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      "Conflicting Priorities at the Cross"
      John 19:23-27
      Theme: The cross becomes a means by which the priorities of a person are seen.

        1. The Carnal Priorities of the Depraved – 19:23-25a

          1. The Obsession to Procure Material Fulfillment – vv. 23-24a

            1. Having nailed Jesus to the cross, the group of soldiers turned their attention to the spoils traditionally given to the executioners – "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier …"
            2. This indicates that there were four of them who each took a piece of clothing that had been worn by Jesus:
              1. A Headpiece
              2. A pair of sandals
              3. A belt
              4. An outer cloak
            3. They ran into a problem – there was one more piece of clothing: "… and also the tunic …" – a valuable piece that had been worn next to the skin (an undergarment) and "… was seamless, woven in one piece."
            4. Instead of attempting to give a portion of this to each (which would have destroyed any value whatsoever), they decided to preserve its value – "So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be’."
            5. This attitude of indifference toward the death of Jesus and the delight that was sought in benefiting from the tragedy personally, without any spiritual sensitivity to its significance is rampant even today.

          2. The Objective Proof of Messianic Fulfillment – vv. 24b-25a

            1. We are told that this all occurred in order to provide verification or "objective proof" that Jesus was indeed the Messiah through yet another fulfilled prophecy – "This was to fulfill the Scripture: ‘They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots’."
            2. This is the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Psalm 22:18 – a direct reference to the Messiah that was foreshadowed in the experiences of David.
            3. Jesus was thus stripped of all dignity and suffered in the great shame of nakedness as he took upon Himself the curse of our sin.
            4. The great insensitivity and indictment of the soldiers is provided in the summary statement given by John – "Therefore the soldiers did these things."

        2. The Consecrated Priorities of the Devout – 19:25b

          1. The Exposure of the Devout

            1. In contrast to the greedy opportunists who were gambling for the tunic of our Lord, we find that there were those who were "standing by the cross" – without distraction from the great suffering of the Savior.
            2. These had decided that their devotion to the Lord superceded their concern for their own safety – while others had fled to hide themselves, they had come near to support the Lord.
            3. At most, Jesus feet were about three feet off the ground, and these devotees were struggling to be as near as they could – cp. Matthew 27:55.
            4. We are informed of their identities by John – "His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdelene ... and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby."
            5. When we compare this list with the lists given in both Matthew and Mark, we are able to understand the identities of these women:
              1. "His mother" - Mary
              2. Jesus aunt – "His mother’s sister" – is identified as "Salome" in Mark 15:40 making her also "the mother of the sons of Zebedee" from Matthew 27:56
                1. The "sons of Zebedee" are James and John (the author is this Gospel)
                2. Thus, the Apostle John would be the cousin of Jesus
              3. "Mary the wife of Clopas" who was also the "mother of James and Joseph" from Matthew 27:56
              4. "Mary Magdelene" – a woman out of whom Jesus had cast out 7 demons – cp. Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9
              5. "the disciple whom He loved" – a reference to John who would have been standing there with his aunt Mary (the mother of Jesus) and his own mother – Salome
            6. Although the faith of these people was not what it could have been, their love and devotion to Jesus is tremendously strong.

          2. The Empathy by the Devout

            1. They were standing there suffering themselves together with Christ Jesus.
            2. We are told that they were weeping – cp. Luke 23:27
            3. This was in part the fulfillment of the prophecy of Simeon that Mary’s heart would know great agony and suffering – cp. Luke 2:34-35
            4. In a way, all of those who have placed their faith in the Son of God suffer with Christ – knowing that it was their sin for which He died – cp. "Were You There?" – cp. Romans 6:4-8
            5. Here we see the crowd around them was maliciously mocking Him, the thieves were themselves taunting, the soldiers were callously occupied with their match for His garments, and the Savior was suffering incomprehensibly and here stands his mother and her closest companions beholding it all with broken hearts.

        3. The Compassionate Priorities of the Deliverer – 19:26-27

          1. The Priority on a Relationship with the Redeemer – v. 26

            1. The next verse displays the wonderful heart of the Savior – that while absorbing in Himself the wrath of God toward our sin, He continued to express compassion and love toward men – "When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son’!"
            2. Again, the use of the term "Woman …" is not to be interpreted as cold and insensitive, but rather as a means by which the changes that were occurring due to His completion of His earthly life
            3. He had called her "woman" previously, at the beginning of His ministry, at the wedding of Cana in an effort to indicate that He had taken on a new role – that of Messiah – cp. John 2:4
            4. Thus, He was emphasizing that Mary ought to no longer think of Him as merely her son – a perspective that would cause her much additional pain.
            5. She now ought to begin to look at Jesus as the Christ – the One who could deliver her from her sin – cp. 2 Corinthians 5:16
            6. The emphasis here is that earthly relationships give way to spiritual ones – that are the greater priority, even as seen below.

          2. The Preeminence Relationships between the Redeemed – vv. 26b-27

            1. It is interesting that Jesus gives the care of His mother to John – when Mary had numerous other children – cp. Matthew 13:55
            2. However, they did not yet believe in Him – cp. John 7:5
            3. Thus, Jesus desired to entrust His mother’s care into the hands of a believer – "’Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother’!"
            4. We are then told in an autobiographical fashion, "From that hour the disciple took her into his own household."

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