A Week to a New You: Day Three



Day three of our Cool, Chic and in Christ series on the 7 Sayings of Jesus on the cross and we move to John’s gospel for this evocative statement by Jesus:

“Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” John19:26-27

Allowing for divine transformation in one’s life requires trust and a radical change of perspective, and in this verse we see both. Jesus is addressing his mother, Mary, and ‘the beloved disciple’, who many theologians believe to be the same John who wrote the gospel this quote comes from. It is interesting that Jesus uses the term ‘Woman’ rather than ’Mother’, but that is because he is addressing Mary as God rather than as her son the carpenter and travelling teacher. In a reversal of parental roles, it is now Jesus who directs Mary where her parenting should be, it should be towards the Beloved Disciple, and he in turn takes her in as her own. The statement hints at Jesus’ humanity and compassion, here he is dying, yet still he has time to sort out his mother’s domestic arrangements.  From both Mary and the Beloved Disciple we see innate trust in Jesus’ plan for them both. There are no quibbles or queries as to the logistics of this arrangement, or how natural or unnatural it would be for Mary to take on the Beloved Disciple as a son when her real son was dying in front of her eyes. What we see simply is trust, a trust borne out of a relationship with Jesus.

It’s the midway point in Holy Week, and as we mentally rev up for the crescendo of the latter part of the Passion story, this verse gets to the heart of a life in Christ. It is a life where we are loved by him and counted as family. It is a life where we are above all things called to rely on his plans and purposes for us, and try as hard as we can to not question, especially about the areas of our life that might seem entirely unresolved or put more bluntly a big mess. Beyond this verse little else is said of Mary and the Beloved Disciple’s life as a family unit, although looking at the bible as a whole it is to the Beloved Disciple (John) that the Book of Revelation is revealed; and Catholics around the world look to Mary to intercede on their behalf as Mother of God, so the set up seems to have had positive and enduring results!

As an exercise of trust and faith, call to mind all the things that you want birthed anew in your life by Easter Day and trust that our Lord and Saviour has it in hand. In short, bring on your inner infant and wait expectantly for the poso results…