John 19:25-27 • Boundary-Marking Words

The John Project

I was twenty-one when I pulled my car to the entrance of Little Company of Mary hospital in Torrance, CA to pick up my wife and our first child from the maternity ward. After Sue was seated and I’d placed our newborn in her lap – child car seats weren’t a thing in those days – I closed the passenger door and began making my way to the driver’s side. But just as I was rounding the trunk, the Lord spoke to me. I don’t say that casually. Please believe me that claiming to have received a message directly from the Sovereign of the Universe is NOT something I do lightly. But I’m convinced I heard from God in that moment. It came as a distinct, unbidden impression to my thoughts. And that impression was so strong, I would have sworn it was an audible voice. As I was about to get behind the wheel to drive my little family home and embark on the fatherhood journey that would define the rest of my days, I heard, “Your life is over.” Now, that may seem like an unartful way for the Maker and Master of All Things to communicate, but I knew EXACTLY what he meant. He was emphatically marking the boundary where my self-centered life was to end and where a lifetime of caring for others precious to HIM would begin. And as I consider the moving story accounted in John 19:25-27, I think it describes a similar commissioning that took place in the gospel writer’s own life. Among the women specifically identified in the text as positioned near the cross and present with the Lord in his agony, was his mother. She was most likely a widow at that point in her life, and the realities of the time made it nearly impossible for a woman to provide for herself alone. As the oldest son in His family, Jesus had a cultural obligation to care for His mom. So, even in the throes of his unimaginable suffering, this tender passage describes how Jesus ensured her needs would be met in the aftermath of his passing. Why the Lord didn’t leave this responsibility to his half-brothers or other relatives can’t be known. But it may have been due in part to the fact that they didn’t yet believe in him as Messiah according to John 7:5. Regardless, Jesus chose for this role one of his closest friends, the one who described himself humbly and without presumption as, “the disciple whom he loved.” With his physical life draining away and in what must have been a weak and labored voice, Jesus first spoke to his mother. He addressed her with a tender word of endearment and respect translated into English as 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯, and referring to john he said, “Behold your son.” Then, Jesus locked eyes with his disciple and spoke three simple words that changed his life: “Behold your mother.” I think John knew EXACTLY what Jesus meant. Of course, it included taking immediate action to provide Mary with a roof over her head. And the original language makes clear John began caring for her in every way as if she were his own mother. But much more than that, I believe John understood this marked the boundary where his self-centered life would end and where a lifetime of caring for others precious to the Savior would begin. It set him on the path to becoming one of the “pillars” of the church according to Galatians 2:9 and to authoring five of the books of the New Testament. Do I believe a few words from Jesus could have that kind of impact on the course of someone’s life? Yes, absolutely. And as you consider this part of the crucifixion account, I feel compelled to ask you to listen for any boundary-marking words the Lord may want to speak to you through it. They may be simple, but I bet you’ll know EXACTLY what he means.