John 19: 25, 26 “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his Mother…When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!”
As I think about Mary and John I see an interesting progression that happened to them and will happen to us if we allow it. I think about Mary as mother chosen to be the one to bring Jesus to earth, to nurture and care for him as he was growing up not knowing what was ahead simply doing what she was called to do and learning as she went. The scriptures support the idea that Jesus knew a mother’s love, yet he never called her mother. Mary had a mother’s love to give but progressed to mother heart.
An example in my own life would be… When one of my sons was very young he would run up to me and throw his arms around my knees and say, “I need you mama!” I knew a mother’s love in our small family circle and I protected it and didn’t share it.
A few years ago I was in a small group for healing ministry, there was a young man who didn’t share for several days. One day as we began the session I started to weep for no reason, but the pain I had was coming from the depths of my soul and consumed me. The young man began to cry and shared with us that his mother had been killed on Christmas Eve by two 13-year-olds who stole the family van with her in it. He was able to allow us to pray for him and the Lord began to heal him.
Over the years God gave me a Mother Heart. I’m not saying that I am ‘Mary’, however, I am saying that Mary was a model of a woman standing in perfect submission to God’s will. Jesus was Mary’s son yet we don’t find anywhere that he called her mother, He called her woman.
Woman, behold thy son. Behold the Lamb of God …Mary needed a savior too. And as Jesus was dying on the cross he had concern for his mother’s well-being as he said to John, “Behold thy mother,” John would be the one entrusted to care for his mother. His focus was not on himself but on the responsibilities in caring for others.
Being Good Friday, think about how you can allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of the cross in you.