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Even More Caring

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took here into his home. John 19:26,27
    
Consider:
  
We have seen Jesus caring for all those who unknowingly were involved in the greatest tragedy in history, which was also the most glorious event in history (think on that!), and then we saw him bring hope and assurance to a dying sinner.  Now he brings care and attention to his mother.
  
If God had been anything like us, it’s fairly certain that at this point of his human experience, Jesus would be raining down curses on mankind, curses on every being in sight, who ultimately brought him to this place.   If he were like Job (see Job 3) he would curse the day of his birth, and perhaps even his mother for bringing him into this world.  That is not an uncommon thought in those whose lives have been less than a blessing!  Yet there is nothing of that in Jesus.   As he hangs there in agony he sees, through the bloodshot eyes and screaming agony, his mother and the apostle John standing there, helpless, just looking on.  His heart reaches out and he feels the agony she feels as she looks on and sees the horrendous thing that are doing to her son.    He also senses in her a fear for the future – what now?  In three quick ways, possibly sparing his breath as the torture of the cross bears down on him more and more, he conveys a wealth of meaning.“Dear woman,” he addresses his mother.   Not ‘mother’ which would have driven the sword through her heart even more (Lk 2:35).  “Dear woman” was how he had addressed her at the wedding in Cana (Jn 2:4) where he was separating himself off from her, indicating he was a man with a mission, not merely her son.  Similarly now, he gently disengages from her and her from him.  It’s time for her to let him go as her son, for soon she will see him as her Lord.  This is the Son of God redeeming the world, not just ‘her boy’.
  
“Here is your son,” taken out of context might be taken to mean, “Here I am your son. Take in what you see,” but the context clearly indicates that he is referring to the apostle John, often referred to in this Gospel as ‘the disciple whom he loved’, who was standing next to her.   It’s as if, in disengaging from her, he says, “I’m no longer your family, John is.”  And so he turns his eyes to John and mouths, “Here is your mother.” John knows Jesus and understands.    He probably nods, and from then on he takes her into his family and cares for her.
     
In these words, in this incident, there is a divine transaction taking place.  So far, for the last thirty years or so, the Son of God has been relating to people as a human being. There have been a number of significant relationships.  Now, and we use that word a third time, it is as if Jesus is disengaging himself from human relationships.
     
We have referred previously to the sin offering in the Law of Moses, that prefigured Jesus.  The flesh and hide were taken “outside the camp” and burned (Ex 29:14) and the writer to the Hebrews identified Jesus with this (Heb 13:11,12).   On the Day of Atonement, that we have also considered (Lev 16), there were two goats. One was sacrificed as a sin offering (v.9), and the other was to be cast out into the desert as a scapegoat, a goat that would carry their sins away (v.10,20-22).   Could it be that the two goats represent two aspects of Jesus, one the humanity of Jesus that died on the Cross taking our punishment, and the other the Son of God side that could not die but would carry the sins away to hell?   As the end draws near, the Son of God prepares to disengage himself, in love, from those he has loved.   His human life is coming to an end and the divine is preparing to carry our sin away. Is this what was just starting to happen, for you and me?
    
Prayer:
   
Lord, we recognise that what was taking place on the Cross was a mystery. You have shared some of the truth with us and have left us to wonder and speculate about the rest. Even as we wonder and speculate, we realise that we are just grasping to catch a wonder that is beyond our wildest dreams in the incredible thing that you have done – paid our price and taken away our sins.   Thank you so much!

March 19, 2008 - Posted by faithcatalyst | Holy Week | , , , , , | 2 Comments

2 Comments »

  1. I hope you would agree that it is right to show reverence for the word of God and that therefore one should not be presenting an idea as if it were Biblical if they cannot cite even one verse that would justify teaching that idea. Sadly however, the lure of following the crowd leads many to promote the hand-me-down ideas that they were taught AS IF THEY WERE BIBLICAL even though they have not searched the scriptures to see if these things are so.

    Regarding the “disciple whom Jesus loved” you stated “the context clearly indicates that he is referring to the apostle John”. But the apostle John is never mentioned in this this passage and is never even once named in this gospel you are simply reinterpreting the words of scripture to fit the traditions of men. The truth is there is not a single verse in scripture that would justify teaching the idea that John was the one whom “Jesus loved” and yet most simply assume that this man-made tradition cannot be wrong and then interpret scripture to fit this idea. But if one will heed Ps. 118:8 then the NON-BIBLE sources on which this man-made error is based will give way to the facts stated in scripture which prove that NO MATTER WHO this anonymous author was he most certainly was not John.

    http://www.TheDiscipleWhomJesusLoved.com cites facts stated in the plain text of scripture on the one whom “Jesus loved” (i.e. it does not rely on any non-Bible sources) and comparing what the Bible says about this “other disciple” with what it says about John can prove that whoever the one who “Jesus loved” was he could not have been John — encouraging Bible students to take seriously the Biblical admonition to “prove all things”, especially in light of Ps. 118:8.

    But one need not read this study, for all they need do is simply read the fourth gospel through from the beginning with the honest question, “Who would I conclude the author was based on just the facts stated in his own gospel?” Those who do will never come to the conclusion that this “other disciple” was John because NONE of the evidence points toward John.

    Clearly the author of the fourth gospel repeatedly identifies himself with the anonymous terms “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, “the other disciple” and “the other disciple whom Jesus loved” but it is also equally clear that this author NEVER identifies himself as John. Yet in Revelation John exhibits a totally different behavior as he repeatedly refers to himself by name. So why not heed the Biblical admonition to “prove all things” when it comes to the beloved disciple?

    Comment by Jim | March 20, 2008 | Reply

  2. Jim, thank you for your comments and reference to your book. I will certainly read the book in due season when I’m slightly less busy, but for the sake of any other readers I would make the following comments:
    1. I am aware of the different schools of thought about the authorship of the ‘John’ documents, and the fact that there are varying viewpoints suggests that it may not be as tidy and certain as we may wish.
    2. Perhaps I should have put such a rider in but a meditation is naturally limited by length and it isn’t easy to cover all bases when making assertions.
    3. My own viewpoint on John sees a number of similarities between the Gospels and the letters of John. I do believe there is a gentleness and humility in the writer which conforms to the early church idea that here was an elder late on in life with the grace nad humility of the years who, like Matthew and Mark didn’t identify himself, yet perhaps with a twinkle in his eye slipped in the description under debate. That in no way makes him a less inspired writer.
    4. That John speaks of himself in the Revelation simply indicates what a totally different document that was, coming out of an incredible experience of heavenly vision. Prophets have little room in the face of the glory of God for humility, real or imitation, and John was clearly operating in a remarkably prophetic way in that book.
    5. I’m sure these comments won’t satisfy you and in due season I’ll look to your answers in your book.
    Thank you again for taking the time to read the meditation. I hope my viewpoint, obviously different from your conclusions, won’t spoil the general wonder of God’s word, that we obviously both hold in such high esteem.

    Comment by faithcatalyst | March 20, 2008 | Reply


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