Woman, Behold thy Son! Behold thy Mother!

• Woman, behold thy son! Behold thy mother!  - We understand, in the historical occurrence, where Christ is at the Cross, that Jesus was very concerned for His mother’s wellbeing.  So this disciple, who many believe was the Apostle John, is going to take care of His mother.  But didn’t Mary have other children (Mark 6:3)? Why did Lord Jesus address his mother as “woman”? Let’s look more closely at deeper spiritual meaning of this Word on Cross. In Matt 12, the Lord Jesus explains his dearest and most cherished “relatives” are those who does the will of His Father, in other words, believers. Let’s go back to Genesis where God first promised the Savior and how Christ would defeat Satan at the Cross. “Woman” spiritually point to the church (Rev 12:2). This “woman” in Rev 12:2 is the one who brings forth the man child who is Jesus Himself.  She is a figure that God is using to typify the believers in the nation of Israel or the line of believers who brought forth the Messiah into the human race. Let’s also look at 1 Tim 2:12-14. Bear in mind that the spiritual analogy of the woman learning in silence from her husband in this verse, is a picture of the elect learning from their Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ. In this verse "she shall be saved in childbearing" somehow teaching that child-bearing is a decisive factor in salvation? The answer is yes. However, it is not referring to one’s own progeny, but rather to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritually, in this word on the Cross, Christ is giving the care of the Church to the believer and the joining of the believer to Church. Also in a way, he is joining the old testament believers with New Testament believers, making them one fold. To summarize, first and second words are reflecting the forgiveness of sins, repentance and internal inheritance, third word is reflecting the care for His people, the Church, fourth and fifth words are reflecting the atonement work, Christ enduring the eternal wrath of God, sixth and seventh words are reflecting the successful atonement.

John 19:25-27 “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.  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!  And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”

Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”

Mat 12:47-50 “Then one said unto him [Jesus], Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” [See also Mark 3:32-35]

Gen 3:14-16 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15And I will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed [Christ]; it [Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his [Christ] heel. 16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

Rev 12:1-5 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon [Satan] stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5And she brought forth a man child [Lord Jesus], who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”

Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

1 Cor 11:8-12 “For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. 9Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 10For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 11Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man [intimate relation between Christ and his bride, the body of believers], in the Lord. 12For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”

1 Tim 2:12-14 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”