Third Cry From The Cross

 Take Care of Momma

John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.[1]

 Introduction:  Everyone has heard the old adage, “you can’t take it with you.”  There are certain few things that you care about that even in some ways makes people think of you when they see you.  It might be as small as the pocket watch that Daddy carried all of your life as you knew him.  Could be that Bible that you saw that uncle read through so much that the back and front were gone.  Maybe it’s the thing that Momma crocheted of “His Steps in the Sand.”  Could be as big as a ’57 Chevy or even an old airplane.

Whatever it is, you know that when you’re gone you can’t take care of that thing anymore.  Someone else that you trust to care for it as much as you did must receive the thing for the rest of the time that they are able to care for it.

My dad’s favorite thing that identified him was Momma.  He was in poor physical health the last seven of his years here.  I was the youngest of five and the only one still at home when he had his massive stroke.

Rachael and I got married in June of 1970 when I was about to turn 20 and she was about to turn 19.  Daddy was so upset that he wound up in the clinic in Pittsboro.  Needless to say he was not at the wedding.  We lived close so we could go by each and every day to check on Daddy, Momma, and Uncle Willie.  I worked down at Cape Fear power plant and she worked downtown Raleigh for the Assigned Risk Insurance department.  Chelli was born a year and 14 days after we were married.

Daddy talked to me one afternoon during our daily instructional times and said those fateful words.  Boy, take care of your momma.  We’re going to turn the stuff over to you and Rachael.  If you need to sell the land up on the Pittsboro road to take care of your momma, do it.  Otherwise turn that over to your siblings after she’s gone.  The rest is yours to take care of her.

Chelli was just a few months old when Daddy died.  We lived and took care of Momma as she was able to travel for the beginning of the time we were with her.  Then she had a heart valve replacement and Rachael became her in-home nurse.

I could not have done what Daddy asked if it had not been for Rachael.

Today we will hear about another who was leaving here.  Jesus knew that his mother needed someone to take care of her, as much as she needed someone to take care of.  He had to trust someone that was very familiar even to the point perhaps of being a first cousin.  Someone who knew Jesus loved him.

Scripture: John 19:26-27

Prayer:  Please be seated

Body:  Jesus loved his mother.  He made sure that she would be taken care of and would have someone to take care of.

There are three instances that might be confusing for those who would like to confuse.  First is the account of Jesus at twelve when His family went into Jerusalem to attend temple service and somehow they forgot Jesus.  Read Luke 2:41-52…

Some might think this to be a sign of disrespect of Jesus or maybe child abandonment of His earthly parents.  Notice Mary reminded Jesus that his father was worried but Jesus insisted that He was about His Father’s business.  This was a perfect reminder that He was more than their little boy.

Was Jesus respectful even as He argued with His mother about the first miracle?  Read John 2:1-5…  Though Jesus argued that this was not the time or place for Him to reveal who He actually was, He respected His mother’s request and accommodated the wedding guests.

There was that time when Jesus was teaching and his family was waiting for Him outside when someone interrupted.  Read Matthew 12:46-48…  Even this was not a sign of family dismissal.  On the contrary, this was a sign of family inclusion.  Jesus loves each of us as He loves all of us as His family.  This was also a way of loving His mother by not raising her to the pedestal that some denominations have attempted to do.  Only Jesus was worthy of being raised to a pedestal and we raised Him to the cross.  He guarded His mother’s anonymity.

Why did Jesus decide to assign John the precious gift of taking Mary, Jesus’ mother, into his home?  In Mark 15:40 we see three women at the cross looking on.  We understand Mary Magdalene but the other Mary who was mother to James the less and Joses, who was she?  Read back at Mark 6:3.  James and Joses were Jesus’ little brothers.  The gospel writers were careful not to draw attention to Mary the mother of Christ because they knew she too would be persecuted.  Jesus’ mother was there with Mary Magdalene.

Who was Salome?  Let’s look at John 19:25…  John accounts not two Marys but three.  But wait there’s more, who is His mother’s sister that was standing there with them?  Her name is not mentioned but she is not named Mary.  Who was named in Mark’s account, Salome.  Who was Salome besides being sister to Mary the mother of Jesus?  Let’s finally go to Matthew’s account at the cross to Matthew 27:56…  There are two Mary’s again, one we are pretty sure is Jesus’ mother, but there also is the mother of Zebedee’s children.  Who was Zebedee?  Back to Mark 1:19…  This John that Jesus left His mother with was Mary’s nephew because this John was Salome’s son.  This Salome was Mary’s sister.  This John was and is Jesus’s first cousin whose book ot Revelation he revealed from his first cousin Jesus.

Why did Jesus leave Mary, his mother, with John?  Family is important!  Mary had someone very familiar to take care of, a nephew who would take care of her because Jesus loved them both.  James, John’s brother, was the first apostle that was martyred.  Jesus knew that James would not be here long enough to care for Mary His mother.  He loved His mother.

Jesus loves us.  He left us with each other because He wants us to take care of each other.  He reminds us through subtle reminders that we are His family and that he will always love us.

As we continue to learn from His Revelation to this one whom He loved, the one who took care of Momma, we are learning how He is going to continue to take care of us.

Look around.  Is there someone here that you see that you have argued with?  We are family!  That’s worth arguing about!  That’s worth being here now in this place for.  To prepare us for the place that He is preparing for us is one big reason why we are still here.  He expects us to learn how to get along with each other now because heaven is going to be a long long time.

John took Jesus’ mother into his home and she was welcomed there.  Jesus is waiting for His time to bring you home and you will be more than welcome there.

Take care of each other because that is what He expects!

Prayer:

Invitation: It is not important that you remember how we got to the conclusion that John the Revelator was actually Jesus’ first cousin.  It is important to remember that we are His family.  It is important to know for sure that He wants us to guard each other, to protect each other, to love each other because we are going to spend eternity with each other.

Are you sure?  Do you know beyond a shadow of doubt that you will be there when that roll is called up?  Do you know that you have been adopted into His family and that we are his brothers and sisters?  You can know.

First thing to do is stand at that cross and witness the fact that it is for you that He died.  Yes we are all sinners but we have been paid for with a price that we can’t pay.  First admit failure to even exist without Jesus.  Next realize that you need to be saved from the path you yourself have decided.  It’s way past time to stop blaming others for guiding you onto the path that you have decided for yourself.  Decide to follow Him by turning to His path for you and know that you will carry your cross daily as He carried His.

He does not expect or even want you to be without family while you are left here.  He established His church for that.  We are to be helpers in carrying each others’ crosses as Simon the Cyrenian was for Jesus that day.  I can’t do it myself.  He has me and I have Him but I need you and you need me.

Do you believe that?  Is this the place where he expects you to be taken care of and to take care of your family.  Rachael, my wife, said yes!  What do you say?  Ponder that as we sing…

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Jn 19:26–27). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.