And I read the scriptures for quite a while, and, and I prayed with her audibly, and then I just said quietly, probably in less than two hours, the monitor went flat, and she passed away into eternity. Seventeen years ago, nine adults and seven children sat in a little storefront in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and broke bread. The beginning of a new work of which I am still involved. It was on the main street, and it was just a little room. It was about eight hundred square feet. You open the door, you're in the room. That was our facility. If I said to you, there was a street person that would often come into that room, I think you would know what I mean. Probably no fixed address or lived on the streets, a dropout, a bum, a wino. Parents were Christians. We understand, but Garfield was just that kind of a person. Garfield would often frequence, uh, that meeting, and it seemed like he would often frequence that meeting when we broke bread on Sunday morning. Uh, door would open, sub-zero weather outside. Garfield had come in dressed up like Eric the Eskimo, you know? He's cold, and he wanted some place to get warm. Now, Garfield was dirty, smelly, and, uh, not the nicest person that you'd want to be around. However, there was a certain amount of respect that he gave to us because he knew that we were meeting there in a religious, uh, meeting of some kind. I'm not sure what he understood. Um, he was mentally deranged a bit, and on one particular morning, I remember he came in, and then when he'd need a cigarette, he'd get up and go out. Now, we only got the one room and the one door, and every time he'd get up and go out, cold air'd come in, and then he'd come back in, and he'd go back out, and about the third time when he went out, I went out with him. I got outside, I said, Garfield, I said, you know what we doing in there? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you're doing, I know what you're doing. I said, Garfield, you don't have a clue what we doing in there. I said, we're in there trying to remember the Lord, and every time you come in and come out, all we can remember is Garfield. I said, look, either stay in there or stay out, you know? I said, you're welcome to come, but don't come in and out. Okay, okay, he said. This went on for quite a while. And then one morning, the man that owned the little storefront was met by the police, and they said to him, have you seen Garfield around here this morning, or did you see Garfield this morning? And he said, yeah, he was making his rounds this morning. Wasn't very nice what he did at my front door, you know how Garfield is. He said, why? Is he in trouble? Did he do something? They said, no, we found him dead in a snowbank in the alley this morning, alone. There's something not right about that. People ought not die alone. They ought not die unlamented by somebody. Let me say to you tonight, the Lord Jesus did not die unlamented. There was some there. Let's go to John chapter nineteen for our text. As I look back on Garfield's death, I suddenly remembered that that was on a Tuesday morning, as well as my memory serves me, that Sunday was the only time he stayed and never went in and out. I don't know if the Lord spoke to him or not, I have no idea, but we all felt terrible about it. It's funny, you know, you have many opportunities to try to do something, you put it off, and then it's too late. And it was certainly a lesson to me to take advantage of any opportunities that we have to speak to those who we feel do not know the Lord. I'll read in John's Gospel, uh, chapter nineteen, reading in at verse twenty five. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, woman, behold thy son. Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. From the cross, the Lord Jesus uttered seven statements. Someone has said not six or not 8, 7, the number of perfection. This particular statement from the cross, I believe, if I have the order right, comes number three. He's already probably earlier in the morning, uh, we believe that probably around nine o'clock in the morning he was crucified, and in those first three hours of the morning he uttered these three statements. The first, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. And then the answer to one of the two appeals from the cross, when the one thief said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom, and he answered and said, today shalt thou be with me in paradise, the second one. This would be the third statement or cry from the cross, woman, behold thy son, and then to the disciple that he loved, behold thy mother. Then darkness would cover the land for approximately three hours, and at the end of that three hours, he would again cry from the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And then it seems as though the light would appear again, and he would say, I thirst, it is finished, and Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And the Lord Jesus gave his life. He didn't take it from him. He gave his life, a ransom for many. In this third statement from the cross, I do believe that it is probably the one that everybody in this room tonight can understand. I- it is probably one that, that you can identify with, perhaps in some ways more than all of the other statements from the cross, because this statement from the cross deals with a broken relationship. The Lord Jesus will address first his mother, then he will address the disciple whom he loved, we know that to be John, and then he will call attention to himself. First, he speaks to his mother. Let me remind you that his mother has already heard what he said to the thief. To the thief he said, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. I suppose on a human plane, or naturally speaking, we might think to ourselves, what position then would he give his mother if he's promised a common criminal paradise? And some, of course, have suggested that she got special privileges, that she might even be addressed as the Mother of God or the Queen of Heaven. Some have said that she has, uh, been entrusted with the treasuries of grace and, uh, that she ministers God's goodness to others. There is nothing in the scriptures that indicate that that is the case to us in any way. Certainly she was blessed among women. Certainly she was a chosen vessel. There is no doubt about it. But to say that she had any special privileges or special graces from God or a special position from God is nowhere to be found in the scriptures. Um, this third cry from the cross deals with a broken relationship. He says to her, woman, behold thy son. He is not referring to himself. He is referring to his disciple John. Uh, when he says, behold thy son, he is actually saying to Mary, Mary, I'm not going to be your son any longer physically on earth. The relationship is going to be severed at this point. John is going to be your son, and John Mary is going to be your mother. From now on, not me, but John is going to take care of you. It's also interesting to know that he never addresses her as mother. If you were standing by the deathbed of your son, and he's in his last hours, and you were praying for him, caring for him, and doing what you could, and he looked up from the deathbed into your eyes and into your face and called you woman, you would say, something is terribly wrong. I- I- I mean, you would long for him to say, Mom, I love you. Mom, thank you for being here in my last moments. Uh, you're the best mom that anyone could ever have. I so appreciate your faithfulness over the years, or something. But if your son said to you, woman, you would say he doesn't know what he's saying. He's hallucinating. It could be the medication or something. You would say something is terribly wrong, something is terribly different. Jesus looks down from the cross, and he says to his mother, woman, behold thy son. I believe that he is communicating to her at that moment that she will be taking her place with every other one of his followers, that he will not, uh, continue in the earthly physical relationship with her, uh, as he had before. Something is wrong. He commits her and commends her to John, and John to her. He is saying, I'm not, uh, any longer going to be your son. He would be denying any privileges or any position, uh, of any earthly relationship. Some have suggested that at this point, this would be the sharpest thrust of the sword in her heart. Her mother's heart is broken. You know, yeah, you may have many friends, thank God if you do. You may have several siblings, but you only have one mother. And there's something about a mother's relationship with a child that is somewhat different from a father's. And all of us know that. Even David, King David, when he tried to express, uh, what he was feeling, how his heart was burdened, torn, he said, I bowed down heavenly like one that mourneth for his mother. I'm not sure who this hurt the most, the Lord Jesus or Mary. The Lord Jesus fully conscious of what he is saying, fully conscious of what he is doing. Someone has suggested that there's a painting, I've never seen it, maybe you have. It is an artist's concept of Calvary, and, the Lord Jesus on the cross, Mary and some other disciples there, and the picture is her, uh, walking away from the cross. We know that the scriptures tell us that after this third saying from the cross, that John took her to his own home. This was the last time that she would see him in that condition. And in the artist's concept, he has her leaving Calvary, leaving the scene of the crucifixion with something in her hand. This is artistic liberty, of course. This is not scriptural. She has the crown of thorns in her hand. But the caption is something to do with, uh, the mother's love, that that there wouldn't be much that she could do, but if she could alleviate any pain, show any compassion, help in any way, she carries the crown of thorns with her, and some have suggested that at that point, those thorns begin to pierce her own heart as she realizes the truth of that hour. But like all of the sayings from the cross, Mary would not realize the significance of what is going on there until resurrection. And then, and only then, would she realize that it is better for her to have a spiritual, uh, uh, relationship with the Lord Jesus as his disciple and her, uh, him as her savior than it would ever be for her to have the physical relationship as mother and child. Uh, she then will realize that the natural union is nothing in comparison with the spiritual union. You know, when you and I enter into the family of God by faith, and many of you will know that. You find that your brothers and sisters in Christ sometime are closer than your brothers and sisters in the flesh. That there's a connection there, that there is compassion there. There is a oneness there because of our spiritual relationship in the family of God. Mary would find salvation relationship higher than family relationship. She would find out it's better to have him as a savior than a son. She would understand that he would make better provision for her as a savior than he would as a son. Mary may have lost a son that day, but she certainly would find a savior that. Then the second part is to John. Uh, not only does he speak to his mother and indicate that John is going to be her son, but he speaks to John, and he says, uh, behold thy mother. In, in other words, John, um, I, I am not going to be able to take care of Mary any longer. Someone might ask at this point, where's Joseph? Where's, where's his, where's Jesus' half brothers or sisters? The scriptures are silent, with the exception, and I think, as you remember, we read and, uh, thought about the other evening that, or was it yesterday morning, that the, the Lord Jesus had brothers, all right. He had half brothers. Uh, Joseph and Mary had at least four sons, and we don't know how many daughters. The scriptures are clear about that. Well, where are they? They were unbelievers, perhaps even at this point. At least if they were believers, they were very weak believers. Where's Joseph? Well, we don't know, but tradition has him dead about twelve years by the time the Lord Jesus is crucified. And so he says to John, behold thy mother. Uh, in, in other words, if I could put it in this language, he's saying, John, you must take over for me now. Think about this. The substitute himself, the Lord Jesus, taking our sin, paying our debt, uh, taking our place. The substitute himself, the Lord Jesus, now speaks to John and says to John, John, I want you to substitute for me. Substituting for the substitute. Hm. Well, the the Bible is very clear that when the Lord Jesus was on earth, he represented the Godhead bodily, that is, in the flesh. Colossians two and nine, that the Lord Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. That he's representing the Father, the Son, and the Spirit because he worked in the power of the Spirit, and there he was in the flesh, but after the crucifixion and death, he rose and ascended into, into heaven, and he's not here. Now, according to Ephesians one and twenty three, the believers, those who follow him, who are true Christians, they are now the fullness of him. So when Jesus was on earth, he represented the Godhead. He's back in heaven. We're on earth, and we're representing the Lord Jesus. I suppose we could pause at this point and ask the question, how you doing with that? How are you doing representing Jesus Christ? How are you doing substituting for the substitute in his absence? If someone said to you, I wish I knew my Bible like you knew your Bible, that'd be a great compliment. If someone said, I wish I could witness like you witness, that would be a great compliment. But the greatest compliment you could ever have, if someone said to you, you remind me of Jesus, substituting for the substitute. We are his hands and his body. We, we are those who represent him on earth. We're the only Jesus that your neighbor is going to ever see. We're the only Bible that some of them will ever read. We're the only example that will ever be set before some of them. How are you doing substituting for the substitutes? Annie Johnson Flint wrote these words. Christ has no hands but our hands to do his work today. He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way. He has no tongue but our tongue to tell them how he died. He has no help but our help to bring them to his side. Substituting for the substitute. The great reformer Martin Luther had a friend called Myconius. They were in a monastery, and one day Martin decided to leave the monastery. He said to his friend, he said, I'm going into the world to preach the gospel. And Myconius said to him, he said, Martin, I will pray for you every day. And that was the case. Myconius prayed, and Luther went. Then one day, Myconius had a, a dream, more like a vision, I suppose, and he saw a vast field, and, uh, it was white unto harvest. And in the vision, he saw only one laborer in the field, and as he looked closer, it was Luther. In another part of the scene or the vision, he saw a vast field full of sheep, only one shepherd. Finally, Myconius left the monastery himself, and he joined Luther in the great work of preaching the gospel. Doing what? Substituting for the substitute. Dear friends, we have a high and holy calling. If you dare take the name Christian, Christ one, it is an awesome responsibility. You must bear that name with dignity. You must bear that name with a separated life. You must bear that name with reverence and respect, for you are substituting for the substitute. Then the third part of this saying, the Lord takes on a responsibility for himself. To his mother, he commends John. To John, he commends his mother. Now to himself. He is obligated now to finish the work at Calvary. He cannot just be a son. He cannot just stay at home. Let me remind you that this is the greatest act of self-denial in the scriptures. It is not Mary, or John, or the thief, or the crowd, or anyone else there that is the central figure at Calvary. It is the Lord Jesus himself. He will keep every commandment. He will perfectly fulfill the law, and certainly he does that by fulfilling the fifth commandment to honor his father and mother. Taking care of her, making final arrangements, it is now time for him to make the payment for sin. Jesus could never be accused of not taking care of his family. However, by this word commending her to John and John to him, this act of self-denial cuts him off from that family, from that responsibility, and from that relationship. He forsakes the best that earth can offer. He renounces every tie that would interfere with him finishing the work as the substitute. He removes every obstacle before him, even that of family devotion. He gave everything up for sinners like you and like me. He breaks the bond of that sacred relationship with that once young virgin chosen vessel. He gives himself completely to the work of the Father. However, in doing that, he could not forget nursing on her breath, could not forget her looking into his eyes, the first step that he would take. He would reminisce as he walked with her from the house to the carpenter's shop. But in order to be her savior, he can't stay at home. He can't just get a job. He can't just be, uh, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary's child. He's got a higher calling. I'm not sure who had hurt the most, but I'm suggesting that Christ felt the brunt of what he had to do that day. She is not the sufferer of Calvary. The Lord Jesus is the sufferer of Calvary. He is called the man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. Let me suggest to you that the Lord Jesus has a capacity to sorrow that you and I know nothing about. A child and a father stand at a graveside, the mother's in the grave. The father weeps uncontrollably. The child says, Daddy, why are you crying? The adult has a capacity to understand the seriousness of the circumstance. The child is too small. That child will miss his mother's kiss that night, the arms of her embrace, but his capacity is not big enough to understand the situation. Imagine the Lord's capacity to, to suffer. He, he walks down the street and he reads everybody's heart, and he doesn't stop for everybody. In this particular scene, he knows Mary's heart. He knows she's broken, but he must go through to do the Father's will. He gave it all up for sinners like you and me. This broken relationship, I said at the beginning, is one that we can all identify with. When I was probably in about the third grade, I fell in love with my third grade teacher. I wanted to marry her. I thought that time would stop, I would grow up, and we would get married and live happily ever after. I remember the day that I found out that she was already married. It almost destroyed me. That was my first conscious broken relationship. And then those young, early teenage crushes. They truly hurt, you know. Broken relationships. And then there are more serious. And then there's the marriage relationship that's broken. Then there's the, the parent and child relationship that is broken. None of those are easy. Broken relationships leave deep hurts and scars and marks on our life. The Lord Jesus is saying, I identify with that in this broken relationship with his mother. The cost was terrible. It would cost him not only the relationship with her, but his relationship with God. It must be broken. He cannot remain in that place of sweet fellowship and union with God. When he cried, my God, why have you forsaken me? That's the result of sin. Sin separates us from God. And when the Lord Jesus assumed the sinner's place, when he stood in our stead, when he took our sin in his own body on the tree, it separated him from God. Thus he cried, my God, why have you forsaken me? There's a book called Fox's Book of Martyrs. I don't recommend that you read this book before you go to bed at night. It may give you nightmares. It's testimonies of those who have been martyred for the cause of Christ. I read for you a portion of one such case. A young widow, twenty six years old, a small child at her breast. She was to be thrown to the wild beast at Carthage for just being a Christian. Her aged father implored her on his knees for his sake to make some offering to the Roman gods. So frantic was he in his appeal that he tried to carry her from the cell that she was in. In doing so, he received a staggering blow from one of the guards. To her, that blow was worse than any martyrdom. But that was not the worst. Soon her baby was taken from her and her arms from about her father's neck for the last time, leaving her baby helpless and her father comfortless, her heart was broken before the wild beast tore her body.