Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
In the Gospel of John, at the foot of the cross, we encounter a powerful moment of love, sorrow, and trust. In this intimate scene, Jesus speaks to his mother, Mary, and to the beloved disciple, traditionally understood to be John. In this brief passage, we are given insight into the depth of Jesus' love for his mother and the new family he forms on the cross.
Standing at the foot of the cross, Mary and several women are present. Among them is "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (v. 26), a phrase that points to John, who is not only a witness to the Passion but also to the tender exchange between Jesus, his mother, and himself.
As Jesus is dying, he speaks to Mary, addressing her as “Woman”—a respectful biblical form of address that also recalls a larger story. John uses the same title at Cana (Jn. 2:4), where Jesus says his “hour” had not yet come; at the cross, the “hour” has come. By calling Mary “Woman,” Jesus signals that God’s saving plan is reaching its fulfillment and that Mary’s role stands in continuity with the first promise of redemption in Gen. 3:15. In Christian reflection, Mary is seen as the “new Eve,” whose obedient faith stands where Eve’s disobedience once stood. The early Church understood this address not as a sign of distance but as the fulfillment of God’s plan for salvation, a plan that Mary embraced from the moment of her fiat—Latin for “let it be done”—at the Annunciation (cf. Lk. 1:38). In this moment, Mary is no longer only the mother of Jesus; she is entrusted as a spiritual mother to the faithful. St. Irenaeus (c. 130–202) expressed this contrast: just as Eve’s disobedience harmed all, Mary’s obedience served God’s saving work for all (Against Heresies, 3.22).
Jesus’ words, “Behold, your son” (v. 26), are directed not to a biological reality but to the beloved disciple, John. By entrusting Mary to John's care, Jesus forms a new family—a family bound not by blood, but by faith. The phrase "Behold your mother" (v. 27) is equally significant, as it is a call to all disciples, not just John, to welcome Mary as mother in the household of faith. This gift does not add to Christ’s work; it flows from it. Mary’s maternal care always directs us to her Son.
This moment reflects the deep and unbreakable bond of love that Jesus has for both Mary and John. It also highlights the Church’s understanding of the relationship between Mary and the faithful. Mary, now received as mother by the beloved disciple, is a gift to all believers, to nurture and guide us in our journey of faith.
“From that hour the disciple took her into his home” (v. 27). John’s phrase literally means “into his own,” that is, into his household and life. This simple action symbolizes the Church’s reception of Mary as mother. She is entrusted to each of us, not only to comfort us but to draw us closer to Christ and to strengthen our life together as His disciples.
This passage reveals Jesus’ deep care for his mother and his concern for his disciples. Even in his greatest suffering, he gathers us as a new family under the cross—rooted in love and faith, centered on him.
From the Church’s earliest centuries, Christians did not see Mary’s motherhood of the Church as a later invention, but as flowing from the cross itself. St. Irenaeus (c. 130-202) taught that Mary’s obedient faith undid Eve’s disobedience and served God’s saving plan for all (Against Heresies 3.22). St. Ambrose (c. 339-397) called Mary the “type of the Church,” the pattern of what the Church is called to be (Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 2.7). St. Augustine (354-430) could therefore say that Mary is “the mother of the members of Christ,” because by her charity she cooperated in the birth of believers in the Church (On Holy Virginity 6). In this light, Gen. 3:15 and Jn. 19:26-27 belong together: the first promise and its fulfillment at the cross.
Lord Jesus, in your final moments on the cross, you entrusted Mary to us as our mother. May we always recognize her as our spiritual guide and comfort in times of trial. Help us to honor her as you did, and to live in the community of faith you established with your words from the cross. Through her intercession, may we grow in love for you and for one another. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: St John. Dublin: Four Courts/Scepter, 2008.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2018 — “John.”
- Brown, Raymond E., et al., eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990 — “John.”
- St. Irenaeus (c. 130-202), Against Heresies, 3.22.
- St. Ambrose (c. 339-397), Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, 2.7.
- St. Augustine (354-430), De sancta virginitate (On Holy Virginity), 6.
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