Temple Baptist Church - 3-8-2026
John 19:25-27
Introduction:
A. The last 2 weeks, we saw our Lord forgive those who crucified Him because they knew not what they did. Then we saw our Lord forgive a repentant, believing thief simply because he asked. In both sayings, we find the amazing grace of God!
B. This third saying of the cross gives us insight into the dual nature of Christ.
1. In the study of Theology, this is referred to as the Hypo-static Union of Christ. The Hypo-static Union is the biblical doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ is one Person with two complete natures—fully God and fully man—united without mixture, change, division, or separation.
2. Jesus Christ was 100% God and 100% man at the same time. Though this defies human comprehension, it is a Biblical reality. The two Persons of Christ never mixed nor caused either division or separation. Thus, Jesus Christ was the God-Man.
3. As 100% God, He could die for our sins and fully satisfy the just righteous demands of the Father. As 100% man, He could be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and become our faithful High Priest.
C. Much heresy is refuted in the gospel: the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here are just a few examples.
1. “Father, forgive them” refutes teachings that the church and the priests can forgive sin. Only God can forgive sin!
2. “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise” refutes both multiple ways of salvation (Christ is the only Way to heaven), the doctrines of Limbo, Purgatory, and soul sleep (today … with me).
3 Our verses for this morning, “Woman, behold thy son … behold thy mother” refutes Mariolatry. Our Lord dispelled the heresy that Mary was the “Mother of God” as is believed by many. God had no mother! There are no verses of Scripture where Jesus ever referred to Mary as mother.
D. From the cross, our Lord made statements from both the human side and the divine side of His person. Here, in the third saying of the cross, we find our Lord dispensing the care of His earthly mother to John the Beloved. An obligation that He took seriously and set forth an example for us to follow. In this third saying, it is interesting that He dealt with the family unit.
1. Jesus never called Mary His mother in the Scriptures. He addressed her as “Woman.” This is important because of the Mariolatry being taught today. Thus, “Woman, behold thy son!” When addressing John, the Beloved, He said, “Behold thy mother!” Jesus knew what kind of mother Mary was and that Mary would be a good mother to John.
2. Though Mary was blessed to be chosen as the mother of the “Son of Man,” the human side of Christ, she was not the mother of the “Son of God,” the divine side of Christ. The man, Christ Jesus, had a mother, but Jehovah God had no mother!
1. Jesus’ Love for Mary. Mary was His devoted mother! In Mary’s life, we find both devotion to Jesus on the human side, as a mother, and on the spiritual side, as her Saviour.
a. Mary was a godly mother. Mary’s Selection - Luke 1:26-27, 28 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary … (38) And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Mary was pure and highly favored, but not divine! After the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary had a normal husband-and-wife relationship, and their other sons (Mark 6:3) and daughters are mentioned in the Bible. She did not ascend to heaven as a virgin.
Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
b. Mary was a saved mother. Mary’s Salvation - Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, (47) And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Only Sinners need a Saviour. Mary was just like you and me. A good woman, a godly woman, but Mary was born a sinner and a sinner by choice, just like we are.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
c. Mary was a sorrowful mother. Mary’s Sorrow - Luke 2:35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,)
John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
How many times did she “ponder” these things in her heart? Mary, the one who gave Him birth; Mary, the one who nursed Him on her breast; Mary, the one who swaddled and took care of Him; Mary, the one who raised Him during His formative years; Mary, the one who pondered His being while He was growing up; Mary, the one who accompanied Him during His earthly ministry; Mary, the one who stood by Him while other forsook Him. Mary had to watch Him crucified!
d. Mary was a faithful mother. Mary’s Steadfastness - John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother …
Mary never left His side! Her love and devotion were to her Saviour, not just her son! If you are reading my notes, you will notice that “son” is not capitalized in this last statement. Though He was God, He was still her “son” in the flesh. She, of course, sorrowed as everyone else did, but she knew who He was, why He came, and what He was doing.
2. Jesus’ Duty to Mary! As was customary, the transfer of a mother’s care after her death was usually handled within the family. Our Lord could have easily arranged this before Calvary, but He chose to address it from the cross instead. By doing so, He revealed an important truth openly for all to see.
a. His duty. After Joseph’s death—which is not recorded—since He was the firstborn, it was our Lord’s duty to care for His earthly mother. It was the responsibility of the eldest son to care for aging parents, and our Lord was no exception.
b. His desire. As God, all men and women were equal, but as a “son,” His mother held a special place in His heart. As one writer said, “Christ’s sufferings surpassed all conception, yet they did not drown the memory of His mother.” Like any of us, our Lord held great respect for the one who gave Him life. He never disrespected Mary nor was He ever disobedient to her. As God’s children, we are encouraged to honor and obey our parents.
c. His decision! As the firstborn son, Jesus had the blessed task of caring for His earthly mother. He gave Mary to John, not to the second-oldest brother.
1) Our Lord Jesus did not entrust His earthly mother to the second-born brother. This would have been both a natural succession and biblically correct, as at that time, the care of a mother belonged to the second-born son. This highlights a failure within the family structure. Satan has undermined the American family by shifting God from the first to the second, third, or last place in the home. The family structure is the foundation of both the church and the nation. As goes the home, so goes everything else.
2) Our Lord Jesus did not entrust His earthly mother to the church. Mary was not a “widow indeed” and thus was not the congregation’s responsibility to care for her. While debates may continue about the early church, we can all agree that there was a body of believers to whom the Lord gave the Great Commission and the church ordinances.
3) Our Lord Jesus chose John the Beloved, a man who could be trusted! The only disciple who remained at His side until the end. No other disciples are mentioned.
Conclusion: In the third saying from the cross, we see the importance of family and duty. Family holds significance to God because He established the family unit in the Garden of Eden.
No comments:
Post a Comment