Seven Saying From The Cross-Behold Your Son (Hix)

John 19:25-27-Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

There Stood-Women often times surpass men in courage, and Mary does!

Thomas had once said, “Let us also go that we may die with Him."

But where was Thomas now?

Peter had said, "That he would follow Christ even unto death."

But where was Peter now?

The crowds are mocking, the thieves have been taunting, the religious leaders are heckling , the soldiers are callous and indifferent, and her son is bleeding, dying, and she is seeing and hearing all this.

Woman-He calls her, Woman, not Mother, not out of any disrespect to her, but because calling her, Mother, would cut into the heart that was already burden with grief!

Jesus was trying to easy the pain as much as possible.

We know how it feels when someone close to us is suffering, we suffer right along with them.

Deewayne’s knee

To call her (Mother) would make her think back about Bethlehem laying her

baby boy wrapped in swaddling cloths in a manger, she would remember

the shepherds who came and worshipped Him, and the wise men coming

and bringing gifts…and then she would look up and see her baby boy, beaten

almost beyond recognition.

It would be bad to know your child dying, but it would be worse to stand there

and watch it!

Woman, Behold Your Son-He is to her son no more, the tie of being mother and son is to be broken, a new one is created in it’s place .... Mary needed Him to be her Savior, more than she needed Him to be her son!

Behold, Your Mother-Jesus was going to make sure His mother was taken care of!

It was Jesus who was in agony, but He thinks of His mother’s grief

It was Jesus’ blood which was falling to the ground, but He thinks of Mary’s pierced heart.

It was Jesus, whose throat was parched and head racked in agony, but He thinks of Mary, whose so racked with grief that words can not express!

Why was John chosen to have this honorable service put upon him.

Was it because Jesus loved him and because he loved Jesus or because he

had showed more love and more courage for the Lord than the rest of the

disciples, for he had keep near to Jesus thru this ordeal.

Woman, Behold Thy Son!-There, summed up in a single word, is expressed the need of every person - to turn the eye away from the world, off themselves, and to look at Jesus dying for our sins.

Just like the Israelites in the wilderness who were healed when they looked at the bronze serpent!

Mary the mother of Christ needed to "behold" Him, and so do you.

"Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world"