According to Les Feldick's teaching in these transcripts, the word 'Woman' was a respectful Greek address — not a disrespectful one — though the provided clips do not directly cover Jesus' cross-scene words to His mother.
John 19:26-27 records Jesus saying 'Woman, behold thy son!' as He entrusted Mary to the beloved disciple. Les Feldick teaches that the Greek word rendered 'Woman' was a term of respect and that Jesus was not putting the woman down. In the available clips, however, he makes that point about other passages where Jesus used the same word, not explicitly about the cross.
John 19:26-27 — This is the exact passage where Jesus speaks to His mother from the cross and calls her 'Woman.'
In John chapter 19, verses 26 and 27, the Bible records that Jesus, while on the cross, saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by. He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold thy son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold thy mother!' The passage closes with the note that from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. The Scripture itself does not explain why Jesus chose the word 'Woman'; it simply records that He used it.
Les Feldick teaches that when English readers encounter the word 'Woman' in the New Testament, they can hear it as a degrading or dismissive term. In the Greek, however, it was a term of respect. He says Jesus was not putting the woman down; He was respecting her person. He makes this point about passages such as Matthew 15:28, where Jesus says, 'O woman, great is thy faith,' and in connection with the women Jesus addressed. The provided transcripts do not contain a direct comment from Les on the cross-scene address to His mother, so this teaching on the respectful nature of the Greek word is the closest evidence available for that question.
In the King James Version, John 19:26-27 reads: '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.' This is the third recorded saying of Christ from the cross in John's Gospel.
Les Feldick points out that the word 'woman' in the Greek was not the degrading term it can sound like in English. He says that when Jesus used it, He was not putting the woman down; He was respecting her person. That means Jesus' address to Mary from the cross should be understood within this first-century manner of speaking — a respectful, not harsh, term.
Matthew 15:28 shows Jesus using the same Greek word for 'woman' with the Syrophoenician woman: 'O woman, great is thy faith.' Les uses this example to show that the word was one of honor, not insult.
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Sometimes they will record the same one, but when they do you can tell by the details. And if the details don't fit, then just rest assured that they're reporting on something that was not in the identical same time. Now in Luke chapter 23, drop down to verse 34, and here is John's first words from the cross. Luke 23. John says, "...
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Now you want to remember, what did he go through before he even went to the cross? He went through the scourgings, which literally made a man's back like hamburger. He had the crown of thorns pushed on his head, he had his beard ripped out, and you don't pull a beard out without taking flesh with it.
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But, what was her last mental impression of Jesus, hanging on that cross? And you want to remember, the book of Isaiah tells us, and I think it's in chapter 52, that He was so disfigured, that by the time He gave up the ghost, He wasn't even recognizable as a human being.
The Greek Word 'Woman' as a Term of Respect
Les explains that in the Greek, 'woman' was a respectful address; when Jesus used it, He was not putting the woman down but honoring her.
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And she said, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And then come down to verse 15, And Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? And she, supposing Him to be the gardener, said unto Him, Sir, if you have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. And she said, Mary.
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But listen, the only reason Mary couldn't recognize Him, He was in the pre-dawn darkness, for one thing, and secondly, all Mary could remember was the horrible disfiguration that He had experienced on that cross. As the blood had been streaming down, He had been whipped, you remember, the 39 lashes.
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Whom seekest thou? And you know, if you'll go back through Christ's earthly ministry, have you ever realized how many times He will ask questions? Even though He knew the answer, but He gave the people the opportunity to speak without being confused. They could answer a question. And so here again, He says, Woman, who are you looking for? And all she'd have to say, Well, Jesus.
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But then you come down to verse 11 -16, and we have the account of Mary and the Lord. And I guess I'll start at verse 11. And Mary stood without at the sepulcher, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked in, and saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
John 19:26-27: 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.
This is the exact scene where Jesus speaks from the cross to His mother and the beloved disciple.
Matthew 15:28: Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Les uses this verse to demonstrate that Jesus used the word 'woman' as a respectful address.
John 20:15-16: Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
This is another passage where Jesus uses 'Woman' respectfully, and here the risen Christ reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene by name.
No. Les teaches that the Greek term rendered 'Woman' was a term of respect and that Jesus was not putting her down. While the provided transcripts do not directly address the cross scene, Jesus used the same respectful word with other women.
John 19:26-27. Jesus said to His mother, 'Woman, behold thy son!' and to John, 'Behold thy mother!'
No, the provided clips do not include that specific connection. His teaching on the Greek word as a respectful address is the closest evidence available.
Watch the Teaching: What Jesus Said From the Cross — 7 Statements Explained