This is Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. We're glad you've joined us for today's program. Connect with Skip Heitzig exists to connect you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times through verse-by-verse teaching of His Word. That's why we make messages like this one today available to you and others on air and online. Before we kick off today's teaching, we want to let you know that you can stay in the know about what's happening at Connect with Skip Heitzig when you sign up for email updates. If you do, you'll also receive Skip's weekly devotional email to inspire you with God's Word each week. So sign up today at connectwithskip.com.
That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. And he's called James the Last, the son of Alphaeus. Alphaeus is a Hebrew variant of the term clopas. That might not be significant to you, but what is significant is that she is called by Luke the other Mary. I don't know if I were Mary, I would enjoy that term, the other Mary. But because there were so many Marys hanging around, she was called the other Mary. She was the one who stood vigil at the tomb of Jesus and was there at resurrection morning, dawn of first light with Mary Magdalene. So he got Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary. So she's the other Mary. Last on the list is Mary Magdalene, the most famous of the other Marys in the New Testament.
Or should I say infamous? She had a sordid background. She led a life of sin in which she was cleansed by Jesus and she became an ardent follower. And so she's prominent on all the resurrection accounts you will find Mary Magdalene. She's called Mary Magdalene because the town she grew up in is called Magdala. You can see the ruins of it on the Sea of Galilee today.
If you come to Israel with us in a few months, remind me, I'll point it out to you. We'll take the boat right by it. About two miles north of Tiberias, that's where Mary Magdalene grew up. The Bible says out of her were cast seven demons.
What a background she had. Jesus said because she has been forgiven much, she loved much. It could be that Mary Magdalene was even the woman that comes, she is unnamed, but in the gospel who comes to Jesus and cries over the feet of Jesus and wipes his feet with her hair. Because she's unmentioned, we don't know, but many suspect it's Mary Magdalene.
So that's these women, these three women, broken hearted but brave hearted women standing at the cross. Let's shift our focus to one woman, Mary, the mother of Jesus, the broken hearted woman suffering at the cross. Verse 26, when Jesus therefore saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, woman, behold your son. He wasn't saying of Himself, look what they're doing to me, behold your son. He was saying that of John.
I'll explain why in a minute. And then He said to the disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home. Of all of the people at the cross watching that day, this was the hardest on Mary, the mother of Jesus. That was her son.
That is her son. Going through that, look how they're treating Him. And Jesus has said a few things on the cross to other people. He announced to the crowd, praying to His father, Father, forgive them.
They don't know what they're doing. To the man crucified next to Him, today you'll be with me in paradise. But now He catches sight of His mother and He turns His attention toward her. As Mary is looking up at the cross and hearing this, it is fulfilling a Scripture. It is actually fulfilling a prediction that is mentioned in the Scripture. 33 years before this, when Jesus was still a baby, Joseph and Mary walked into the temple with baby Jesus to dedicate Him. There was an old man, the Bible tells us, named Simeon.
Remember the story? And Simeon, it says, was waiting for the Lord's Messiah and God had made him a promise that he wouldn't die until he saw God's Messiah. What would it have been like to be Simeon walking into the temple every day and you're seeing all these moms and dads with their babies and you're going, I wonder if that's the one.
No, no, no, maybe that's the one. Every day looking, scanning until one day this poor couple from Galilee strolls into the temple and it's the Spirit of God that moves him toward them. And I imagine Simeon walked up to Joseph and Mary and smiled real big and said, excuse me, do you mind if I held your baby for just a moment? Mary's thinking, well, he's an old guy, but he seems pretty stable.
Sure, I'll let him hold my baby. He looks tame, so he takes Jesus and probably lifts him heavenward and says, burst out in praise, saying, I can die a happy man now, Lord, for my eyes have seen your salvation. A light to the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel. Joseph and Mary were blown away. They're going, huh, what?
What on earth is he talking about? And then they were more stunned as Simeon looked toward Mary and said, this child is destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel and a sign which will be spoken against. And he said, a sword will pierce your own soul also. Joseph and Mary walked away from that.
Mary probably said, Joe, what was that all about? I don't know. Just keep walking. Just keep walking. Just keep on.
Get out of here. Mary would see a lot of troubles in her life. Herod tried to kill Jesus.
They were displaced to Egypt. One day in Nazareth, when Jesus preached in the synagogue, the people tried to throw him over the cliff. But on this day, as she is looking up at her bloodied, crucified son, the memory of what Simeon said came to her mind. This is the sword that he spoke about that is piercing my soul and ripping it apart. A prediction was made.
Now, I'm spending time on this for this reason. I want to speak to fellow sufferers for just a moment. And I want you to take comfort in the fact that some of the greatest people in the Bible and out of the Bible have been sufferers. Job, Joseph, Jeremiah, Paul the Apostle. In fact, when Paul was still Saul of Tarsus and a man came to him representing the Lord, God said, go tell Saul how many things he's going to suffer for my sake. Many of the greatest people who ever lived have suffered great things and God knew about it in advance. In fact, God told you in advance that you would suffer. I know that you have probably promises in the Bible that are your favorite.
Probably here's a couple that aren't. Number one, all those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. I don't know how many of you have that underlined in your Bible. I love that promise, but it is a promise. Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation.
That's a promise. And the reason I'm telling you that should comfort you is simply that the God that you serve knew about your suffering in advance, predicted it in advance, and He wants you to know that nothing, nothing is allowed to come into your life unless it first comes through His hands and He observes it and approves it and monitors it as it goes into your life. The second thing that is noteworthy about Mary here and Jesus speaking to her is the compassion that is extended.
The compassion that is extended. To be crucified, let me back up, to suffer physically at all in any way is a very all-consuming, self-absorbing exercise. Typically people who suffer are thinking about themselves. I've been with people who are in extreme pain and all they can think about because their nerves are on edge is their pain, their suffering. I've seen them get angry, I've seen them get short with people, I've seen them question God. What's noteworthy is Jesus on the cross suffering excruciatingly.
The raw back that has been torn open by the flagellum is going up and down on that wood as He's trying to take in a breath. So far all of His thoughts have been toward other people. The three things that He has said so far are for other people. Father, forgive them to the man next to Him. Today you will be with me in paradise. And now the third statement on the cross, woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.
It's amazing really. It's amazing that Jesus in that kind of excruciating suffering is focused toward others, not Himself. Winston Churchill was addressing the British Air Force, Royal Air Force, and he made a statement that became one of his most famous statements. He says, never in the history of humanity have so many owed so much to so few. I would look at the cross of Christ and say, never in the history of all the world have so many owed so much to one man. Jesus Christ, who though absorbed in His own suffering is fully absorbed in the future of others.
The third thing to notice is that provision is made. Now look at the statement in verse 26, woman, behold your son, and the statement in verse 27 to the disciple, behold your mother. You know what Jesus is doing right there? He is fulfilling the fifth commandment.
The fifth commandment is Exodus 20, verse 12, which says, honor your father and your mother. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig, Weekend Edition. Before we return to Skip's teaching, in his powerful book, Beyond the Summer of Love, Pastor Skip Heitzig helps you understand God's plan and His rules for relationships that flourish and reflect His own love. And when you give a gift of $25 or more this month to support the worldwide ministry of Connect with Skip Heitzig, we'll send you Beyond the Summer of Love. This resource is for anyone interested in having a successful relationship, whether you're single, searching for love, planning to get married or already married. This book is a helpful guide to help your relationships flourish as God intends.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give $25 or more. Now let's get back to Skip for more of today's teaching. The way Jesus phrases this was the common way that custody would be given by one person to another. Behold your son.
Behold your mother. It's from an old Jewish family law. And on the cross, the very short breath that Jesus has, He utters that to give His mother into the custody of John.
Now I have a question for you. According to Scripture, Jesus has four other brothers, stepbrothers. We know that Joseph and Mary had Jesus. She was a virgin and Jesus was born a virgin birth. Joseph had nothing to do with the conception of Christ, but he was the caregiver and caretaker. But the Bible says after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had a normal family.
They got together. They had four boys besides sisters. They're named in the Bible. So my question is, if you're going to give your mother into the custody of someone, why didn't he give them into the custody of any of his brothers?
Two reasons. Number one, none of them were believers, yet. They become believers after the resurrection of Christ, ardent believers, even one of them is a prominent leader in the early church.
But at this point, none of them are believers. So he's not going to give his mom into the hands of an unbeliever. Number two, John's right there. John, the one that laid his head on the breast of Jesus, who loved Jesus so much, who dared to show up at the cross, he's right there. So Mary is placed into his care. And we're told, and from that hour, that disciple took her to his own home.
Now let me give you a couple traditions. I don't know if either of them is true. One tradition says that John had a second home in Jerusalem. We know he's from Galilee.
He's a fisherman. He had a second home at the foot of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and Mary lived there for 11 more years and died at age 59. We don't know if that's true or not. The other tradition that I lean more toward is because John eventually will go to Asia Minor to Ephesus and pastor a church there, that he probably brought Mary with her and she died in Ephesus.
That's a long-standing tradition. That's not important. Here's what's important. Jesus dying on a cross, as God, he's dealing with eternal matters. But as man, he's teaching us how to love our mother. He's giving to us an example of what it is to honor your father and your mother. Now, the name of the message, as you can see, is how to love your mother. So let me close by giving you four ways based on Jesus to love your mother. Number one, love her verbally. Say the words to her, Mom, I love you. And don't say, doesn't she already know that?
I don't know. When was the last time you told her? Love her verbally. Jesus said, woman, behold your son.
You go, what kind of a statement is that? Woman, right? It sounds so aloof, so detached. Why wouldn't he say, dear mother? Well, it's translated in some translations, dear woman. It's a term of respect. It'd be the equivalent of it in English saying, ma'am or Mrs. It's a term of honor and respect, regard. Woman, behold your son.
It was tender. So Jesus using the official formula of the ancient Jewish law says, woman, behold your son. Now, men are funny creatures and I can speak based on my own experience as a man. I am one and I've spoken to a lot of them and men are funny because sometimes I go, well, you know, I never really have to tell my wife I love her because I told her that a long time ago and if I change my mind, I'll let her know.
Or more typical, no, I'm not one to say it, I'm one to show it. Whoo, good for you. Glad, glad you do that. Now learn to say it. Now learn to say the words to people that you do have around your life, including your wife, including your mother. Everybody needs to hear those words.
Children need to hear it, dads need to hear it, and moms need to hear it. I'm going to read you something from a soldier who enlisted in the military. He writes to Abby, dear Abby, I enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor. Thirty-six days later, I was on the way to the Philippines.
En route, the Philippines fell to the Japanese and we were routed to Australia. Eleven days after we landed, I met the most beautiful girl in the world. On the first date, I told her I was going to marry her.
I did, 18 months later. After more than 57 years of marriage and two children, my beloved Mary died five days before Christmas. Although we agreed that our ashes were to be scattered over the mountains, I found that I could not part with hers. While Mary was alive, she would frequently say to me, you don't know how much I love you.
I would reply, likewise. I never said, I love you. Now her ashes are on my dresser, where I tell her several times a day how much I love her, but it's too late. Although I wrote poetry to her, I could not bring myself to say the three words I knew she wanted most to hear. As my dearest was dying and we thought that she was comatose, I told her, there aren't enough words to tell you how much I love you.
A few hours later, she whispered, not enough words, and then she died. The reason I'm writing is to urge men to express their feelings while their loved ones are alive. I don't know why, but many men are reluctant to express the depth of their feelings. Men, please don't tell me, I'm just not wired that way. First of all, you're not wired at all. You're a human being. What you mean by that is I'm just not comfortable with that, and I'm urging you, get comfortable with it.
Figure that peace out. So love her verbally. Second, love her physically.
Here is Jesus making sure that physical provision would be made for his mother. Love her physically. When was the last time you hugged your mother if she's still alive without her saying, give me a hug? Or kissed her or rubbed her neck? Think of it, she was the first person who touched you. She wrapped you in her womb for nine months, and when you were born, you were her first priority in life. And she cuddled you and snuggled you and she wiped your little cheeks. She laid kisses on you. She rubbed your little feet. She changed her diaper. She potty trained you. She held the Kleenex so you'd blow your nose. She wiped food off your mouth, probably way too long. It's like you're 10 years old, he's wiping food off your face. You're 15 years old, she's wiping food off your face.
Am I right? So it means more to your mom if you would sit with her and grab her hand and just rub her arm. It would mean more to her than flowers, candy, a dinner, or a diamond necklace.
Well, I don't want to go too far. Third, love her patiently. Love her patiently. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry when he was at Cana of Galilee and the wine ran out, Mary went to Jesus and said, the wine ran out, thinking, do a trick, which he did. But Jesus said to her, woman, what does their concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. And he did it in a different way than she suggested.
So my point is that he was patiently walking through life with Mary as he's revealing who he is to her and disciples and everybody else. Love her patiently. The toughest job in the world is the occupation of being a mom. The commitment to motherhood is astounding.
I so admire mothers. My hat really goes off to working mothers. One of the worst mistakes a man can ever say to a woman is, do you work or do you stay at home?
As if staying at home isn't work. The only worse thing you can ask a woman is, how far along is she when you're not even 100% she's pregnant? Bad form. Fourth, and finally, love her honorably. Love her honorably. On the cross, Jesus is honoring his father and his mother, Exodus 20 verse 12. Love her honorably. And if you were to say, well, I would, but she was never very honorable. Go back and read the text in Exodus.
There's no condition attached to it. Then say love and honor your father and your mother if they're honorable, if they're cool, if they're nice, if they bought you the car when you were younger. Just honor your father and your mother, period.
There is attached, and it's the only commandment that attaches a promise to it, that you may live long on the earth and enjoy the land that the Lord is giving you. So what an example we have of Jesus dying on the cross as God, enacting the greatest sacrifice and transaction in humanity as man, teaching us how to love and honor and respect and be patient with Mom. We're glad you joined us today. Before you go, remember that when you give $25 or more to help reach more people with the gospel through Connect with Skip Heitzig, we'll send you Beyond the Summer of Love, Relationships in the Real World by Pastor Skip Heitzig to help you build biblically healthy relationships or repair ones that have been damaged by sin. To request your copy of Beyond the Summer of Love, call 800-922-1888.
That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. For more from Skip, be sure to check out the many resources available at connectwithskip.com slash store. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word, here on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Weekend Edition. Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross. Cast your burdens on His Word. Make a connection. A connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever-changing times.
