KJV John 19:26-27 KJV When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! (27) Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
NASB John 19:26-27 When Jesus then 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!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
“Tis in Thy cross Lord that we learn, what thou in all Thy fullness art” is a hymn we frequently sing on a Lord’s Day as we gather to remember Him. In all that transpired at the cross, we see the heart of Christ revealed. In these words from His lips, we see compassion and mercy. At least two issues are pressing in on His holy soul, amidst the sufferings of the tree. He knew the sorrow of a mother’s heart and sought to shield her from the full weight of that sight. He also took responsibility for her welfare by committing her to John.
Though Christ was only a babe at the time, the words of Simeon concerning Mary spoken in the Temple were about to be fulfilled: “A sword shall pierce through thine own soul, also” (Luke 2:35). A mother’s grief at the humiliation and suffering of a son would be immeasurable.
Some have linked the utterances from the cross in John with the varied animals used for burnt offerings. The tender and sensitive dove or homing pigeon is seen in this utterance. The heart of Christ was never dampened by self-pity, nor hardened by human cruelty, nor preoccupied with self, due to circumstances. He remained sensitive to all the needs of others, even at this moment of intense suffering.
Christ did not want His mother to see the six hours of enduring the judgment of God against sin and the effect it would have on Him. Tenderly, he committed her to John, and the beloved disciple took her away from the scene.
Some feel that a mother’s love would have forbidden her to leave the sight and side of her Son as He suffered. If so, then the phrase “took her unto his own things” mentioned by John was an acceptance of his responsibility to care for her.
But along with His sensitivity to human emotion and suffering, there was equally an awareness of the law. “Honour thy father and mother” was part of the law He came to fulfill and magnify — and magnify it, He did. To our knowledge, His brothers and sisters were not believers at that time. Thus, He commits the care for His mother into the hands of a believer, John the beloved, confident in his ability to care for her. While enduring the curse of the broken law, He was fulfilling that same law by His words and actions.
We isolate actions and events to better comprehend them. It is the result of our limited ability to appreciate the fullness of any one event. But here, where He is showing responsibility and obedience to the law as a Son, He was also displaying His love for the Word of God, His obedience to His God, and His compassion and care for another. He was fulfilling the first part of the law – to love the Lord His God with all His heart, and the second part of the law – to love His neighbour as Himself. In every word and action of the Lord Jesus, there was and is a fullness we cannot comprehend and a glory that only the Father can fully value.
Consider:
Look at the other two utterances from the cross and the words to Pilate that only John mentions, and link them with the other animals offered as burnt offerings.