102-The Seven Words from the Cross (3)#
The Seven Words from the Cross (3)
The topic of sharing is: The Third Lecture on the Seven Words from the Cross
John 19:25-27
25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ 27 Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”
Let us begin with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You for Your grace. Today we come before Your throne seeking grace. When we understand how much Jesus loves us, we can have that love to love others. We receive supply and strength from You, and we completely entrust the following time into the hands of the Holy Spirit to help each one of us. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.”
Jesus is not a person without compassion; rather, He is a person full of love and warmth. If believing in Jesus leads you to abandon your family and neglect your loved ones, you may have believed incorrectly. There is a heresy called Eastern Lightning, and many people, when evangelized, say, “I cannot believe in your Jesus. In our village or community, there are those who believed in Jesus and have not returned for two or three years.”
When you hear such news, you can be sure that 90% of the time, this person believes in a certain lightning. Why do I say this? A true believer in Jesus will not let you abandon your family. If believing in Jesus leads you to stop working, neglect your family, ignore your children, and abandon your husband, urging you to solely preach the gospel, you must be cautious.
Although the Bible says that Jesus told us if anyone leaves his parents, children, or possessions for His sake, he will receive a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the age to come, what does Jesus mean by this? Does it really mean we should sell our houses, abandon our husbands, wives, and children, and stop working? This statement must be correctly understood. Jesus does not mean for us to abandon all these things but to place Jesus above all, making Him the first in our lives.
If misunderstood, one might abandon everything. Because for the sake of the Lord, there is a good excuse: for the Lord's sake, one cannot care for family; for the Lord's sake, one cannot work anymore; these become excuses. Brothers and sisters, heresies will use these erroneous interpretations to lead people astray. For example, they might tell you: now that you believe in Jesus, and your husband does not, he belongs to the devil. How can you not have problems when you sleep with the devil every day? This is a false teaching.
Through the third lecture on the Seven Words from the Cross, we will see how Jesus dealt with His family issues; what kind of choice Jesus made when facing Mary.
In the third lecture on the Seven Words from the Cross, Jesus spoke two sentences to the two people at the foot of the cross. The first was to His mother: “Behold your son,” and to that disciple—who is that disciple? It is the Apostle John. If you read the Gospel of John carefully, you will know that it was written by the Apostle John. John rarely mentions his own name and uses another term instead, referring to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” or “the disciple of the Lord.” Jesus then said to that disciple (referring to the Apostle John, not other disciples): “Behold your mother.” This is the third word Jesus spoke from the cross.
Jesus on the cross is not a humiliation but a glory. What did Mary think of while standing at the foot of the cross? She thought of the suffering Jesus endured on the cross. Recently, during Easter and Passion Week, many people watched the Passion of Christ and felt immense pain and sorrow.
They felt that the suffering Jesus endured was too painful, and they felt heartbroken and saddened, thinking it was too painful. If you understand it this way, it proves that you do not understand Jesus' intention. The purpose of Jesus' suffering is for us; Jesus endured this suffering not for us to pity Him but for us to have compassion for ourselves.
In Luke 23, Jesus said this in verse 28: “But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’”
Jesus knew He was going to Jerusalem to be humiliated, to be whipped, and to die. People might cry when they see these things. Today, Jesus wants to tell you, do not weep for me, do not cry for Jesus. When you see Jesus being whipped, do not cry for Him; weep for yourselves and for your children.
Why should we weep for ourselves? If you see Jesus suffering on the cross, and you see Him being whipped, yet still do not believe, you indeed need to weep for yourself. When a person is sick and troubled, if they see that Jesus Christ has already suffered punishment, and they do not understand why Jesus did these things, they need to weep for themselves because the purpose of Jesus doing these things is to comfort us.
If you merely think Jesus is too pitiful, then the truly pitiful one is the person who feels pity. Jesus' words are full of compassion because we do not know what we are doing. Many people think that Jesus' suffering is too painful, feeling distressed and upset, but in reality, you do not understand what Jesus has done. The devil's control over us is to make us misunderstand everything Jesus did. We must remember that Jesus, while on the cross, gave us a correct guide.
Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby.
I really like how John describes himself; He sees His mother and the disciple whom He loved. Why did only John follow to the foot of the cross in the end? Where did the others go? Out of the twelve disciples, apart from Judas Iscariot, there were eleven left; John came here, but where did the other ten go? They all ran away. They all believed in Jesus, and the time of believing was not much different; why did only John follow to the foot of the cross in the end? The other disciples fled completely, which indicates what problem? What power enabled him to come to the foot of the cross?
In that era, if one dared to admit to being a disciple of Jesus, there would be a life-threatening danger. Remember Peter? Peter, the chief disciple, when faced with others saying, “I can tell by your accent that you are from Galilee; you must be one of them,”
Peter said, “No, I do not know Him.”
The second time, Peter said, “I swear I do not know this man.”
The third time, he said, “I curse, I absolutely do not know Him.”
Why did Peter insist on distancing himself so thoroughly? Because in that era, if you were associated with Jesus, you could lose your head. It is different from today; at worst, people just say a few words to you; in that special era, daring to say you are a disciple of Jesus could mean life-threatening danger. Faced with such a tremendous challenge, all the other disciples fled completely, and only one disciple came to the foot of the cross.
I want to share from another perspective why only John came to the foot of the cross. And the only person Jesus could entrust to was this one disciple. What is the reason? It is because he had the love of Christ within him. Brothers and sisters, among these twelve disciples, including later Paul, who lived the longest? It was John. Who died of old age? It was also John. Jesus had twelve disciples; the other eleven, in our words, all met unfortunate ends, almost all were martyred. Only John died of old age, living to over ninety years.
Why was this disciple able to receive such a great blessing? We say, “Lord, grant us longevity.” “Lord, let me live healthily and glorify You.” John is an example. In such a persecuted era, the one who could persist to the end and bear witness for the Lord was this disciple named John. It was also this disciple who followed to the foot of the cross.
Is it because he followed to the foot of the cross that Jesus allowed him to live the longest and become the last apostle to die? What is the reason? Because there is a kind of power, a power that enables you to follow Jesus in any environment, the power of love.
Do not underestimate the power of love. Does Jesus love each person equally? Parents may love one child a bit more and another a bit less, and there may be disputes among siblings; however, Jesus loves each person equally, and this must be established. Jesus loves us equally, but the question is, how many people know that Jesus loves them the most?
Among these twelve disciples, only John knew that Jesus loved him the most. You can also say Jesus loves me the most, but you must recognize that Jesus loves you the most; only then can you often say this. John not only was loved by the Lord but also knew that Jesus loved him the most. It is precisely this that allowed him to still follow to the foot of the cross. No matter what trials he encountered, it did not affect his following of the Lord Jesus, and he followed all the way to the foot of the cross at Golgotha. What enables you to overcome your environment and follow the Lord all your life is not how much doctrine you understand, nor how long you have believed in the Lord, but how much you understand Jesus loves you.
Was our Lord in pain on the cross? Indeed, it was painful; the cross is not something an ordinary person can bear. Jesus is both fully God and fully man, so when He was nailed, it was indeed painful, and He would cry out in pain. Everyone would have such feelings. He experienced pain on the cross and was also very lonely. But at that moment, who was at the foot of the cross? His mother.
He did not forget His elderly mother; before leaving the world, He wanted to take care of her, which you can understand as filial piety. Brothers and sisters, this proves one thing: our Jesus, although He spent His life serving the Lord and doing the work of the Father and the Kingdom of Heaven, did not forget His mother, did not forget His family. This is completely different from the practices of some heresies. When you hear some people say that after believing in Jesus, you do not need to care about anything, do not need to go to work, hurry and leave! They have already denied some things explained in the Bible.
Jesus did not entrust His mother to Mary Magdalene or to Mary of Bethany, but solely entrusted her to John. Here, let me explain the background. Did you know that Jesus had brothers and sisters? Why did Jesus not entrust His mother to His brothers and sisters? There is a very famous historian in Israel named Josephus, a Jew, who made a detailed record of Jesus' life. This person does not believe in Jesus, and the things he recorded are very objective. In his records, he states that Jesus' earthly father was named Joseph, who passed away when Jesus was very young, possibly when He was still a child. After his death, who bore the burden of the family? It fell on Jesus, the firstborn.
In that era, the status of women was not high, and it was almost impossible for a woman to go out and earn a living to support several children. Therefore, when the father passed away, the firstborn had to take on the responsibility of raising the younger siblings, just like a father, the concept of the firstborn as a father. So Jesus worked as a carpenter.
Was He a family-oriented person? Jesus was a family-oriented person. He did not say, “I am the Son of God; why should I do such rough work?” Being a carpenter was looked down upon; why should I do it? I am the Son of God; why should I do this? No. He also served in His mother's authority, taking care of this family. Therefore, our Lord Jesus did not violate the law.
Before His death, He did not entrust His physical mother Mary to Peter or to other disciples but entrusted her to the Apostle John. Why did Jesus not entrust her to other disciples? Nor to His brothers and sisters? Because they were not at the foot of the cross, it is that simple. Later, I will share why at this moment He entrusted Mary to John.
The first point of sharing: Jesus Fulfilling the Law.
“Woman, behold your son.” It is a form of comfort. Why is it a form of comfort? From a human perspective, Jesus is now naked, nailed to the cross, and blood is flowing down from the cross, while Mary is watching below. That is her flesh-and-blood son, her true son!
Did Mary really not feel anything at all? I think if anyone felt the most heartache for Jesus at that moment, from a human perspective, it would only be Mary, because after all, He is her son! No matter how the world views this son, no matter how the other disciples flee, Mary will still follow to the foot of the cross because this is her son.
Once, when I watched the Passion of Christ, when Jesus was carrying the cross, He suddenly fell. At that moment, Mary rushed over, wanting to touch her son. She did not care how those around her looked at her because she was not viewing her son from God's perspective but from her own fleshly perspective. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, she saw with her own eyes that her son had truly been stripped of all rights, and His life was dying; she saw the blood flowing down, and Mary must have been heartbroken.
She might have been wailing, in unbearable pain. Because seeing her son Jesus nailed to the cross, about to be killed, is a tremendous suffering. She saw the blood dripping down, and I think as a mother, at that moment, if she could exchange places, Mary would certainly say: Let me die for you. Only Mary could do this.
But even if Mary was willing to do so, would Jesus allow her to do it? Even if Mary went up, she could not bear our sins. From a human perspective, Mary felt pity for Jesus from a fleshly and emotional standpoint. But at this moment, Jesus nailed to the cross is fulfilling the law; as His blood drips down, He is forgiving our sins. As we meditate, we know that Mary is in great pain at the foot of the cross. And is Jesus on the cross in pain? Yes, He is in pain. But at this moment, Jesus comforts Mary at the foot of the cross. Our Lord Jesus, at the end of His life, enduring immense pain, still gives us comfort. He is a person who fulfills the law.
Let’s look at Mary; when she gave birth to Jesus, she knew He was the Son of God. Especially during her son's growth, she also knew that He was the Son of God. However, even if she understood, being human, there is a kind of emotion involved. Seeing Jesus in pain, she still used human emotions, so she was very distressed, which is certain.
Let’s look at what Mary knew about Jesus in Luke 2:25-34.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Under the law in the past, we had no opportunity to believe in the Lord; but when Jesus was born, we had hope because He is also the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel. So God not only saves the Gentiles but also saves the people of Israel, and He is the glory of the people of Israel.
The parents of the child marveled at what was said about Jesus. Because this was a prophecy. This child was only eight days old, going to the temple to perform the purification ceremony, and Simeon, being a prophet, began to prophesy. When he prophesied, did His parents marvel? They were amazed that He was the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, which they had not expected. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother. Who did Simeon bless? He blessed Mary and Joseph.
You remember, Jesus does not need us to bless Him because He is always a blessing. This child being appointed is already our blessing; who can bless Jesus? No one. Jesus, at any time, even when He was a little child, did not need anyone to bless Him; He is still our blessing. This little child was born as the light of the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel; He Himself is a provider.
Then Simeon began to prophesy to Mary His mother, saying: This child is destined for the fall of many in Israel. Is this prophecy from the prophet quite harsh? This child is not simple; when He is appointed, He will cause many to fall, is He not what we call a star that brings misfortune? Why will Jesus' appointment cause many Israelites to fall? It is because of their unbelief. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces.
But this stone has become a cornerstone; all construction must be based on this cornerstone. This cornerstone refers to Jesus Christ; when people do not believe in Him, they will fall because of Him. When Jesus says, “I am the Son of God,” some people say: “He is lying. Kill Him! Nail Him to the cross! Smash Him!” Because they think He is blaspheming God.
Many will rise up, brothers and sisters, no matter how weak and helpless you are, when you believe in Jesus, you will rise again because of Jesus. And He will be a sign which will be spoken against, which proves that in the future, there will inevitably be people who will slander Jesus Christ without cause, attributing many unfounded accusations to Him. To reveal the thoughts of many hearts, when Jesus Christ comes, He indeed reveals the true thoughts of many hearts. But the purpose of Jesus revealing the thoughts of people's hearts is not to condemn them but to comfort them.
Just like the Pharisees, Jesus revealed their hearts, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” The reason Jesus said this was not to condemn them but to hope to tear off their masks and let them accept Jesus Christ. Facing those who are self-righteous, Jesus' approach is to tear off their masks, allowing them to recognize who they are. It is to reveal the thoughts of many hearts. And the last sentence is for Mary: “A sword will pierce through your own soul also.” Just a few days after Jesus was born, Simeon already prophesied about this child.
Let me briefly share something; in the last days, many people are prophesying. I will mention a relatively famous organization without naming it; it is getting worse and worse, and everyone is prophesying. If you enter their fellowship, from the elderly to the children, everyone can prophesy; many people will prophesy to you. How do we judge whether this prophecy is from God? We can see if this prophecy will come to pass.
Simeon was also prophesying at that time; was Simeon's prophecy from God? Yes, because it has been fulfilled. This child is indeed the light of the Gentiles, indeed the glory of Israel, and indeed many fall because of Jesus, and many rise because of Jesus. We should not become people who casually prophesy to others, nor should we believe anyone who casually prophesies to you: “Sister, in three years, you will surely become the richest person in this area…” and then say: “You must actively engage in a certain ministry.” Such words should be discerned; prophecy is not something everyone can give.
God gives us the gift of speaking in tongues; everyone can have it, but speaking prophecy must be cautious. When others prophesy to you, you must be cautious to see if it aligns with the Bible. If someone says: “God has given me a feeling for you to do something,” and you do not feel it, honestly tell them: “I do not feel it; I will not do it.” Do not feel that this will hurt their feelings; it does not matter because there can be no compromise in this matter. Prophecy can be very dangerous; there are more and more teams prophesying in the last days, and they like strange ideas.
For example, some say: Jesus is coming soon; we all must go to Israel because God will first go to Israel… Should we all go to Israel? This is fundamentally a wrong statement. But many people have become accustomed to listening to this error, so they say: “Yes, we should buy tickets to go to Israel.” Brothers and sisters, we must be cautious in this matter.
Let’s look at the next verse; now Jesus is on the cross, and He looks at His mother Mary. At this moment, is Mary’s heart really pierced like a sword? She would rather bear her son’s pain than see her son like this. Jesus saw Mary and knew that Mary was indeed in pain, so He personally came to comfort Mary. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.
Matthew 5:17-18
17 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Brothers and sisters, what law did Jesus fulfill with the words He spoke to Mary at the foot of the cross? When honoring His parents, Jesus did not abandon His mother, saying: “I am going back to the Kingdom of Heaven; you take care of yourself. Don’t you have several sons and daughters? Let them take care of you.” John, the burden of preaching the gospel will be entrusted to you; I am leaving… Jesus did not act so irresponsibly; before leaving, He arranged everything; the first problem to solve was His physical mother Mary.
At this moment, Mary’s heart was extremely painful and in need of comfort; in this situation, He needed to honor His parents. Brothers and sisters, honoring parents is not just giving them something to eat; it is truly comforting them from the heart. Jesus clearly knew that at this moment, Mary was caring for Him in a human way, and she was very distressed.
But Jesus was very clear about what He was doing; He was bearing our transgressions on the cross, dying for us; He did this so that more people would no longer suffer such pain. Jesus gave up His right to honor His parents and was nailed up; think about it, how painful would such a mother be? In this situation, Jesus still wanted to comfort His physical mother.
The second point of sharing: The Commission at the Foot of the Cross
Jesus did not entrust His mother to James, Judas, or His sister to take care of her, nor did He entrust her to other disciples, but entrusted her to the disciple whom He loved, John. Because at that moment, the only disciple at the foot of the cross was John. And at this moment, Mary needed real comfort; many people cannot be used by the Lord because they do not have the love of Christ in their hearts. As mentioned earlier, why was John able to follow to the foot of the cross in the end? Because he knew that Jesus loved him the most, this love made him move forward without hesitation. It is precisely this love that made him willing to follow no matter what situation he encountered.
Anyone can thank God in times of peace; but when faced with a little bit of unhappiness, grievance, or stress, they cannot endure it and no longer follow Jesus. Peter was exactly such a person; Peter said: “Lord, even if all fall away, I will not.” This is what Peter said.
When it truly came to laying down his life, where did he go? He ran faster than anyone else. Brothers and sisters, would Jesus let us die for Him in vain? Remember, Jesus came to give us life; it is impossible for the disciples to follow Him, and in the end, each one is killed; it is precisely because Peter had human intentions within him, many things arose from human intentions, so he said, “Lord, I am willing to die for You.” It is because Peter had human intentions within him, saying, “Lord, I am willing to die for You…” In fact, this is something only Jesus can say to us; we cannot say, “Lord Jesus, I am willing to die for You.” Those who say such things are generally boasting because those who truly lay down their lives for the Lord do not say it.
John was precisely a person who acted; he did not say before Jesus, “Jesus, I am willing to die for You; I am willing to follow You to the foot of the cross…” He knew Jesus loved him the most, so he followed to the foot of the cross. As mentioned earlier, John was the last to die for the Lord; his death was not martyrdom, while the others were all martyred.
Understanding doctrine often cannot help you; believing in the Lord for a long time does not necessarily help you. Did Paul know many doctrines? Did God reveal many things to him? But Paul did not live to be the last among the disciples; he was martyred early for the Lord. Only the Apostle John lived to an old age and died of old age, fulfilling his days. We explore this matter to understand why Jesus entrusted His mother to such a person.
Was John always a good disciple? Remember when John first followed Jesus, Jesus gave him the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder. This person had a very fiery temper. Once, when Jesus led the disciples to a city called Samaria, Jesus personally led the way. The people there did not accept Him; at that moment,
John blurted out: “Lord, do You want me to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
Jesus turned to the disciples and said: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” These disciples were not complete or perfect at the beginning. Including John, he was not a very loving disciple at first. But Jesus led this person step by step, and in the end, at the foot of the cross, He entrusted His mother to this disciple. Throughout his life, John never left Jesus, following Him to the end, and there is only one reason for this. It is this reason that, no matter how many difficulties he encountered in his life, he did not give up following this Lord; he understood that he was the one whom God loved the most.
We are not saying, “Lord, I love You; I know You love me.” It is clear that God indeed loves you; knowing how much Jesus loves you is what is important. And John truly knew that Jesus loved him very much.
When John was old, he was severely persecuted in his environment. In the Roman Empire at that time, they did not allow them to believe in Jesus, and many Christians were arrested and burned to death. Later, the Apostle John was also arrested and sent to the island of Patmos as a laborer. Because he was very old at that time, he became a recorder, possibly recording how much work others did.
It was on the island of Patmos that he saw the vision God gave him and wrote the Book of Revelation; this is the origin of the Book of Revelation. In that environment, on the island of Patmos, he was a laborer, and the living conditions were not good; he might have had no hope, not knowing when he could get out. But John still thanked God; on the Lord’s Day, he still went to worship God. It was on the Lord’s Day that he saw the glory of God, and God revealed many revelations to him, which he recorded. Why did Jesus use such a disciple? It is not because this disciple’s behavior was better than others, but because this disciple understood that Jesus loved him the most. If you understand the love of Jesus Christ, you will truly follow Him for a lifetime. You will not become a stumbling block to others; instead, you will become a builder of others.
I have been to many places, and some pastors say: “The church today is indeed too degenerate; every day it talks about God’s love.” Can’t we talk about God’s law and fire? The Apostle John only knew that Jesus loved him the most; this kind of disciple who only spoke of love lived out the likeness of Jesus Christ. When he came out of the island of Patmos, he was already very old.
At that time, he served in the church of Ephesus. In his later years, when he could not stand, he had two brothers support him to stand on the platform and said to the people below: “Little children, you must love one another, for God is love.” Later, after a while, when he preached again, what did he say? “Little children, you must love one another, for God is love.” Later, when his physical condition was already old, remember, he did not die of illness; he was old and could not move, and people carried him in a chair. He said to the little children: “Little children, you must love one another, for God is love.” Until one day, after he finished this sentence, he died.
John is the only one who died this way. Throughout history, how many pastors have not died on the pulpit? I am not talking about dying of illness; I am talking about dying of old age, preaching and preaching, and after finishing, just sleeping; John is one of them. The church of Ephesus commemorated the Apostle John for this love for the Lord; before he died, he still preached: “Little children, you must love one another, for God is love.” It seems he said, “I can no longer preach other revelations of Jesus; it can be summarized as: you must love one another, for God is love.” This is why he was able to live on, not falling in any environment, able to follow Jesus, because he knew that God is love. Therefore, the believers of the church of Ephesus buried John directly beneath the pulpit.
The Catholic Church has a custom: when a bishop dies, he is buried under the pulpit; this is the best reward for him. Where did this start? It started with the Apostle John. Some people tell me: “Teacher Ren, why do I sometimes feel a chill when I enter a Catholic church, especially in those very old churches?” I say: “You do not know; many saints' bodies are buried under the church, and that is the reason.” Did the Apostle John not encounter difficulties in his life? He did. Did he encounter persecution? He did. But he followed our Lord Jesus throughout his life because he understood this point.
Let’s look at the next: Changing People’s Perspectives
When Jesus was on the cross, He also wanted to change His mother Mary’s perspective. Because previously, those who knew Jesus did not think of Him as the Son of God. His brothers and sisters thought the same; therefore, when Jesus was crucified, His brothers and sisters did not come. There was an incident before when Jesus went to His hometown of Nazareth to preach the gospel; very few people believed in Him, so Jesus said: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”
Jesus did not see His brothers and sisters coming to the cross; the only one He saw was John. There were a few women, two Marys, one being Mary of Bethany and the other Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is the one from whom Jesus cast out seven demons; she also followed Jesus. It is this person who received Jesus' grace and understood Jesus loved her that made her follow to the foot of the cross.
At this moment, Jesus wants to change Mary’s perspective of Him. In verse 26, Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, and He said to His mother…
The term “mother” in the original refers to “woman,” which is actually a term of respect. Why did Jesus not use the term “mother” while on the cross but rather the term “woman”? Because Jesus wanted to change Mary’s perspective: do not be sad for me; do not be heartbroken for me; I am now in the identity of the Son of God, bearing the sins of all humanity, including you, Mary. He is now in the identity of the Son of God.
This term “woman” does not appear for the first time; it first appeared when Jesus went to the wedding at Cana. At that time, when there was no wine, Mary said to Jesus: “They have no wine.” Jesus also used this phrase: “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” It is precisely this phrase, translated into “mother,” that means “What does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” The Catholic Church has wrongly used this passage to say: “Look, Mary said to Jesus: ‘They have no wine,’ so hurry and perform a miracle and turn water into wine.” So Jesus obeyed and turned the water into wine. They now worship Mary as if she were a goddess. This is wrong!
They did not see that in the original text, Jesus used another term, “woman,” and He was looking at Mary from the perspective of the Son of God. When I perform miracles, how I do it is my business; you have no right to interfere with me. At that time, Mary understood and said to the servants: “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Finally, Jesus said: “Fill the jars with water first.” Mary did not say, “Didn’t I ask you to turn water into wine? Why are you filling with water?” Did she interfere? No, Mary was very clear at that time. At this moment, Mary may have forgotten.
In fact, there were several reminders from the beginning of this child’s conception; the angel kept reminding Mary that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was twelve years old and went to the temple, He also said: “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Was this also a reminder to Mary? Look at Me; I am not only your son but also the Son of God. However, at the foot of the cross, perhaps due to emotional reasons, Mary once again overlooked this matter; she was very heartbroken.
At this moment, Jesus, from the perspective of the Son of God, said to her: “Woman, behold your son.” He said, “You see me bleeding; do not look at me as your son; look at the person beside you as your son. You should look up to the cross of Jesus; I am the Son of God, shedding blood and sacrificing for your sins.” This is Jesus once again making Mary change her perspective, changing her fleshly thoughts. He wants her to see from the spirit what Jesus is doing. Do not judge Jesus based on appearances; instead, see from the spirit that Jesus is atoning for Mary’s sins, for the disciples’ sins, for the sins of all humanity. The Lord Jesus’ words are evident; His purpose is to prevent us from viewing Him from a fleshly perspective but rather from God’s perspective, from the perspective of the Son of God. In this situation, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son,” which means: do not look at your current environment; do not look at how painful this person before you is; if you truly have such a painful heart, look at the son beside you.
Then what did He say to John? “Behold your mother.” Mary needed comfort the most, and Jesus also knew who could comfort her; only John, who was with Mary, could comfort her. Jesus was not neglectful of His family; rather, He was mindful of Mary’s current needs, entrusting His mother to the Apostle John. We might think from another perspective: perhaps His brothers and sisters were afraid of being implicated; perhaps there was a temporary gap in their relationship with their mother because it was indeed dangerous at that time. The Bible tells us that from that hour, the disciple took Mary to his own home.
It was not a temporary comfort; he truly took Mary into his own home. It may also be said that at that time, His brothers and sisters were afraid of being affected by the government or other aspects. Later, Jesus’ brother James also believed in the Lord and believed in Jesus, so he wrote the Book of James, being Jesus’ biological brother. But at this moment, at the foot of the cross, James was not seen; only the Apostle John was there.
I believe Jesus also hopes we can change our perspective of Him. When He was on the cross, Jesus did not want us to pity Him; rather, He hoped we could see from the spirit that the one who truly needs compassion is us. He hopes everyone can look up to the salvation of Jesus Christ because everyone who looks up to Him will surely be saved. No one can take Jesus’ life; He willingly laid it down for us; He was on the cross to save our lives.
In Genesis 3:15, after Adam sinned, God said to the serpent: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” What does this mean? The seed of the woman does not refer to all the men born from women but refers to Jesus. Jesus will bruise the head of the devil, and the devil will bruise His heel; this refers to the moment on the cross. The devil used the Pharisees and the Jews to nail Jesus’ heel, but at the same time, the devil’s head was crushed by Jesus, and the devil was utterly defeated. Therefore, from a human perspective, Jesus entrusted His physical mother to the Apostle John.
Finally, let’s look at a passage from 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”
The Bible tells us, brothers and sisters, that we are one family. In this family, there are elders and there are young people. How should we handle this matter? When we see elderly people in the church, especially some who are lonely and helpless, whose children are unfilial, we must not point fingers and say: “These children are really unfilial! They are useless!” Do not judge their children.
When we see this mother in need, we should, like the Apostle John, bring her comfort. Especially for some elderly people who are alone and have no children, we should take on the responsibility of caring for the elderly brothers and sisters, just like the Apostle John. This message is not only for John but for everyone.
In the church, the elderly need not worry because we have many young people, all like young John. How should the elderly view the young people? They should view them as their own children. Just now, what was your greeting? “Peace to the brothers and sisters in the Lord.” This means that the young should treat these elderly people as their parents; and the elderly brothers and sisters should treat these young people as their own children.
Wouldn’t this reduce many conflicts? If your son spoke harshly to you, would you hate him until death? No, you would forgive him because he is your son; he is young and impulsive. You would forgive him. You should also use this heart to view the young people in our church. Similarly, how should we view the elderly? Treat them as your own parents. This is the method God teaches us in life and dealing with others.
Jesus said to John, “I entrust my mother to you.” To behold your mother means that from now on, you must take on the responsibility of caring for Mary. We young people should take care of the elderly. Let’s commend Zhang Rong’s husband, Liu Renqing; he knows that Uncle Fang has difficulty walking, so he often picks them up from Friday to Sunday. Brothers and sisters, although this is done for them, in God’s eyes, it is done for Jesus. In Jesus’ view, he is just like the Apostle John.
Brothers and sisters, if the church is like this, do you still need to worry? Even if the world says, “I raised several sons, but when I am old, none of them come to see me,” we must go. Therefore, the elderly need not worry; we have many young people, and there will be more in the future. Of course, the young have many problems; they may often argue over trivial matters; young people have this habit. The elderly should mediate; they should not strike them all down: “How did you believe in the Lord?” Do not do this; the church is meant for us to love one another; this is church life. No matter how you think, you must remember that our church is your other family.
You younger people must submit to your elders means what? I am a young person, and I also make mistakes many times; I can be impulsive, so the older ones should remind me when I am wrong; they must remind me. We also need to be reminded constantly. Then it says, “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility.” The young submit to the old, and the old treat the young as their own children, teaching them, comforting them, and encouraging them. Not out of a spirit of condemnation, but out of love for them. Isn’t it just like John, out of love? This forms a beautiful family.
Because God resists the proud, what kind of person is a proud person? They think they are the best, do not need others’ comfort, and do not need to comfort others; they think they are very capable and do not need to connect with others. This is a proud person. But gives grace to the humble. Seeing that every elderly person has their usefulness, they can bring you good advice; the elderly can also see many advantages in young people. If the church is all elderly people, it would be lifeless; if it is all young people, there might often be fights. They should complement each other; the elderly should play their role, and the young should play their role; this is a complete family.
Regardless of how it is, may the young people in our church treat the elderly as their parents, and may the elderly encourage the young people to treat them as their children. The young must respect them; do not look down on them; do not say they are uneducated. In fact, they can comfort us in many ways. Because this is the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are all under grace, but that does not mean we can act arbitrarily. As mentioned earlier, Jesus did not abolish the law. If we act arbitrarily under grace, thinking we can live however we want, that is wrong. We are under grace to fulfill the law with love, not to abolish the law. Is there still a situation of respect for the elderly and young in the church? We cannot see elderly people and say, “Here comes the brother.” We must remember that this is very inappropriate, understood? In this regard, we must pay attention; although we are under grace, it does not mean we can act arbitrarily. Paul tells us, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” When we respect the elderly, the elderly love you as if you were their own son; this family, this church will harmonize, and there will be fewer troubles. Only then can we become a model for other churches and a model for the world.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You for Your grace. We see that Jesus on the cross did not forget His physical mother. Although His mother needed comfort at that moment, He did not come down from the cross, nor did He forget His mission, but let the disciple whom He loved comfort His mother.
In our church, those who are older and elderly should be treated like our parents. We are willing to respect them and listen to their advice. In the church, there are many young people; the elderly should view these young people as their own children. Because they are still young and have many problems, we need to look at this group of young disciples as Jesus does.
Only in this way can this family of Jesus Christ be filled with the love of Christ and become a model for the world. We do not abandon our families; we place Jesus Christ first, filling our families with the love of Jesus. Thank You and praise You, Lord; may all the glory be Yours. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.”