Today, Good Friday, the Passion according to John will be read during the afternoon liturgy. We read those of Matthew, Mark and Luke once every three years, on Palm Sunday, but because John’s is read every year it is the most familiar. So familiar, in fact, that what is proposed here might come as something of a shock.
Who is the “son” referred to when Jesus says to Mary “woman, behold your son” (John 19.26)? The answer seems obvious, that it is the beloved disciple. Jesus says to Mary “behold your son” and to the disciple “behold your mother”. The statements are almost identical twins. And they carry an important theological charge. It is not just a question of Jesus making arrangements for his mother to be looked after once he is gone. It is rather that the disciple, representing all of us, is given Mary as his mother. She is being designated by Jesus in that moment as Mother of the Church.
