believers in Christ. We are to care for each other until Jesus returns.
