John was the only disciple of the Twelve who was at the cross when Jesus was abandoned by his other followers and friends. This is witnessed in John 19:26: “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ ” (ESV). We see Jesus forming this first kingdom nonnuclear family through the spiritual bond he shared with John and Mary. The church is a family bound not by physical lineage but by the spiritual bond of knowing Jesus.
