Reflections on the Last Words of Christ

“Woman, Behold Your Son” (John 19: 26-27)

The Good Friday of April 18, 2025

By Obiora N. Anekwe,

Author of the book, Reflections of the Christ, now available on www.amazon.com 

Oftentimes, scripture brings to light the meaning of words. Let us take the Gospel of John, Chapter 19, Verses 26-27. It reads: “when Jesus saw his mother (which in Greek is metera) and the disciple whom he loved (here the Greek word egapa is used for love) standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son (which in Greek is uios).” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother (in Greek meter).” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

In this reading, we learn other word meanings such as the Latin root matr, from which we get the word mother. Several words originate from the word mother, including matriarch, material, and most interestingly, the word matter. We are all made from matter and we all come into this material world from our mothers. This is why we often refer to the earth as Mother Earth. God the Father respected the woman so greatly that He allowed His only Son to come in the world through Mary’s womb. Like all mothers, her womb served as the source from which Jesus the Son of God originated. For us as followers of Christ, Jesus is the origin of our reality. When we come to know Him, our old reality changes and we come into the true essence of who we were made to be.

It is from these scriptural verses in John that we hear the Words of Christ on the cross. We hear the words from Son to mother, then His call for her to see Him through the divine mission of brutally suffering for humanity’s countless sins. It is also here that the disciple Jesus loved was told to recognize Mary as his own mother and, to a greater extent, the mother of all God’s children on earth.

It is John the Apostle, writer of this gospel and cousin to Jesus, who took it upon himself to care for Mary in his home. As she was a mother to Christ, she became a mother to John.

In reading these two verses in John, some may wonder why Jesus spoke with such distance to His mother. It was Jewish family law that the firstborn care for his mother when the father died. You see, Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, had long died before His ministry. Therefore, Jesus was responsible for Mary’s welfare. With seriousness and humility on the cross, Jesus formally asked John to care for His mother in a manner that required the formality it deserved. As we clearly see, John the Apostle willingly complied with the will of Christ.

This evening, I brought with me a painted depiction of the Virgin Mother holding Christ after His crucifixion. My painting is entitled, Witness My Son, The Christ, and it was inspired by the Pieta, a theme in art that depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus after His death on the cross.

For me, this painting shows the extent to which Christ sacrificed His life to save us from eternal death. The visual image of Mary and Her Son also demonstrates the love she had for Jesus and the love He has for us. As Christ and His mother showed their love for each other, we are asked to reciprocate that love to Christ and the world. It is my prayer that we see the love between Mother and Son as a model of how we should love one another in Christ.

In the gospel reading of John, Chapter 19, Verses 26-27, Jesus is teaching us about the importance of love. The type of love that He demonstrates is phileo love. In the Greek language, phileo love denotes the love of family and friends. It is apparent that Jesus took the time to show us the importance of loving our family. Ultimately, by dying on the cross, Jesus also showed us the significance of agape love, the unconditional love of God.

On this evening of Good Friday, may we show our phileo love of our family and agape love of God. That being said, may the Church come together in agreement and say “Amen!”