The Third Saying From The Cross:
Woman, Behold thy Son”
First Preached at Broad Run Baptist Church 3/16/2003
Scripture: John 19:25-27 (NIV)
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Introduction:
All but one of His fervent disciples have abandoned Him as the light of day begins to give way to unexpected darkness. Here in the midst of the mocking soldiers, the sneering leaders, the jeering crowd, the insulting thief, and the indifferent masses—both Jew and Gentile, we find in stark contrast, women at the cross whose love, loyalty and devotion bring them there as He enters into His darkest hours being bound to the cross for friend and foe alike. These women who cared and supported Jesus in life would not desert Him in the hours leading up to His death. While four are mentioned by name, many other women had accompanied Him from Galilee were in Jerusalem because of the feast of the Passover were also there at Calvary (John 15:41).
As Mary thought about her Son’s impending death, the prophecy of Simeon made at her Son’s birth now came true, “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35). How true that prophecy came to be!
Seeing her sorrow, Jesus honors His mother by placing her into the care of John, the beloved disciple. Jesus’ brothers and sisters being in Galilee were not in a position to care for or comfort her as she morns the passing of her first born. The words of Jesus to Mary and John were His third saying from the cross (the first one recorded by John). In the other Gospels, Jesus had already prayed that His executioners would be forgiven (Luke 23:24) and issued a pardon to the penitent thief (Luke 23:42-43).
Even as Jesus suffers, His thoughts are on the needs of others. Even as He gives His life as a ransom for many, He still has time to think about the needs of one—His mother. How true this is even today: that as He sits at the Father’s right hand making intercession for us all, He does so bringing us before the Father one person at a time.
As we look at this picture, let us look to the Scriptures to understand what it was that brought these women to the cross that fateful Friday before the Passover.
I. The Women:
A. Mary, the wife of Clopas.
Very little is known about this person other than her name, the name of her husband, and the names of two of her children which Mark 15:41 supplies: James the younger and Joses.
Clopas is believed to be the father of the Apostle James the Younger. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) states that tradition attributes him to be the brother of Jesus’ earthly father Joseph, the husband of Mary. This apostle was the second James mentioned in the list of apostles and was not the brother of John whose father’s name was Zebedee. This James is identified with James, the son of Alphaeus’ and is based on the assumption that Clopas and Alphaeus are renderings of the same Hebrew word-pronounced differently.
Mary and Clopas it seems were Jesus’ aunt and uncle from Joseph’s side of the family. While we cannot be 100% certain of this, the likelihood of this is strong.
Why was she at the cross? To stand for those who could not be there—standing there as a representative of Joseph’s family.
B. Jesus’ Aunt—the Sister of Mary.
Though not mentioned here, a comparison with Mark 15:40 suggests that the aunt of Jesus mentioned here was Salome, the mother of the Apostles James and John and the wife of Zebedee.
The ISBE mentions that The New Testament records her as one of the women who companied with Jesus in Galilee, and ministered to Him (Mark 15:40,41). She was present at the crucifixion (Mark 15:40), and was among those who came to the tomb of Jesus on the resurrection morning (Mark 16:1,2). Comparison with Matthew 27:56 clearly identifies her with the wife of Zebedee. It is she, therefore, whose ambitious request for her sons James and John is recorded in Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-40. From John 19:25 many infer that she was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Why was she at the cross? To stand along side those in trouble in need of comfort and consolation (Mary).
C. Mary Magdalene.
This Mary is associated with the town of Magdala. This woman has often been associated with the prostitute of Luke chapter 7 but the Scriptures never mention the name of this person. Mary Magdalene was demon possessed and Jesus cast seven demons out of her (Mark 16:9). Jesus did not cast out demons from the woman in Luke 7 nor is Mary Magdalene mentioned as the one who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. The two are not the same. What we do know of Mary is that she was indebted to Jesus because He healed her spirit. So too ought we to be. Demon possession is a fact, not fiction. Jesus put this poor tormented soul back together. He can do the same for us today if we but submit to His authority and give Him the permission to heal us.
Why was she at the cross? To stand and show her gratitude for what the Savior had done for her.
D. The Unnamed Women.
While all the men save John fled, many of the women supporters of Jesus stayed to the end. Mark 15:40-41informs us there were more than just a few:
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Why were they at the cross? To stand and represent the untold masses whose lives had been changed and enriched because of their personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
E. Mary—the Mother of Jesus.
How black, bleak, and burdened her soul must feel seeing her sinless Son dangle in-between Heaven and Earth. Rejected by humanity He came to save, rejected by His Eternal Father because of the curse of sin He bore, He is almost all alone. As He draws His last difficult breaths, He does so being made a public spectacle in the presence of all whether they be fitted with fleshly form or not. Angels and demons, Gentile and Jew, few friends and many foe all stand amazed with large eyes and mouths gaping open waiting for Him to perish under the curse of sin, being made to bear the curse of God.
And while the contradictory plays of human and divine justice both continue concurrently on the same stage using Him as their sole actor, there stands a mother in the audience being robbed of her first begotten Son.
She does not understand propitiation or politics. She does not grasp the full extent of what is happening to her Son and how He came to be where He is now nailed to a cross. But the one thing she understands is her pain and suffering as she sees her Son linger there in His pain and suffering. These two share the bond of anguish and sorrow as well as love for one another.
As each feels the pain of the other, Jesus is burdened for the welfare of His mother. He gently reminds her that it was for this purpose He came to Earth, to die for the sins of humanity. “Woman, Behold your Son!” was not an ironic admonition of failure, as it was a statement of fulfillment—that the Lamb of God was now being offered up on the altar of the cross so that sin could be forgiven. As He hangs there, He does so not only to pay for the sins of the whole world but also for the sins of the one He commits into the care of a beloved friend and disciple to whom He says, “Here is your mother!” Mary is seeing her own redemption being purchased by her Son right before her eyes!
Why is she at the cross? To stand and give her support to her loved one who needs her to be there in His darkest hour. But she is also there to be pardoned, redeemed, and forgiven of her sin.
Conclusion:
As we take a look at this third saying of the Cross, we realize that as it was true in Jesus day so it is true in our own, different people are drawn to the cross for different reasons yet ultimately there is but one. Some come to stand there for those who are not yet there. Others come out of love for their family. We may be there to show our gratitude for what the Lord has done for us. There are the unnumbered masses standing at the foot of the Cross because of the love, loyalty, and devotion we have for Him because He has enriched, blessed, and changed us forever. Yet the one reason that draws us all to the Cross is our need of redemption.
What is it that brings you to the cross this morning? It may be for different reasons, but there is truly only one. If you would like to establish a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ you can do that today because He went to the Cross for you. If you would like to experience the forgiveness of sins, the lifting of guilt, the transformational power of God’s Holy Spirit, and the blessings of God, you can if you meet Him at the Cross.
