Behold Your Son
Bob Yandian
Isaiah 52:13 says, “Behold, My servant shall deal wisely; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.” When Jesus came into this earth, He did not simply come to die. He came to deal wisely with sinners, disciples, religious leaders, and even with His own family.
There is a wisdom that comes from the Word of God about how to handle relationships, especially the relationship between parents and children. And no one faced that challenge more uniquely than Jesus.
Leaving Authority but Never Leaving Honor
The Word of God makes a distinction between authority and honor. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” This was spoken before Adam and Eve even had children. It was prophetic. It pointed to the time when children would grow, step out from under the authority of their parents, and establish a new authority in marriage.
To “leave” does not mean to abandon. It means to leave the authority. Ephesians 6:1–3 tells us, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise.” Obedience is connected to being under authority. But honor never expires. You may leave their authority, but you never leave honor.
That commandment comes with a promise: “That it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” The word “well” comes from the Greek root meaning “prosperity.” In other words, prosperity on the one hand and long life in the other. Proverbs 3 describes wisdom the same way. Length of days in one hand and riches and honor in the other. You never outgrow respect. You never outgrow honor. Jesus understood this perfectly.
Jesus and the Separation of Authority
Jesus had more to deal with than you and I could ever imagine. He had two fathers—Joseph, His legal earthly father, and God the Father, His heavenly and biological Father.
When He was twelve years old in the temple and Mary told Him they were searching for Him. He answered, “I must be about My Father’s business.” He knew the difference between earthly authority and heavenly calling.
There came a time in His life when He stepped out from under Mary’s authority. At the wedding in Cana, when Mary told Him they were out of wine. He answered, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:3). He did not dishonor her. He was establishing divine order.
Mary immediately understood. She said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” In that moment she released Him. She recognized that though she had given birth to Him, she did not control His calling. Jesus dealt wisely.
Mary’s Sorrow and Her Faithfulness
Mary’s life was not easy. When the angel Gabriel appeared to her in Luke 1:34 and said she would conceive by the Holy Spirit, she asked, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you… For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Mary accepted the will of God knowing it would cost her. There was no room in the inn. Herod sought to kill her child. They fled to Egypt. Jesus was rejected, lied about, accused of blasphemy, beaten, and crucified before her eyes.
Simeon later prophesied in Luke 2:34–35 that a sword would pierce through her own soul. From that point on, her life was marked by misunderstanding, gossip, rejection, and sorrow. Mary was blessed—but she was blessed through great sorrow.
Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” The end of Jesus’ sorrows also brought an end to hers. She was at the tomb. She was in the upper room at Pentecost. She became a faithful member of the early church. But on that day at Calvary, her heart was breaking.
The Third Saying from the Cross
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:25-27
In the middle of redemption, Jesus paused to fulfill responsibility. He did not call her “Mother.” He said, “Woman.” He used the same word at Cana. It was respectful, but it reaffirmed that He was no longer under her authority. But He honored her.
He turned to John and said, “Behold your mother.” From that hour, John took her into his home. Jesus made provision for her care. That is wisdom. That is honor. That is righteousness in action.
A Mother Is More Than Biology
A mother or father is not merely biological. It is love and care that make a parent. Jesus ensured that Mary would be loved and cared for. John stepped into that role—not by blood, but by love.
There are natural relationships, and there are spiritual relationships. In the family of God, love creates bonds as strong as blood. At the cross, Jesus was forming more than redemption. He was forming family.
The Necessity of the Virgin Birth
We cannot understand “Behold your son” without understanding who that Son was. Isaiah 7:14 declared, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son.” Genesis 3:15 spoke of the seed of the woman. Not the seed of the man.
Every human being born through Adam inherits the fallen nature. “In Adam all die.” If Jesus had been born through a natural father, He would have been born under Adam’s transgression. But God overshadowed Mary. The Holy Spirit conceived that child. Jesus entered this earth as perfect humanity—just as Adam was created. He was tempted as Adam was. But where Adam failed once, Jesus never failed once in 33 years. He had to become a man to die. Deity cannot die. You cannot nail omnipotence to a cross. You cannot spear omnipresence. The wages of sin is death—and God cannot die. So God became flesh.
Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.” It does not say how God anointed Christ from heaven. It says how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. The humanity of Jesus was anointed. On the cross, it was the humanity of Jesus that died. As a man, He satisfied us. As a perfect man, He satisfied God.
After three days and three nights, having paid for our sins, He was raised from the dead. Why? Because He had no sin of His own. He was seated at the right hand of the Father and now represents us.
Honor in the Midst of Redemption
Jesus was bearing the sins of the world. The wrath of God would soon be poured out upon Him. Yet He paused to ensure His mother was cared for. This was not a sentimental act. It was fulfillment of the Word. Even in agony, even in rejection, even in judgment, Jesus fulfilled Ephesians 6:1. He honored His mother.
Lessons for Us Today
There comes a time when you step out from under your parents’ authority. But you never step out from under the authority of the Word of God. Authority transfers. Honor remains. Your prosperity and long life are tied to it. Not because your parents are perfect or because they did everything right. But because honor is obedience to God. Jesus set the example.
He was not controlled by Mary. He was not directed by Mary. But He honored her. And at the cross, He provided for her. If the Son of God could do that in the hour of His greatest suffering, how much more should we walk in honor?
When Jesus said, “Woman, behold your son,” He was doing more than assigning responsibility. He was demonstrating divine order. He showed us that redemption does not cancel righteousness in relationships. He dealt wisely with His calling. He dealt wisely with His mother. He dealt wisely with the cross. And from that cross, He created family.
“In Adam all die, but in Christ shall all be made alive.” The Son she bore became the Savior of the world. The sorrow she endured became joy everlasting.
