John 19:25-27 Seven Ways to Love Your Mother

John 19:25-27 Seven Ways to Love Your Mother is a sermon for Mother’s Day celebrating the importance of mothers and seven different ways one can show love to their mothers.

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:25–27, HCSB)

Had I been Joseph’s mother

I’d have prayed / protection from his brothers

“God, keep him safe. / He is so young,

so different from / the others.”

Mercifully, / she never knew

there would be slavery / and prison, too.

Had I been Moses’ mother

I’d have wept / To keep my little son:

praying she might forget / the babe drawn

from the water / of the Nile.

Had I not kept / him for her / nursing him the while,

was he not mine?—and she / but Pharaoh’s daughter?

Had I been Daniel’s mother

I should have pled / “Give victory!

—this Babylonian horde / godless and cruel—

Don’t let him be a captive—better dead,

Almighty Lord!”

Had I been Mary, / Oh, had I been she,

I would have cried / As never mother cried,

“Anything, O God, / Anything …—but / crucified.”

With such prayers importunate

My finite wisdom would assail

Infinite Wisdom. God, how fortunate

Infinite Wisdom / should prevail.*12

Even while Jesus was on the cross, He took the effort to take care of His mother. Mary, His mother, loved Jesus from the beginning to the end of His life. Standing before Jesus while He is there dying on the cross are the two most important people He loved in His life. The first was John, known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Jesus had younger brothers and sisters. Yet, he considered John as His closest brother. The other person He loved was His mother.

So Jesus takes the Old Testament law and fulfills it. In Deuteronomy, there was the requirement that when a mother loses a husband, the woman was given to the closest relative to take care of the family.

““When brothers live on the same property and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside the family. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her. The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be blotted out from Israel.” (Deuteronomy 25:5–6, HCSB)

This was the point of the Kinsman-Redeemer in the book of Ruth. For example, there is a conversation between the nearest kin to Elimelech and Boaz. In this conversation, the nearest kinsman backs out of his responsibility to take care of Naomi. Boaz takes his place.

“The redeemer replied, “I can’t redeem it myself, or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can’t redeem it.”” (Ruth 4:6, HCSB)

Some say that the kinsman backed out because Ruth was a Moabite. There was a prohibition to marry Moabites in the Old Testament:

“No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the Lord’s assembly; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, may ever enter the Lord’s assembly. This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the journey after you came out of Egypt, and because Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim was hired to curse you.” (Deuteronomy 23:3–4, HCSB)

In any case, a kinsman redeemer had reasons to enter into this relationship. The purposes included:

The kinsman redeemer could marry a brother’s widow to beget a child for him (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), redeem from slavery (Leviticus 25:47-49), redeem land (Leviticus 25:25), or exact vengeance (Numbers 35:19). In the book of Ruth, Boaz acted as a levir as well as one who preserved claim to the family property.3

As the oldest son upon the death of the father, Jesus was required to take care of His mother. As Jesus is there dying on the cross, He cares for His mother one last time by transferring the care of His mother to John. This made John and Jesus brothers legally. Jesus showed His love for His mother, not just by dying on the cross, but also caring for her in her old age.

Jesus showed a way in which He loved His mother. Let me share with you seven different ways you can show your love to your mother.

SEVEN WAYS TO LOVE YOUR MOTHER

1. Love her verbally.

Tell your mother that you love her. She wants to hear it. She needs to hear it. Jesus said He loved her by giving her to her son John.

2. Love her physically.

Give her a hug and a kiss. She gave you hugs and kisses all of your life. You need to return the favor.

3. Love her patiently.

Mothers have an incredible job w/ no pay. No position in the business world compares to the physical, emotional, and spiritual commitment she has in motherhood.

No Occupation

She rises up at break of day and through her tasks she races.

She cooks the meals as best she may and scrubs the children’s faces

While schoolbooks, lunches, ribbons, too, all need consideration.

And yet the census man insists

She has— “No Occupation”

When breakfast dishes all are done

She bakes a pudding, maybe.

She cleans the rooms up, one by one,

With one eye watching baby.

The mending pile she then attacks

by way of variation.

And yet the census man insists

She has — “No Occupation.”

She irons for a little while, then presses pants for Daddy.

She welcomes with a cheery smile returning lass and laddie.

A hearty dinner next she cooks (no time for relaxation),

And yet the census man insists

She has—“No Occupation.”

4. Love her attentively.

Mothers listen as you pour out your heart…she has a sympathetic ear, always has…and even as an adult you’ve gone to her when you want someone who will really listen and understand…and she’ll always be on your side.

5. Love her gratefully.

God helped her bring you into this world. God helped her raise you in this world. You need to be grateful for that. You need to love her with a heart that appreciates that she has done for you.

6. Love her generously.

She clears her schedule so she can run you around…she gives up opportunities so you can have more opportunities!

Jesus was generous to his mother Mary by giving her to John. John would take care of Mary generously. In essence, Jesus was giving Mary an earthly inheritance by giving her to the care of John. Jesus was being generous to her. He didn’t put her out on the street. He took care of her needs in a very generous way.

7. Love her honorably.

“Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, HCSB)

The Old Testament states that we should honor our mothers. This commandment has a promise that is binding. This is binding as long as your mother lives. Another command says children, obey…non-binding when you leave home, but “honor” is different! “Yeah, but my mother wasn’t honorable!” Well, the Bible says nothing about that qualification…it only asks, is she your mother! By the way, it’s the only one of the 10 commandments which includes a built-in promise of blessing!

About the time he was in junior high, Dr. Benjamin Carson, now director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore, Maryland, and author of several books, realized that his mother couldn’t read. For years, Ben and his brother had read books and scratched out reports for their mother, assuming their mom was checking every word. But she didn’t have a clue what they were writing.

Ben’s illiterate mom didn’t twist her hands over her lack of learning and give up hope of raising intelligent boys, however. Instead, she gave her boys what she had—interest, accountability, and the courage to demand extra work. And it paid off.

Years later, someone asked Ben why his mother still lived with him, even after he was married and had a family of his own. “You don’t understand,” Ben answered. “If it weren’t for that woman, I wouldn’t be living here. She earned this.”

—Kevin Leman, What a Difference a Daddy Makes (Nelson, 2000)4