A Mom Beneath the Cross
May 13, 2018

Scripture: John 19:23-27

Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”

I. Christian moms are faithful to their children at the cross.

A. In John 19:25 we see the four women who stood near Jesus’ cross while he died. The four women there were Jesus’ mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Mary showed her faithful devotion to Jesus at the time of his death. She would not leave him because of her love for him. I cannot imagine how painful it must have been for Mary to see her son Jesus die in such a brutal way. But she endured her own emotional pain in order to be faithful to her son. She would suffer with him.

B. Mary’s pain over her son had been predicted by an old man named Simeon. See Luke 2:29-32. Mary heard from Simeon that her son was going to be the Savior of the world. What a thrill this must have been for Mary. But being the mother of Jesus would not just bring great joy to Mary. It would also bring great pain. Simeon also told Mary that her son would be opposed in Luke 2:34-35. But she would remain faithful to stand by her son no matter who opposed him.

II. Christian moms receive the righteousness of Jesus at the cross.

A. While Jesus was on the cross, Mary had the chance to observe what the soldiers did to Jesus’ clothes in vs. 23 and 24. Jesus was humbled as he hung on the cross. He laid aside everything he had, even his clothes, in order to die for your sins and save your soul. Adam and Eve became ashamed of their nakedness after they sinned and sewed together fig leaves to cover themselves. The shame of nakedness is part of the curse for our sin. Jesus then at the cross bore the curse of both our sin and our nakedness. Jesus bore both the guilt and the shame of our sin.

B. At the cross Jesus also clothed you with His righteousness. When you believe that Jesus died in your place on the cross, Jesus makes a trade with you. You give to Him the curse of your nakedness, and He trades the clothing of His righteousness for your nakedness. We read of the trade Jesus made in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

III. Christian moms have their needs provided for at the cross.

A. There is an amazing conversation that takes place between Jesus and his mother at the cross. In spite of his suffering he is not thinking of himself. He is thinking of His mother and her needs as a widow. Who is going to take care of her now that he will die? So, Jesus turns to the disciple whom he loved according to vs. 26 – the disciple John – and he conducts a sort-of on-the-spot adoption ceremony between John and Mary. Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” At the cross, Jesus provided for the need of your soul. He died for your sin so that you might have forgiveness and eternal life with Him. And if Jesus provided for the need of your soul, will He not also provide for every other need that you have like He provided for Mary?

Application:
Moms can count on Jesus to be faithful no matter what they are facing.

Sources:
The Gospel of John
Commentaries on John by D.A. Carson and Richard Phillips