Did Jesus Make Mary the Mother of the Church at the Foot of the Cross?

Catholics are often quick to point out these verses to say that Mary had indeed become the mother of the Church:

John 19 

25 Standing close to Jesus' cross were His mother, His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there; so He said to his mother, “He is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “She is your mother.” From that time the disciple took her to live in his home. (GNT)

Did Mary really become the mother of the Church with that act of compassion Jesus gave to His earthly mother and follower of His? We need to take the context of what truly happened. Catholics say that if Jesus had brothers and sisters then why to leave Mary in the care of John. Psalm 69:8 has the prophecy of becoming a stranger to the children of one's mother. Later, Jesus' maternal half-siblings in John 7:5 said the sad truth that neither did Jesus' own family believe in Him. Other Catholic-approved translations still have the word "woman" in reference to Mary.

What we see instead is Jesus' utmost prudence to truly have Mary's needs taken care of. Jesus no longer called Mary as "mother" but as "woman" in His earthly ministry. In the Wedding of Cana, Jesus didn't call her "mother" but "woman" as a term of respect. The GNT translation even says that Jesus politely told Mary not to tell Him what to do because His time hasn't come. Mary only told people to do what Jesus would tell them. Yet, Catholics have such an excessive devotion to Mary that it blinds them from whom they should pray directly - God Himself. 

Expositor John F. MacArthur's sermon "Jesus' Death Shows Us How to Live" can provide some good explanation:

Jesus was crucified close to the ground, and it is reasonable to assume that they could have touched Him, and perhaps they did. They were near enough to Him, because He was so close to the ground, that they could have heard Him speak, though He spoke in soft tones. And what does He say? He says, “Woman, behold, your son!” What’s the point of that? “Woman” is Mary, His mother.

You say, “Why doesn’t He call her Mother?”

Because that relationship is over now, and she is not His mother. Once He began His ministry, He identified her as “Woman” in John 2 at the wedding a Cana. And now, she is “Woman” in the sense that she must look to Him not as her son but as her Savior.” But He says to her, “Woman, behold, your son!” He’s not calling attention to Himself, because then He turns to John and says, “John, behold, your mother!” What is He doing? He is giving His mother into the care of John. He is saying, “Mary, John, from now on, is your son. John, Mary, from now on, is yours to care for.” He commits His mother to the care of John.

As He is dying, His mother is on His heart. Out of that little crowd, His mother was the neediest of all. It is very likely that Joseph had, by this time, died. He disappears very early from the scene of gospel history and is no doubt dead, or He wouldn’t have had to make such a commitment. So, Jesus could not commit her to Joseph.

He could not commit her either to His brothers – and He did have some brothers and sisters. But in John chapter 7, verse 5, it says they didn’t believe in Him. And He was not about to commit the care of His believing mother into the hands of His unbelieving half-brothers and sisters.

And so, out of compassion, He commits Mary to John and John to the care of Mary. And what does this teach us? This is selfless love here, out of the heart of One who is occupied with the weight of the world’s sins, here out of the heart of One who is experiencing the most stupendous agony imaginable under the wrath of Almighty God. Far greater internal pain than the external pain. In the midst of all of this sin-bearing, His sympathy is directed towards somebody else. Truly this is the purity of His character coming to the surface.

If Jesus wanted to make Mary the mother of the Church - He would have called all His disciples. He would have said, "John, she will be the mother of the church." Instead, John was tasked with taking care of Mary as if he was a son and she was his mother. Mary is regarded by born-again Christians as a sister-in-Christ by not elevating her beyond where Scripture places her. Mary is a wonderful woman, no doubt, yet Catholics have placed so much excessive devotion towards her.

The relationship between Jesus and Mary is no different than that of David. David said in Psalm 110:1 that the LORD said unto His Lord. David was Jesus' forefather yet David called Him Lord (Luke 20:41-44). David was Jesus' forefather both legally (from Joseph) and biologically (from Mary). Mary was a descendant of Nathan and Joseph was a descendant of Solomon. However, Jesus declared in John 8:58 that before Abraham was, He already existed. That means before Mary, Jesus already existed. Jesus has always been the eternal Son of God. Mary was a created being who was born centuries later and needed salvation. Mary being exempt from original sin is not in the Scripture. Yet, some Catholics use Luke 1:47 to defend it even after Mary declared her need for a Savior. Mary was Jesus' mother but only in His humanity. Mary is not the mother of God in His divinity. Catholics will admit Mary is not the mother of the Trinity and that the phrase mother of God refers to the mother of God in His humanity. Yet, the term mother of God is very misleading one way or another. 

We need to check the Scriptures in their context. Catholics celebrate Lent yet they still fail to get it that Jesus' sacrifice is finished. They still fail to get it that Jesus never made Mary the mother of the Church at all. I'm not writing these articles out of hate. I'm criticizing other people's religions out of love for them. In due fairness, not all Catholics think born-again Christians hate Mary (and only those Catholic fake "defenders" tend to do so) and have exonerated them from such a false accusation. However, they are still so stuck in devotion to Mary which never was commanded by the Scriptures and will never bring them closer to Christ.