Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - John 19:25 - 19:27

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Bob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - John 19:25 - 19:27


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_19:25-27

25bBut standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

Joh_19:25 "standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" There is much discussion about whether there are four names here or three names. It is probable that there are four names because there would not be two sisters named Mary. Mary's sister, Salome, is named in Mar_15:40; Mar_16:1. If this is true, then it would mean James, John, and Jesus were cousins. A second-century tradition (Hegesippus) says that Clopas was Joseph's brother. Mary Magdala was the one out of whom Jesus cast seven devils, and the first one to whom He chose to appear after His resurrection (cf. Joh_20:1-2; Joh_20:11-18; Mar_16:1; Luk_24:1-10).

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Joh_19:26 "the disciple whom He loved" Since John is not mentioned by name in the Gospel, many assume this was his way of identifying himself (cf. Joh_13:23; Joh_19:26; Joh_21:7; Joh_21:20). In each of these he uses the term agapaô, but in Joh_20:2 he uses the same phrase but with phileô. These terms are synonymous in John; compare Joh_3:35, agapaô and Joh_5:20, phileô, where they both refer to the Father's love for the Son.

Joh_19:27 "From that hour, the disciple took her into his own household" This does not necessarily mean that John immediately took Mary to his house, although this may be implied by the fact that she is not listed with the other women in Mat_27:56 and Mar_15:40. Tradition says that John cared for Mary until her death and then he moved to Asia Minor (especially Ephesus) where he had a long and successful ministry. It is at the urging of the Ephesian elders that John, as an old man, wrote his memories of the life of Jesus (i.e., the Gospel of John).