…but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
John 19:25-27
As Mary stood at the foot of the cross her heart must have been crying out, “My son, my son, my son…” And Jesus was saying, “You must no longer think of me as your son.”
When Jesus said, “Woman, behold, your son,” He was saying, “From now on, John is to take that place in your life—regard him as your son.” Well then, how is she to regard Jesus? He is her Saviour and her Lord.
When the angel told Mary about the son she would bear, she said, “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47). She had always looked to God as her Saviour, but how would He save her?
Jesus went to the cross and laid down the life that He had drawn from Mary. His body was broken, His blood poured out. Mary’s son died, and in His death, He became her Saviour.
Mary lost the love of a son who was taken from her in death; she gained the love of a Saviour whose death could never be taken away. She lost the joys of a son who had brought her happiness on earth; she gained the joys of a Saviour at whose right hand in heaven are pleasures for evermore. Mary gave Him life in the flesh for a time; He gave her life in the Spirit for ever.
At the cross, Mary lost an irreplaceable son, and she gained an incomparable Saviour. Her gain was far greater than her loss.
How would you describe the love of Jesus in these words of His from the cross?
