26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. — John 19:26-27
When I visited an oasis in the Middle East with friends, a woman came running up to us with a child. Our friend (who we were visiting) spoke with her in Arabic for several minutes and then we parted ways. She explained that she was a widow and had no one to care for her. Even in the 21st century, she was not allowed to own property or earn a living and basically, she had nothing.
Jesus was not Mary’s only child, but he was the eldest. Since his father had passed, he had cared for his mother. And he asks John to care for her.