Mary: 'Whatever He says to you, do it'

The third thing Jesus Christ says from the Cross is “Woman, behold thy son.” John 19:26 reads, ‘When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!’

“John is the only one to record this touching incident in the gospels, but frankly it’s a baffling incident for most people,” says Jordan. “Unfortunately most commentaries skip right over this because there’s some tremendous things here for you. There’s Mary and there’s John. These two people represent very important dispensational issues going on right here.

“You notice how He addresses her, ‘Woman’? You notice He doesn’t call her ‘Blessed Mother of God’ or anything like that. He doesn’t call her the ‘Queen of Heaven'? He wouldn’t have done that because that’s Jeremiah. He says, ‘Woman.’ Now, He’s not being disrespectful, but He’s not using some pagan religious title to put on her either.

“Every time in the Scripture Christ addresses His mother, He calls her ‘woman.’ John 2:3-5 says, [3] And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
[4] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
[5] His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

“If you want Mary to tell you what to do, here it is. Folks, if you really wanted to give the reverence due to the mother of Christ, if you really wanted to honor her, do what she says when she speaks in the Scripture. What she says is, ‘Whatever he says to you, do it.’ That’s interesting.

“Now, why would Christ call her ‘woman’? In Luke 2:33-35, Mary has a conversation along with Joseph: [33] And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
[34] And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
[35] (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

“Notice the parenthesis. He quits talking about Christ by quoting Isaiah and he looks at Mary. In the middle of the statement about her son, he looks at her and says, ‘Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.’ Then he goes back and finishes the quote ‘that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’

“Simeon is giving Mary some information about her role. And when he says, ‘a sword shall pierce,’ there is an allusion there to Isaiah 54, for in Mary something is be fulfilled about Israel. In Isaiah 54, you read about Israel being the wife of Jehovah. Talking about the nation, verses 5-6 say, [5] For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
[6] For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

“That’s exactly who Israel is. She’s a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, a wife of youth, but that’s also who Mary was. You see, Mary, in her person, represented her nation. Jeremiah 6:2 says, [2] I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

“When Christ says, ‘Woman, what have I do with thee,’ and ‘woman, behold thy son,’ He’s using the title for the nation Israel. Romans 9, talking about Israel, says, [5] Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
[6] Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

“Israel was the vehicle for whom the Lord Jesus Christ was ushered into humanity. The person in Israel who did it was Mary. She was the individual vehicle; Israel was the national vehicle. And she is the individual who represents the whole of the nation.

“Go back to John 19 with that in mind. Who is John? He’s going to become her son. A new relationship is beginning here. The disciple John represents the tribulation saints. He represents the little flock. In John 21, Jesus has a conversation with Peter and He looks at John and says, ‘What is it to you if he tarries until I come?’

"John’s ministry is going to extend out all the way to the Second Advent of Christ and that’s the reason it’s John who pens the Book of Revelation. So I’ve got Mary, a picture of the nation, and John, a picture of the ‘little flock.’

“The Lord Jesus Christ is literally placing the care of the nation into the hands of the little flock and when the nation is to look for provisions from God’s Son, they are to look to the little flock. In the hour of His deepest rejection, you see there is the watch care of His mother.”