Woman

John 19:^26-27 “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” (NRSV)

These are the third Words of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. What was going on here? Jesus was taking care of business. Jesus was Mary’s first born and it was time for Him to go. This was Jesus taking care of those who depend on Him because by tradition, the first son and sons generally were to take care of their mother because women were usually vulnerable. This is why woman usually want sons, even now. Again, the relationship between a son and a mother is unbelievable. It is like the relationship between a daughter and a father, it is unexplainable. Jesus did not ask, ‘where is St. Joseph, the carpenter.’ Jesus was thinking of His mother. If the roles were reversed, and it was a daughter, she will be thinking of her dad. She would not even think of her mother.

Jesus was showing us here that He took care of His responsibilities even though He was going to be with the Father. It is a very shameful thing to see men who do not take care of their responsibilities. How can you as a father not take care of your children, take care of your wife, take care of your mother. How can you not take care of business? Jesus was saying to Mary, ‘I have got you mum, I have got your back’. Where was St. Joseph? I am calling him St. Joseph because some people in Christendom call him St. Joseph. Where was St. Joseph? That is a story for another day but go and think about it. Where was St. Joseph?

Jesus had other siblings. Why didn’t He hand His mother over to James or Jude His brothers? After all, if the first son is no more the second son should naturally step into that role and shoulder the responsibility of taking care of their mother. So, why did Jesus hand His mother over to John? It is because there is something about spiritual connections that supersede biological connections. Jesus called John, the beloved, His son. We also know that James and Jude later gave their lives to Christ. However, Jesus committed the mother to His disciple, to John and that is very instructive. At the beginning of Jesus’ life, Mary was there. When Jesus started His ministry, when He performed the very first miracle in Cana of Galilee, Mary was there. And at the end of Jesus’ life, Mary was there. Mothers are just amazing. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when Mary came to Jesus and said, ‘they have run out of wine’.

Jesus addressed Mary as woman and that is significant because at the cross, He referred to her again as woman. There are several Hebrew words for mother, but Jesus did not say mother, He said woman. Why? It is because at  both instances, Jesus was actually speaking prophetically. In line with the messianic prophecy of Jesus dating all the way back to Genesis 3, where God said, the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent. And now at the cross, this was the seed of the woman crushing the head of the serpent. Profound!

Prayer: Father, I ask for the grace and resources necessary to always take care of my responsibilities. Help me align with Your Words over my life, in Jesus Name. Amen!