As Christians mark Good Friday, Wallace Benn reflects from John 19v16-42 on what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
1 - HE CREATED A COMMUNITY OF LOVE: "WOMAN BEHOLD YOUR SON! / BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!" (JOHN 12v27)
There is a very moving scene at the foot of the cross, described for us by John who was himself present (19v25-27). Jesus' selfless care for others is on full display. Despite his own intense suffering, he is concerned for those standing faithfully by him. Mary especially must have felt devastated. There is nothing worse for a parent than to see their child die in front of their eyes, and before their own death. Jesus, whom she had carried and cared for as a child, her very special and unique son, whose birth and life had been so full of hope and joy, now crucified and dying a horrible death. Aware of her pain, and knowing now how much she would need care, Jesus says to her, "Woman behold your son!" and to his "beloved disciple" (John), "Behold your mother".
Mary was probably widowed by this time, and would have depended on her firstborn son for support and protection. That role Jesus now delegates to John, "And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (19v27). His selfless love was creating a community of loving care, a family of followers, whose members would try to emulate the care of their Lord by displaying the same kind of selfless care for one another and those who were in need. No believer, Jesus knew, was meant to exist on their own, so he created a fellowship, a church, to provide the necessary support.
