“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!
First, His love. Jesus saw those whom He loved: His mother (comma) and the disciple (comma). It is not: “the disciple standing by whom he loved” It is: “His mother, and the disciple (,) whom He loved.” The placing of that comma indicates that our text speaks of His love toward both mother and disciple! He saw those whom he loved!
Second, Jesus never (at least in recorded scripture) refers to Mary as Mother. (We shall skip traditional reasons.) She is addressed as Woman in the gospel of John only; and then, in just two instances: In John chapter two, the wedding at Cana; and our current text.
“Mine hour is not yet come,” thus are we given a prophetic picture: in our text, the “hour” is now come - the fulfillment of John chapter two!
“Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from “that hour” that disciple took her unto his own.” The word “home,” in italics, was added by the translators.
From “That Hour.” In other scripture, when a specific hour of time is meant, it is identified as such: it was the sixth hour, the ninth hour. . .
Let us gain understanding: Jesus had said to her in John chapter two: “mine hour” is not yet come: but now, it is time; His “Hour” is come! It is the hour when “the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners;” Matt. 26:45. It is “that hour” when Jesus prays concerning the Cup. Mark 14:36. Moreover, Jesus said to His enemies as they came to the Garden to take Him: “this is your hour, and the power of darkness. “Luke 22:53. “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” “For this cause came I unto this hour.” John 12:23,27. Again, Jesus prays, “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee:” John 17:1. Finally, let us notice to what distance this hour is extended: “Now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that His “hour had come” that he should depart out of this world unto the Father,” John 13:1. It would appear then, that that hour began before they came to arrest Jesus in the garden, even to that time when He was caught up into Heaven to sit in His Father’s throne.
In light of all that we have just seen, let us return once again to our text: “And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own. Question. Why did the scripture not say that he took her. . .from that day forward, as is found in many other places? We may say that at this hour, the hour of crucifixion, this is the hour when Jesus became her Saviour. But this hour consisted not of 60 minutes of time but includes the resurrection: Christ could be no Saviour unless He was first the Sin-bearer, the Sufferer; paying our awful debt, and was raised from the grave, a living Saviour! Spiritually, the hour must include the ascension, in that Jesus told the disciples “if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” John 16:7. *See note. Certainly Mary must have seen the resurrected Christ during the forty days prior His ascension! Then the fulfillment of the picture - John is truly her comforter; even as the Spirit is Comforter to all the family of God.
We have arrived to a point where we must look beyond the mother of Jesus and His disciple; that they are representative of those other than themselves. Consider this: that Mary (or Woman) pictures every believer in Christ; and that John the Beloved, shows forth the present work of the Holy Spirit, which began, following the ascension of our Lord into Heaven; it is from “that hour!” “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by [the Holy Spirit is that One who is standing by, along side the believer, awaiting instruction or “call” from the Lord.] Unto his mother: Woman, behold thy son.” Actually, the Spirit has written it in such a way as to give us a duel meaning. Certainly, “thy son” identifies with the disciple. But does it not first identify with “thy Son,” that is Christ Himself! She is to “behold Him” in faith; He is become her Savior! His “hour” is come: when He becomes Sin for us; offers Himself in our stead; is buried; rises victoriously from the grave; ascends to Heaven as the God/man; as our High Priest and Intercessor!
To the disciple He says, “Behold thy mother!” To this you may object; “the picture doesn’t fit! The believer, presented as mother to the Holy Spirit?” What is the sense in which it is given? It is not that John is in need of a mother! It is he who is to take her unto his own! He is the one “standing by her” in readiness to perform all that Christ should speak. She will be in need of his support, of his love, of his protection, of his care, of his Comfort, during sorrow and suffering. But our Lord has promised, He will return and receive her unto Himself. But until then, that disciple is to be her “seal. . .of Promise. . . the earnest of her inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,” “those that are “Christ’s at His coming!”
“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of Truth. . .He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. . .He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” John 14:16,17,26. “He will guide you. . .show you things to come. . .glorify Me. . .take of mine and shew unto you” John 16.
John and Mary? They are become family! Jesus had been born into the family of Joseph and Mary. Now Mary is portrayed to John as part of his family. As such, Christ sends the Holy Spirit unto the believer to be his Comforter; he is family! “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. . .And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one” John 17:21,22. We’re family!
*Note. “if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” John 16:7. A key verse should give clarity: “He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:17. He dwelleth with you? “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet [following the ascension]. .they went into an upper room. . .
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” Acts 1:12a,13a,14. Jesus has departed into heaven; they were awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit who would fill them with Himself - pray tell, then, did they continue in prayer and supplication - in one accord - for ten days - in the ability of the flesh - or was the Holy Spirit present to bring a spirit of oneness in the midst? No Jesus, no Holy Spirit present? What a chaos, what division, what unbelief there would have been if they had been left to themselves!
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