Please explain John 19:25-27. My Catholic friend was having a debate with me and stated that Mother Mary is our mediator. This is why they chant the rosary.
Before we look at that passage, I would like to quote 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and ONE Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (NKJV). This verse brings out clearly that there is only ONE MEDIATOR between God and men. It is NOT Mary the mother of Jesus, it is the Man Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ alone is the “bridge between men and God” for He alone took man’s place in death and judgment to “bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). He also taught us that once we are brought to God through Himself, we are to “pray to God the Father through Him.” We see this in John 15:16 and 16:23-24, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you…Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name he will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
There is not one verse in Scripture where we are taught to pray to God through Mary. The last mention of Mary in the Bible is very instructive regarding this view. In Acts 1:14 we read, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” The Lord Jesus had ascended back to heaven and before He did, He promised that the Holy Spirit would come upon them (verses 7-8). His disciples then “returned to Jerusalem….and they went up into the upper room” (verses 12-14) where they prayed as they waited for the coming of the Spirit. Mary was there with them. What was she doing? She too WAS PRAYING to God as they waited! No one was praying TO MARY, they will all praying WITH MARY. We learn here that though Mary was very blessed in being chosen to give birth to Jesus Christ (as we see in Luke 1:26-45), Mary knew that she was still a “saved sinner.” In Luke 1:46 Mary proclaimed, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of his maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” In this few, simple words she acknowledged that God was her Savior and that she was blessed to be the one who brought the Savior into the world. Mary would have never asked anyone to pray to God through her and thus the last time we see her she is taking a lowly place among all the disciples to humbly join them in prayer to God.
Now let’s read John 19:25-27, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” These were the last words of Jesus to the woman who was chosen to be His earthly mother, yet here He does NOT call her “Mother” but “Woman.” Why is that? Jesus knew that some men would exalt Mary and worship her. He knew that men would teach that we could pray to Him through her with the thought that “Jesus will always honor the request of one who goes through His Mother, for what son would deny the request of his own mother?” The fact is Jesus did at times deny requests of His mother Mary here on earth (see John 2:1-5 and Matthew 12:46-50). This meaning of this passage is quite simple. Jesus loved Mary and wanted her to be cared for after His death, resurrection and ascension back to heaven. He knew this disciple (which is no doubt John, the writer of this gospel…see 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20,24), could be counted upon to love and care for His mother, so He instructed him to care for her. And thus we read, “from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (DO) (641.3)