Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.18 – May 2005
A Son’s Farewell
Sermon by Rev John Haverland on John 19:25-27
Scripture Readings: John 19:17-27; Luke 2:21-35, 8:19-21, 11:27-28
Congregation.
When people know they are going to die in the near future they will usually try to set their house in order. They will make whatever arrangements they can to organise everything for their death. In part they will do this to make it easier for their wife or husband or family who will be left behind. They will give final instructions and communications about what they would like done in preparation for their death and even after they have gone.
As they come even closer to their death they may make some final reflections on their life and utter some final words of farewell. We often put a lot of weight on those last words. We attach much importance to the dying words of a person. We often treasure those words, hold on to them, remember them and reflect on them.
Today we will consider some of the dying words of the Lord Jesus. Words of farewell. What we have here is a son’s farewell to his mother. It was a final farewell, as we will see, because after this his relationship with his mother would change forever.
Context: Before we consider these words let’s notice where they fit into everything else Jesus said on the cross.
His first words from the cross were a prayer. He prayed for those who were putting him to death. It was a general prayer for the Jews and for the Romans – for all involved. It showed his compassion and pity. ‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’
His second words were addressed to the criminal next to him on the cross. He spoke to a new believer. He gave words of hope to someone who had only just seen his sin and who had put his trust in Jesus. ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’.
These next words of Jesus narrow his focus even further because here he spoke to his immediate family – to his mother. These words to Mary are the final words he spoke to others before his death. After this his words would concern himself and his own suffering and his relationship with his Father in heaven.
There were many people around the cross that morning, watching that horrible scene. Some, like the Roman soldiers, had a job to do. Others, like the religious leaders, had come to mock. Still others had come to support Jesus in his suffering. They had come to grieve.
It was dangerous to associate yourself with a man who was being executed like this. You did not want to be seen as an accomplice, as an associate, as a partner, in case the same thing happened to you! It took courage to be there, by the cross, that morning.
The disciple John was there, although he is the only disciple mentioned. He is not mentioned by name but rather as ‘the disciple whom he loved’. There was a special bond between Jesus and John. They were close friends. Jesus was fully human and he felt closer to some people than to others, just like us. John was there, by the cross.
And there were a number of women. These women had courage. They loved Jesus with a love that cast out their fear. They too wanted to be there, with him. John mentions four women by name: Mary the mother of Jesus, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. They were there for Jesus.
Comparing these names with the lists in the other gospels it seems likely that Mary’s sister was Salome, the wife of Zebedee, the mother of James and John. If this was so, then John was a cousin of Jesus. Mary was John’s aunt – John her nephew.
Maybe this is one of the reasons Jesus asked John to look after her. ‘Here is your mother.’ Some nephews have a good and close relationship with their aunts, and that may well have been so for John.
As we consider these words of Jesus, we’ll see that Jesus was changing his relationship from that of Mary’s Son to Mary’s Saviour.
Firstly, then, He was MARY’S SON.
Every Christmas we remember that Jesus was born into this world. He was, to use the words of the Apostles’ Creed, ‘conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary.’ He was conceived from His Heavenly Father and he was born from his earthly mother. This means that he had a divine nature and a human nature; fully divine and fully human; two natures combined in one person.
God chose a young woman named Mary to bear His Son into the world. She must have been a godly woman to be chosen for this task. It was an incredible honour. Mary herself was conscious of this when she said, ‘From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name’ (Luke 1:48 f).
Jesus honoured Mary as his mother. It is significant that of all the people gathered around the cross that day Jesus chose to speak to Mary alone, and to John about her. In this way we see that he honoured her.
The first commandment that covers our relationship with our neighbour is the fifth commandment – ‘Honour your father and your mother.’ Jesus did this throughout his life. After the time his parents had lost him in the temple we read, ‘Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men’ (Luke 2:51 f).
He was a perfect man and a perfect son. He kept the entire law of God throughout his life, both in his love for God and his love for his neighbour. At his death his last words to those around him were addressed to his mother.
It is unusual for people to think of others when they are preoccupied with pain – yet this is what Jesus did. Even in his death he kept the fifth commandment. Even in his dying agony he honoured his mother.
It is also unusual for those in prominent positions to have an interest in specific individuals around them. But Jesus did this. He was about to die for the sins of his people and then to take up his rule and reign over all things as the Lord and King – and even at this time and in this position he thought about his mother and about her needs.
In all this Jesus is an example to us. We often give ourselves plenty of excuses and reasons as to why we should not honour our parents – why the fifth commandment does not apply to me in my situation – but Jesus gave us an example to follow, that we should honour our parents to their dying day and to ours!
Yet in all this we need to remember that our focus must be on the Lord Jesus. In all the stories of the Bible, both from the Old and the New Testament, the focus must always be on what God is doing. He is the Hero. Whatever else any human person is doing, our attention must go to God. This is true in both the birth of Jesus and his death. Keep your attention on the suffering of Jesus and what that meant, not on the grief of Mary his mother.
The Roman Catholics have forgotten this with their Mariology. Their misplaced emphasis on Mary as ‘The Mother of God’ makes them lose sight of the Lord Jesus himself. Furthermore, they have gone beyond the Scriptures in their teaching about Mary. One of their official teachings (since 1854) is the immaculate conception – that Mary was free from original sin and from actual sin.
Another of their more recent official teachings (since 1950) is the bodily assumption of Mary – that Mary did not die but that she was taken bodily to heaven. They also believe that she remained a virgin through her life and that she had no children after Jesus.
However, there is no biblical evidence for any of their beliefs. They have the effect of exalting Mary in the eyes of Roman Catholics and taking their attention away from Jesus. Pope John Paul II said of Mary, ‘The place she occupies in the church is the highest place and closest to us after Jesus.’
It is true that we may honour Mary for the place God gave her carrying His Son, but we must only worship and honour and glorify the Son as God. He is the only One to be worshipped.
Jesus wanted Mary to see this and understand this. In these final words of farewell to her, we see that He shifted her focus away from being Mary’s child to being her Lord. He changed the way she should view their relationship. No longer should she see him as her son but rather as HER SAVIOUR.
This is our second point. This was anticipated at his birth.
When Jesus had been presented in the temple as a baby, an old man named Simeon had met Mary and Joseph. Simeon had praised the Lord for allowing him to see God’s salvation in the One who would be a light to the Gentiles. Then he said to Mary, ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too’ (Luke 2:34-35).
Simeon warned Mary that Jesus was no ordinary person. People would be either for him or against him. They would either fall over him or rise with him. They would love him or hate him. There would be no middle ground. And he warned her that she would suffer because of Jesus: ‘a sword will pierce your own soul’ a sword of grief and anguish and despair. No doubt she thought a great deal about what Simeon had said.
She thought more about Jesus after he had been left behind in Jerusalem when he was twelve years old. Jesus had asked his parents, ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ After that we read that Mary ‘treasured all these things in her heart’ (Luke 2:51). She knew that Jesus was called to do a great work of God in the world.
Jesus had taught this in his ministry. During his ministry Jesus had told people that he was the Messiah, the Christ. He had spoken to them about God as his Father in Heaven. He had called them to believe in him as the One God had sent. He challenged them to keep the commandments of his Father and to keep his commandments. This is the message he preached to all those who were willing to hear him.
This is also what he taught his family. He was more interested in a person’s spiritual connection with him rather than their family connection. That came through very clearly when his mother and brothers came to see him one day but could not get near him because of the crowd. When someone informed him of this, he said, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice’ (Luke 8:21).
He said much the same when a woman in the crowd had called out to him, ‘Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.’ He replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it’ (Luke 11:27).
As we have seen, Jesus always honoured his mother in his time on earth. But he also made it clear to her and to the rest of his family and to the crowds that his family connections were unimportant compared to faith in him.
Even in his ministry Jesus was withdrawing from his mother. This can’t have been easy for Mary to accept because of the natural bonds she had with him as his mother. She had given him birth, nursed him, watched him crawl and learn to walk. She had seen him grow up and mature. She had said goodbye to him when he left home to be a travelling teacher and rabbi.
But as time went on Jesus wanted her to see that her relationship with him had to change. She had to see him as the Messiah. She had to believe in him as the Son of God. This was the most important issue – did she believe in Jesus and who he claimed to be?
This is still the most important issue today – do you believe in Jesus as the One God has sent? As the Saviour of the world? As the Lord and King?
Mary had to see Jesus as the Saviour, rather than as her son. This had been anticipated at his birth; he had taught this in his ministry.
Then he clarified this at his death. As Jesus came close to his death he wanted to make arrangements for his mother. ‘When he saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ~Dear woman, here is your son’.’
Jesus addressed his mother as ‘woman’ not as ‘mother’. He wanted to establish some distance between them. Their relationship was about to change forever. She should now see John as her son. Mary had to give up Jesus as her son because he was going to die as the Saviour of his people – and as her Saviour – the Saviour of all who would believe in him.
We know from the book of Acts that Mary did believe in Jesus as her Saviour and Lord. She was there with the eleven disciples in that upper room after his ascension into heaven. His brothers were also there. ‘They all joined together constantly in prayer’ (Acts 1:14). This group of believers numbered 120 and they were all together on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:15; 2:1).
From this time on Mary was no longer the mother of Jesus, but a sister in Christ of all who believed in him. She was a Christian. She was a disciple of Christ, a follower of the Son of God.
As you consider these dying words of Jesus you need to examine your relationship with him. It’s not enough to have family members who believe in Jesus – parents, brothers or sisters. It’s not enough to belong to a Christian church. It’s not enough to have a long Christian tradition in your family or church background. It’s not enough that your father is an elder or a deacon or a pastor.
Faith must be personal. You must believe in Jesus. You must be able to say of Jesus:
Beautiful Saviour, King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man.
Truly I’d love thee,
Truly I’d serve thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
Can you say that about Jesus, the Son of God, the Beautiful Saviour?
Amen.