A New Family - John 19:26-27

The second word is taken from the gospel according to John chapter 19 verses 26-27 which reads:
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." 27 Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. "
This is the word of the Lord
Although we’ve chosen verses twenty six and twenty seven on which to take the word going a ways back in the text to verse sixteen we learn that much has happened. The soldiers have taken charge of Jesus, Jesus has carried his own cross; he has been nailed to this very same cross and placed between two criminals. The soldiers are placing bets and dividing his clothes.

On the cross and in the midst of his own personal agony; Jesus sees his mother and his beloved disciple grieving for him and becomes concerned for them. Jesus says “Woman here is your son”, looks toward the disciple, and says, “Here is your mother”. In assigning his mother and his friend to one another, Jesus is backing up what he said earlier in John chapter 13 verses 34-35[1] “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”[2]
Jesus is providing each of them with a new family. He is assigning them to love each other and to care for each other. He knows that they will need each other as they grieve the lost of him. He knows that they will need to share memories with each other.

But let me pause a minute to ask … didn’t Jesus think that his mother and his friend would see about each other? Didn’t he think that their love for him would automatically transfer into love for each other? I don’t know. However, let’s look at ourselves for some insight. Many of us have friends who have other friends that we don’t know or if we know them, we don’t like really like them. We may have wondered how our wonderful friend ––let’s call her Rose–– could spend time with someone like Lisa. We are puzzled, you don’t like Lisa but we sure love Rose. You think to yourself …How can this be? Yet even without an answer, we know one thing for sure… there is no automatic love for Lisa just because we already love Rose. Our love for the friend we have in common ––Rose–– does not automatically transfer to Lisa or to us.

Many of us here love Jesus. However, can we say that our love for Jesus automatically transfers to all those that Jesus loves? If we are honest, we must answer “no”. We don’t automatically love anyone. We have family members that are on the other side of the country. We don’t automatically love them. We have neighbors that live on the other side of the street and church members that sit on the other side of the church. We don’t automatically love them. There is nothing automatic about love.

From the cross Jesus knows this and from the cross Jesus became concerned. He wants his mother and his friend to take care of each other. He is assigning them a task to complete because of their love for him. The task? To love each other; To care for each other; To love each other because they love him. He is saying “I know you love me and I love you. Now I want you to love each other.” “Woman” Jesus says to his mother “allow my friend to be your son (now)”. To the beloved disciple he says, "Allow my mother to be your mother (now)”.

Jesus says this to us as well. He wants the children of the church to view the adults as their parents and he wants the adults to view the children as our own sons and daughters. He wants us to love those that he loves. Jesus is creating a new family – one -family that is not bound by blood or culture. A family that is related and connected to each other through their love of Jesus... Not a nuclear family that separates by blood…. Not a cultural family that separates by culture, race or ethnicity… Not a denominational family that would separate us by creeds, confessions and biblical interpretation. NO! Jesus is creating a new family! A family that is not separated by class or culture, gender, race or blood, social economic status or sexual orientation. Jesus is creating a new family that is not separated at all! Jesus creates a new family which is bound and connected to each other by their love of God and of Jesus the Son who allowed himself to be crucified so that we would be saved from our sins. In every way possible Jesus’ ministry demonstrates what he tells us if we love Jesus , then we must love each other[3].

Jesus has created a new family from the cross! Jesus shows us that in Christ we are not just new creatures we are a new family as well.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.


[1] John 13:34-35 - 4I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
[2] The New Interpreter’s Bible – John p. 499
[3] John 19:34-35

“A New Family”
Good Friday Meditation - Berean Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA
Sermonic Text: John 19:26-27 April 10, 2009