The Mother at the Foot of the Cross
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion [C]
April 15, 2022
John 18:1—19:42
In the Gospel of John, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears only twice. Yet, despite her lack of screentime, she involves in the two most crucial moments in Jesus’ life: the first Miracle at Wedding at Cana and the Crucifixion. In Cana, Mary actively serves as the initiator and catalyst of Jesus’ sign. In the Cross, Mary perseveringly follows Jesus to the end. We can say that Mary is indeed a faithful and loving mother of Jesus. A good mother accompanies her children in the most critical moments of their lives and gives needed encouragement and assurance to allow their children to succeed.
The second interesting thing is that she is never called Mary in the Gospel of John. Jesus constantly calls her ‘woman.’ Calling someone ‘woman’ does not mean disrespect in the time of Jesus, but no son calls his mother ‘woman.’ In fact, Jesus calls Mary ‘woman’ twice, both in Cana and in the Crucifixion. It is somewhat puzzling for us modern readers, but not for the original readers of John. Jesus recognizes that Mary is the new Eve. If we go back a little to the garden of Eden, Eve was the name after she fell from grace. Before the Fall, Eve was addressed as the woman.
Like the old Eve who initiated the Fall of humanity, Mary, the new Eve, collaborated in the first miracle of Jesus. Unlike the old Eve who, together with Adam, disobeyed God’s will, Mary, the new Eve, together with Jesus, obeyed the Father’s will. Unlike the old Even, who with Adam brought sins and death, Mary, in union with Jesus, brought salvation and peace.
The third and most extraordinary fact is that Mary indeed was Jesus in these darkest hours. Crucifixion is one of the cruelest and most humiliating ways to kill people. People on the cross are treated worse than animals. Jesus was tortured, forced to carry a heavy wooden beam, nailed to the cross, hung naked, and died an agonizing and slow death. No mother would have the necessary strength to witness the Crucifixion happen to her Son. Yet, Mary was there near the cross of her Son. And what even remarkable is that Mary neither fainted nor screamed. She stood firm near the cross. She did not passively accept her fate but actively made every effort to support her Son to pass through this darkest hour.
Jesus knew well how faithful and strong His mother was. Thus, in his dying breath, Jesus entrusted Mary to His beloved disciple and the disciple to His mother. This beloved disciple is John, but he symbolizes every disciple whom Jesus loved. The last thing Jesus did before He died was to care for His mother. Yet, more than caring for His mother, Jesus knew that if Mary could stand before Jesus’ cross, she would also stand before our crosses. After entrusting His mother, Jesus drank the wine and said, ‘It is finished.’ His mission is accomplished after He gave His mother for us.