The Third Word
“Dear woman, here is your son.” John 19:26
That is perhaps the most heartbreaking sentences of the entire passion. Seriously. As a mom, it’s only worse. I watched The Passion of the Christ long before I ever became a mother, and it was GUT WRENCHING. You know, in all honesty, I never really knew what that meant until I was writing on my living room floor bawling in hysterics for the Savior I had spent my whole life proclaiming. I was torn apart by His sacrifice after watching that movie. I was forever changed.
Now that I’m a mom? Forget it.
I can not even fathom watching my son carrying a cross, beaten, bloody, cursed by the public, stared at mocked and abused; knowing that he would hang until he died and I could not do one single thing to help him. No freaking way. Just couldn’t happen. I would freak out. I would scream. I would give my life to get him down. I would stand up to whomever was trying to hurt my son. You betcha. No way I could stand by and let that happen.
What must Mary have been thinking and feeling? A woman watching her son give up his life for strangers. What prevented her from lurching into the street and screaming at the soldiers? Did her womb ache at the sight of her son? I know her heart had to break. I’m sure her body shook. I don’t doubt that she probably fainted. But really, why didn’t she stop that from happening? Why didn’t she do something to save her son?
Because he was God’s son first. Mary knew that. Gabriel told her that she was highly favored, and that she would give birth to this. She knew from conception that this day would come. Simeon gave Mary the prophecy, “A sword will pierce your very soul.” (Luke 2:35) Was she ready?
“Dear woman, here is your son.” seems to say that Jesus is just a man again. He’s not some superhero who can heal anyone now. Well, except that he could. He could come off that cross, smite every evil person in that city, heal himself, and return to heaven with a twitch. But he didn’t. He endured. He stood fast. He continued on. Even as his mother stood there while he hung, he continued to hang. He did it for us.
In the end, though, Jesus again thought not of himself, but of his mother’s care. He said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” to tell her that in his absence, the disciple he loved the most would now be her son. He would take care of her, physically, financially. He gave up not only his life, but his mother too. He gave charge of his earthly affairs to the one who stayed by him until the end. This disciple would now take Jesus’ place as Mary’s son.
It is odd to me that this happened, because didn’t Mary and Joseph had other children. They had other sons. And surely one of them could have taken care of her. Maybe that exchange was more for the disciple rather than Mary. Either way, Jesus didn’t leave anything unfinished. He thought of others, even while hanging on that cross.
Momma Rich's 