Untitled Sermon (8)

Background

Filial piety towards one’s mother was a highly regarded virtue in Mediterranean antiquity (Diodorous Siculus 36.27.1–4)

Talbert, C. H. (2005). Reading John: a literary and theological commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles (Rev. ed., p. 252). Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing.

Luke-Acts I. The Crucifixion According to John, 19:16b–30

A good son’s care. Jesus was Son of God and our Savior. But in the most human way Jesus was a good son. He was hurting, dying. And he had presence of mind to consider what was going to become of his mother. Some of us should do as much.

St. John, Vols. I–III Vers. 25–27

III. FILIAL COMPASSION. “Woman, behold thy Son”—a gleam of unearthly sunshine. 1. No sufferings, however great, can quench love. Christ’s sufferings surpassed all conception, yet they did not drown the memory of His mother. He seemed to forget His agonies in her tears. Children learn a lesson from this! Plead no personal inconvenience as a reason for neglecting your parents. 2. No engagements, however vast, can justify the neglect of domestic duties. How vast were Christ’s engagements! Here was a crisis in the history of the universe—yet Christ attended to the needs of His aged mother. Let none plead—statesmen, ministers, or reformers—their engagements as a justification for neglecting home duties. 3. No legacy, however precious, is equal to the Legacy of Love. Christ could have made His mother the mistress of an empire; but He bequeathed her what was better—the affection of a noble soul. What is equal to this? 4. No argument, however plausible, can justify us in regarding Mary as an object of worship. The mothers of great men are to be held in high veneration. Albeit, ought we to regard this poor desolate woman whom Jesus commended to the care of John as Queen of Heaven!

John 19:25b–27 To His Mother; To His Disciple

These words speak the loving heart of Jesus precisely when he suffers on the cross. He is not me-oriented, but other-focused. In this double exchange Jesus links his mother and the beloved disciple into a loving and caring relationship.

John 19:25b–27 To His Mother; To His Disciple

We need to hear these words, dear to Jesus’ heart, expressing his deep love for both his mother and the beloved disciple: to his mother, Woman, here is your son; to his disciple, Here is your mother. His words create a mutual bond of love that shapes their future: From that hour the disciple took her into his own home. This precious and empowering love and care from Jesus symbolizes the life of the church yet to be born. Viewed from the time of the Johannine community, this care and love mark Jesus’ true followers, who abide in him as branches in the vine: Jesus’ mother receives her son; the beloved disciple receives his mother. Jesus’ great love for both seals their love for the other.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 19

19:26–27 In keeping with biblical injunctions to honor one’s parents (Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16), Jesus made provision for his mother, who was almost certainly widowed and probably in her early fifties, with little or no personal income. On the word woman, see note at 2:4. On the disciple he loved, see the notes at 13:23; 20:1–21:25; 21:7–8; 21:24.