The Family of God
“Dear woman, here
is your son…here is your mother.” John
19:26-27
The gospel of John 19:26-27 gives us the third saying of
Jesus. He speaks words of affection and
hope to a woman and a man – Mary, his mother, and John, the disciple whom Jesus
loved. He addressed the woman who had
remained, and the man who had returned, after abandoning Jesus. Jesus spoke these words to them: “Woman, here
is your son” and to John He spoke, “Here is your mother.”
As Jesus was departing, He was arranging the relationship of
those who would remain. His words of
love and affection showed His concern for them, and yes, for us. Christ took care of our spiritual family as
He suffered on that cross. He was
establishing the church – the body of Christ, before He died. He pointed the woman and the man to each
other, so they would be united and connected through Christ, to one
another. It was the church, us here today,
drawn by the power of God to care for one another, honor one another, prefer
one another. As Jesus was demonstrating love by laying down His life for His
friends – for us – He honored and preferred us.
Our spiritual family was placed in God’s divine order. It was a beautiful portrait of devotion from
the sinless Son of God. The provisions
of the will and testament were being secured before Jesus breathed His last
breath. He was setting the church in
order. He was instructing the mother and
the apostle – the unrelated – that they would be connected. This was done for us, so that we might, as
strangers, be united and connected in Christ – that we might care for each
other in a healthy, obedient way – bearing one another’s burdens while each of
us carries our own load. He wanted us to know that we are never alone because
of Him. We are part of God’s family and
we are related, we are forever connected, because of Jesus.
Jesus spoke words of forgiveness. He spoke words of redemption. Now, He spoke these words of connection, of
family. All this was done from the
cross. Jesus continued to minister life
while He neared death. Behold the
family of God.
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