Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
May 12, 2002 AM
By The Cross Stood His Mother
Reading - John 19.23-27
We continue our Sunday study of the cross...
Think of it... Six long hours of excruciating pain... Jesus is suspended on the cross... Held there by iron spikes through His hands and feet. His chest muscles are paralyzed... The only way He can get another breath is to haul Himself up by pushing on the nails in His feet... And straining... Pulling against the nails in His hand... All at the expense of maddening pain. It is during these painful moments that Jesus utters seven dying phrases.
Amazing isn't it... That a man dying in such pain would think of others instead of himself?
- He thought of those responsible for His crucifixion... The Jewish officials... The Roman
soldiers... and us here this morning who crucify Him again and again by our own sins... Father forgive them, they know not what they do.
- A word of salvation to the thief handing beside Him... Today you will be with Me in paradise.
Now we come to the most touching and tender of all the scenes that took place at Calvary... A statement to His mother... "Dear woman... Behold your son"... And to the disciple... "Behold your mother."
It's interesting to note that what Jesus says here may very well be tied to that which was going on around the cross... You see... history tells us that the crucifixion victim was stripped of all his clothing, leaving him in the shame of his own nakedness. We may not like to hear it, but Jesus hung nude on the cross... It was a part of the shame. The crucifixion team was to share in the victim's clothing.
Jewish men in Jesus' day typically wore five pieces of clothing...
- A head piece--a type of turban.
- Sandals...
- An outer robe--a tunic which covered the body from the shoulder to the ankles.
- A sash or belt which held the robe close to the body at the waist.
- And the under garment.
The first four outer garments were claimed or shared by each of the shoulders. The under garment... Called a chiton... (KE-TONE) was a close fitting cover from the shoulders to the thighs. Usually, the mother of a Jewish boy made his first KE-TONE... Presenting it to him at manhood. In the case of Jesus, probably when He started His personal ministry... At, or near the time of His baptism by John. The KE-TONE Jesus wore was woven... seamless... So the soldiers decided not to ruin it, but to cast lots for it... Fulfilling the words of the Old Testament prophecy.
It was against this backdrop... With His chin resting on His chest... Eyes riveted to the ground... that Jesus turns His attention to His mother. No doubt, she has been there all along... But because of the haggling over the seamless tunic she had made for Him, Jesus' attention is focused upon His mother. So, He addresses her and her future needs. And when He saw His mother standing near by, He said... Dear woman... Here is your son... And to John... Here is your mother.
OK... Let's see what we can learn here... What do we see?... Are there some challenges for us in the church today? Access a worship outline and let's examine this cross narrative closely.
First... We see Mary's faithfulness... And are challenged by it.
Church... We must know this morning that Jesus is not the only one who is suffering here. Mary's heart is broken... Her strength is gone... Emotionally she is a wreck... Hopeless... Helpless. I want us to know that she is an amazing lady.... She is our example of steadfastness. For instance, it is interesting to note that John says... She is standing near the cross,
- She does not run...
- She is not standing afar off...
- Mary has not swooned... fainted.
- She does not crouch...
- She is not crumpled in a broken heap...
She is standing near the cross in intolerable grief.
I wonder what is going through her mind? Let me suggest that she may be thinking about the words of the prophet Simeon. She may have been remembering that happy day, when she and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord... Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God... and then said... This child is destined to be spoken against, and a sword will pierce your own soul too. Indeed... Mary had felt that sword many times... RIGHT?
- For instance she felt that sword when... She found herself pregnant outside of wedlock... And the explanation that she was overcome by the Holy Spirit was not an acceptable explanation to many in her family or friendship circle.
- She felt the sword again, as Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger.
- The sword struck her and Bethlehem when Herod threatened and the family had to flee to Egypt.
- Again at Nazareth when they threatened to throw Jesus over a cliff.
- Mary felt the sword when all the family and friends rejected Jesus as the Messiah.
- She felt the sword as the Jewish authorities put out public notices for the arrest of her son.
- There was the beating before Pilate... The mockery by Herod... The insults from the crowed.
Finally... Here at the cross... The sword of prophecy pierced her heart as her first born Son hang dying, and there was nothing she could do about it.
- She sees the crown of thorns... But cannot remove it...
- She sees the nails... But is not allowed to pull them out...
- She sees the lacerations... But is not able to smooth her Son's pain with salve...
- She sees His nakedness... But cannot cover her Son.
- She hears the mockery... But is not able to quiet the voices...
Oh yes... She would have gladly traded places with Him, but she knew she could not bring forgiveness and redemption to the world. She knew she most not interfere with the mystery of the Divine Will of God.
We are reminded of Mary's response to the angel, Gabriel, who first appeared announcing the birth of Jesus... Remember what she said?... I am the Lord's servant... May it be to me as you have said. And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Church... As we stand with Mary around the cross this Mother's Day... Will we be challenged by Mary's attitude and commitment?...Will we be challenged by her faithfulness? I pray that we will.
Secondly this morning... We are challenged by Jesus to love our parents.
Lightning struck... Thunder rolled... And the finger of God engraved His commandments on tablets of stone at Sinai... Commandments that are restated over and over in the Bible... Commandments that we must not ignore.
- Honor your father and your mother... So that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
- Proverbs 23.22 says... Listen to your father, who gave you life... (Listen now!!)... And do not despise your mother when she is old.
- Deuteronomy 5.16 reads... Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you.
- Paul commands... Children... Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right... Honor your father and mother... Which is the first commandment with a promise... That things may go well with you and that you may have a long life.
I want us to know this morning that... The commandment for us to honor our parents goes far beyond bare obedience while we were children...
It embraces...
- Love...
- Appreciation...
- Affection...
- Gratitude...
- And respect...
Then... Now... and Forever.
Yes... This commandment is unquestionably addressed to children first and foremost. But, for us to conclude that this commandment loses force when childhood is over, is to miss at least half of its deep significance. The Bible says that Jesus made Himself subject to Joseph and Mary in His youth. But in adulthood, His obligation to HONOR MOTHER doesn't end... No... Not even in death.
Is it possible that some of us are not enjoying the blessings that God has reserved for us... And only us, because we have not, and are not holding our parents and the parents of others in deep respect?
Jesus is our example... Jesus is our challenge this Mother's Day. Jesus is no child... He is thirty-plus years old... Yet He honors His mother even in the throws of death... In intense suffering. On the cross Jesus is involved in the final great work of salvation... Yet in His dying moments... He concerned Himself with the welfare of His mother.
Can... Should... Will we do any less this Mother's Day?
Questions...
- Are our parents sill living?
- What is our relationship with them?
- Do we make time for them in our busy schedule?
- If they were asked today... Do you feel honored by your son and or daughter... How would they respond?
- If our parents are gone... Are we found honoring them... Or taking them for granted?
Sobering... Sobering questions... RIGHT?
Listen to me church... Just because we are no longer beneath the control of our parents, is no reason to believe that our obligations to them have ceased.
- They are our parents...
- Parents to whom we owe a debt of respect...
- A debt obligated to us by God Himself.
It is foolish for us to conclude that we can be His people, and reverence Him, while ignoring and taking for granted our parents. William Barclay wrote... There is something infinitely moving in the fact that Jesus... In the agony of the cross... In the moment when the salvation of the world hung in the balance... Thought of His mother. Indeed... Indeed... Jesus challenges us this morning... Don't let this Mother's Day get away without saying... Mom... I love you!!
Thirdly... John challenges us with his repentance.
Go with me to the Garden of Gethsemane... Peter... James... and John are asked by the Savior of the world, God in the flesh, to help Him watch and pray. John, like the others, carelessly falls asleep... How could they?? Jewish officials... Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus... Matthew says... And all the disciples deserted Him and fled. This included John.
But the good news is that he is back... Not just back... But standing near the cross. Church... I want you to note here that Jesus has no rebuke... No word of caution... But instead, John is given an awesome responsibility... The care of Jesus' mother... Jesus' most prized possession. Jesus was then... today... and is always ready to extend grace and forgiveness to all who will repent and return to the cross. He is always ready to restore our failures if we will come home. And, I think this says to us... If you stand near the cross, expect Jesus to give you some special responsibility... Something extraordinary to accomplish in life.
We all would like to say... Yes... Yes... I would be John at the cross... I would take care of Jesus' mother... And care for her... OH??... OH??? We must know this is the same Jesus who said...
- Suffer little children to come unto Me... For such is the kingdom of heaven....
- The world will know that you are My disciple when you love the brethren...
- Submit to one another... Place the interest of others before self...
- Pure religion is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflictions...
- As often as you do it to the least of these you do it unto me.
Jesus is saying... My mother... My brother... My sister is the one you helped today.
You see church... Jesus' mother represents the ONE we have the opportunity to serve today...
- Be it a child...
- A widow...
- A shut-in...
- Someone sick
Will we care for them?... Perhaps...
- With a smile...
- A hug...
- A word of encouragement...
- A prayer...
- A gift...
- A helping hand...
- Maybe by simple things like... Understanding... Forgiveness... Sympathy.
Like John... Standing close to the cross causes us to understand that we are...
- The eyes...
- The heart...
- The hands...
- The feet...
- The lips...
Of Jesus in our world. Indeed, the mother of Jesus is all around us... Will we care for her?
I recently had a man tell me... No one at work knows that I'm a Christian, a member of the church. And he added, Actually, I like it like that. Like John and the other disciples, this man wanted to live far from the cross. We must be reminded of Jesus' statement in Mark chapter eight... If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.
God help us to repent of our wanderings... To be like John and return to the cross. John is our challenge to change... To come live closer to the cross... Amen?
Well... At the cross this morning, we have learned the meaning of faithfulness and commitment. We have learned to honor our parents. And we have learned God blesses our repentance.
What will we do with this lesson? Will we allow it to impact our lives in any way?... I pray that we will. If you are here this morning and not a Christian... Not a child of God... You can become one by faith... repentance... and New Testament baptism.
Perhaps... As a child of God we have some repenting to do... Perhaps, like John, we need to return to living near the cross.
However this lesson has spoken to you... Respond to the cross as we stand and sing this song together... Will you come?
