John 19:26 (WEB)
Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
As quoted in the map (KJV)
John 19:26 (KJV)
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Key words
- γύναιgynai · Greek
- 'Woman' — the second and last time Jesus so addresses his mother, sealing her identity as the New Eve.
- ἴδε ὁ υἱός σουide ho huios sou · Greek
- 'behold thy son' — a formula of adoption; Mary is given a new son.
- ὁ μαθητὴς… ὃν ἠγάπαho mathētēs… hon ēgapa · Greek
- 'the disciple… whom he loved' — the beloved disciple, the new Benjamin.
Why it matters
From the cross Jesus calls his mother 'Woman' and gives her a new son. Pitre draws several threads together here: 'Woman' completes the New Eve typology at the hour the serpent is crushed; the adoption makes Mary the disciple's mother in a legally real sense; and the fact that Jesus entrusts her to a disciple rather than a brother shows she had no other sons. The scene is the birth of Mary's motherhood of the Church.