Gathered at the foot of the cross where Jesus was nailed was a friend, his mother, and the many foes that were successful in manipulating his murder. Never did Jesus ask for mercy. His only concern was to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world and for the issues of those present with him. Shortly before he dismissed his spirit from his body, Jesus expressed concern for his mother by asking John to take her in as his mother and for her to cooperate that she would thereafter live with him.
The curiosity of this moment comes from the fact that Jesus had many half siblings, male and female, they could’ve assumed the responsibility for Mary. The question before us is why did he asked John, his disciple, to be assured that she was in good care? There is likely not just one solution to this problem. We will examine several possibilities.
Out of all the disciples, John was the only one who was faithful to be by the side of Jesus throughout the horrendous experience leading to his death. It is not a coincidence that John was the only disciple who did not suffer a martyr’s death. Eventually he wrote five books in the New Testament, one of which was Revelation. This particular disciple was the man that could be trusted.
It is notable that no other members of Jesus’ family was present at the crucifixion. In fact, none of them believed that he was the Son of God, the Messiah, until after his resurrection. He had been abandoned by those who were closest to him in their home for many years. By their absence and by their withdrawal, it would not be reasonable for Jesus to expect those of his family to care for his mother.
Since Joseph was likely long dead, the responsibility for the family was on Jesus. He assumed the career of Joseph by being a carpenter. Later when he went into his ministry, his family thought that he had lost his mind and wanted to take him home to rest. There was little reconciliation between his mission and his family. Imagine how disappointing this was that those under his very roof purposely made themselves absent at the most critical time of his life and death.
Mary could not be left to our own devices because as a woman she had no social standing in the community. The family was not wealthy so that she could be responsible for own future. She had to have someone who could take her in. She came to realize in stark reality that the prophecy of Simeon when Jesus was an infant had come true at the cross. He told Mary, “a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2: 35) As she watched the blood pour from her son’s body, she experienced what she never would have ever chosen at the foot of the cross.
Mary could’ve easily been the target of her son’s enemies and the Roman soldiers since her reputation was that of being a very special woman who gave birth as a virgin. She had to be protected from any sinister plans that would arise in evil hearts. Her position in society was rare. If she ever tried to republish the words of Jesus to the community, they would try to silence her as they tried to silence Jesus. If she ever wanted to take her leading role in behalf of Christ, she would be viewed as a very dangerous woman.
The wisest thing would be for Mary to hide under some man’s wings in recluse for her own safety, for her own support. Jesus knew all of these things. When he called her woman, it was a term of affection, not rejection. Even before he died, Jesus wanted the assurance that his mother would be safe and sustained by John.
Christian Writer 