“SON … MOTHER” – THE WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Prayer: Dear Lord, who blessed us with the gift of family life, that we may learn to love and care for others: We praise You for the example of Your Son Jesus Christ, who took thought for His mother and His disciple even when deserted and betrayed by closest friends. Open our eyes to recognize in all people the claims of kinship, and stir our hearts to look upon them as brothers and sisters, called with us into the sonship of Your love. Amen. (Parish Prayers, ed. Frank Colquhoun,)
The Text, St. John 19:26-27. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Lord, this is Your Word, and these are Your words. Sanctify us by the truth. Your Word is truth. Amen.
In the name of Jesus, in whom all the families of the earth are blessed:
Jesus saw His mother, Mary, standing under the cross, and His disciple John with her. Did Jesus all of a sudden remember that He needed to see to her welfare for when He was gone? And so He says, “Woman, behold your son!” – meaning John – and to John, “Behold your mother!”
But if this is all that’s happening – taking care of Mary for her old age — it’s something Jesus could have done before Good Friday. Jesus is not the Great Procrastinator, who checked everything off His “things to do” list except this.
Jesus is not careless. This too was well planned out. What He did for Mary – and for John too – is something which reveals the depth of His divine love.
In order to see this, we need to see what Jesus saw in Mary and John.
First there’s Mary. She knew this moment was coming. Think of what Simeon said to her way back when she was a new mother, holding her little 2-month-old: “This Child is destined [to be] a sign which will be spoken against; yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Lk 2:34-35).
Now at the cross it does feel like she’s being run through with a sword. This feeling of a piercing sword won’t go away. A mother who loses her son will go on having these stinging pains. What can ever make them stop? Surely Mary wanted back her home life with her Son. Why couldn’t she touch His hair again, hear His voice? The memories! Teaching him to walk, feeding Him, bathing Him. Taking delight in her Son, grown to manhood. Jesus isn’t above it all, removed from these feelings. If He wept at Lazarus’ grave, for what others felt, wouldn’t He groan to see the grief in His mother’s face?
Let’s turn to John now. He calls himself “the disciple Jesus loved.” He’s always close to Jesus in the gospels. At the Last Supper He was leaning His head on Jesus. Yet, when the disciples forsook Jesus and fled, John did too. Now He is the only one of all the disciples to be at the cross, looking on. Does He feel proud of this? No. He failed Jesus in His moment of need, He can’t forget it. The memory of His forsaking of Jesus is too close. He too is forlorn.
But it isn’t just what they feel at the moment. Jesus knows their future too.
In later years, Mary would not be immune from bitter “why me” feelings. Like anyone who loses a loved one, wouldn’t her grief and sadness – and memories – feel like a piercing sword and be impossible to shake sometimes?
And John, he didn’t yet know what he would have to fear, how relentless the persecution, how he would have to flee Jerusalem, be a pastor to little, struggling, persecuted churches, and finally banished to live alone on an island, with nobody to talk to.
In Jesus’ words, “Woman, behold your son! … Behold your mother!” we are seeing the depth of divine love. It isn’t merely a command that has to do with material needs. It isn’t merely a son’slove. It’s a Savior’s love.
This “word” to Mary and to John is the word of encouragement. Jesus waited until Good Friday because this can only come from the cross.
Encouragement is important. One of the devil’s chief weapons in our life is to discourage us. This can happen in the ups and down of family life. It can happen with school and the workplace. It can happen when you don’t feel valued by others. Money can be a source of discouragement. Then there are world events like the fighting in Iran, persecution of Christians worldwide, constant change and instability, election results, rising prices for gas or food, when the paycheck doesn’t go as far or the savings accounts take a dip. When I needed eye surgery, both times that happened I fought discouragement. That’s natural. We also fight discouragement in the church, but it comes from measuring things like attendance and offerings. The devil loves when we do that. Human expectations are an opening for him to use discouragement to tempt us. Notice that when you’re discouraged you’re not looking at God and His promises, you’re leaving the place of hope, you’re looking down, or focusing on the moment or on yourself and all you’re burdened with.
Encouragement is underrated. It’s because we don’t think it’s necessary. You think you can – or should be able to – live without it. You don’t lose sleep over not encouraging someone. You don’t hold a grudge for someone not encouraging you. You think you should be able to make it and be strong enough. What’s especially underrated is the knowledge that we need to work at encouragement, and fight discouragement. It’s spiritual warfare.
But Jesus, on the cross, doesn’t think it’s only optional. He sees that Mary and John cannot live without it. They both need to be encouraged. From the cross Jesus is giving Mary the encouragement of a person, in John; it’s the human consolation that she’ll need in her bereavement and her later years. From the cross He is giving young John the strength and courage he will need, in the form of a person, Mary, who has wisdom, life experience, and a close connection to Jesus. They share these blessings together. This encour-agement begins at the cross but has to continue. Jesus gives them to each other.
This tells you what true encouragement is. Jesus’ cross has the true encour-agement. This isn’t just wishing someone well. In the Bible, it’s the same word as comfort. It’s Jesus’ name for the Holy Spirit, literally “Comforter” or “Encourager” or “Helper.” It’s a beautiful word. It pictures someone who comes next to you and holds you up so you don’t fall. The New Testament uses this word all the time. The picture is, it’s what Christians do for each other all the time so no one gets overwhelmed or gives up. We “comfort [each other] with the same comfort with which we are comforted by God” (2Co 1:4). The Bible says, “Encourage one another daily” (Heb 3:13).
If it was impossible for the Mother of God and Jesus’ beloved disciple to be strong enough, then what of us? Jesus sees that it’s essential for you to be encouraged. First He gives you the Gospel, His word of encouragement: “Be of good cheer” – why? – “your sins are forgiven you.” Second, He gives us Christians to each other, in the home and in the church. We are to be “encouragement” to each other. Take this to heart. This is a main reason we are here, why there’s a church that the Holy Spirit has gathered here: for you to be encouraged by God, by others, and to be an encourager to others here.
Do you get discouraged? Do you see someone who does? God has put us together for encouragement, so what begins at the cross will never end. He says, “Behold your son/daughter/sister/brother/mother/father.” So we take each other to ourselves, to be home and family to each other eternally. Amen!