Words Matter: Jesus' Concern for His Family

Intro.: [AGS]: “Abraham was chosen to be a blessing to the whole earth, but his vocation was to begin to take effect in the simplest way. He was called to teach his own household, who again would hand down the truth to their households. His being a blessing to the world depended on his being a blessing to his own home.” (James Strachan, “Family” in 1001 Quotes, Illustrations, and Humorous Stories for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers. Ed. Edward K. Rowell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007. 68) [TS]: They key to us being blessings to others begins with us being blessings at home to our own families. Jesus demonstrated utmost care and concern for his family as he hung upon the cross. [RS]: You and I need to be intentional with being a blessing to our family- prioritizing our family; providing for our family; etc. Too many stories are told of families who are seemingly unimpacted by faith because of the lack of faith exemplified and experienced within the family. (i.e., the family who argues the whole way to church only to act as though everything is okay when they get to church and begin arguing as soon as they leave church; the dad who is never present at home but presents himself as being put together and a strong family leader when at church; etc)

TS: Let us examine together a few examples observed in this text now:

Notice two things before we examine the examples in the text:

There is a slight variance in the text that different translations deal with differently. Vv. 24 and 25 are slightly confusing on where they break. What is not confusing, though, is this: the Gospel writer, John, sets a harsh contrast between the soldiers who were casting lots for Jesus’ clothing- described by some as greedy- and those gathered at the foot of the cross, the few followers there.

Those gathered at the foot of the cross, four in total, each had a special connection to Jesus. Though not much is known of Mary of Clopas, the other three had known connections. Thus, it is understand that Mary of Clopas did, as well.

The mother of Jesus: the obvious connection. Though deemed a blasphemous criminal by those crucifying Him, his mother is there in love- likely with great anguish as she sees her son hanging upon the cross. McArthur wrote that this is the moment Simeon spoke about in Lk. 2:35 when he told Mary her soul would be pierced Additionally, he highlights that John’s Gospel is the only one that records Mary’s presence, likely because of her behind-the-scenes role in the New Testament (McArthur, “John 12-21” in McArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008, 354)

Salome, Mary’s sister: the mother of John and James, sons of Zebedee. Prior to this, she was the one who requested of Jesus to exalt her sons to special places of honor in Mt. 20:20-21. (McArthur, 354-55; Barclay 298-299) Barclay suggested we learn from her because Jesus had sharply rebuked her when she requested this.

Mary Magdalene: the one whom Jesus casted seven demons out of (Lk. 8:2). Perhaps her connection is what Jesus had done for her.

The first example is a commitment to family.

Jewish tradition held that the oldest son was responsible for the care of the mother in the case of her being widowed. By this point, Mary, Jesus’ mom, would have been widowed.

Jesus was the oldest of her sons. Thus, it was his responsibility. So moving is it that in moments of excruciating pain and anguish, as he hung upon the cross in the final moments before his death, that he thought of his mom and his responsibility to care for her.

Thus, Jesus exemplified a commitment to family in this experience. Jesus exemplified a dutiful, exemplary son.

APPLICATION: You and I should go to the nth degree to ensure that we exemplify a commitment to family- that our families are cared for; that our families are loved; that our families are discipled; that even in moments of our deepest anguish, our families are still taken care of.

The second example is a commitment to faith.

Jesus could have entrusted the care of his mom to his other brothers. In fact, the question should be asked, “why didn’t he?”

Jesus committed the care of his mom to John because at this time, his brothers were not committed to faith: they had not yet believed in Him as the Messiah. (Jn. 7:2-5)

John, though, was a follower of Jesus who affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah. He was the beloved disciple.

Verse 27b records that John was the exemplary disciple because he took care of Mary in his own home. “Tradition says that she continued to live with him in Judea till the time of her death, which occurred about fifteen years after the death of Christ” (Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke & John, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 372.)

APPLICATION: You and I should be committed to faith, not entrusting the care of our family to just anyone. Yet, honoring and valuing our faith, we should ensure that those responsible for our family should be people of faith. Additionally, we should follow the example of the disciple, John, who demonstrated faithfulness to that which Jesus entrusted to him.

CONCLUSION:

[1] Are you committed to your family? Are you committed to faith?

[2] What actions could be taken in your life to exemplify a greater commitment to these two areas?

Related Media

Related Sermons