Hi Paul,

Jesus or Y'shua specifically refers to His mother when speaking directly to her as Woman. It only happens in the Gospel of John twice (John 2:4, John 19:26) . . . and later, John again refers to Mary as Woman in Revelation Chapter 12.

At the Wedding of Cana, Jesus calls Mary Woman when she approaches Him about the lack of wine. Then from the Cross, He speaks to her and John and says Woman behold your Son . . . Son behold your mother.

In Revelation 12: Right after John sees the vision of the Ark of the Covenant, he then says and I saw a Woman etc. . . clearly describing Mary the Icon of Israel and the Church but the connection is there between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark carried:

1. the Law or Written Word
2. Aaron's Staff, the sign of the Priesthood, and
3. a jar of Manna, the bread that the Lord provided in wilderness.

Likewise Mary carried in her womb:

1. the Living Word
2. the High Priest Jesus, and
3. Bread come down from Heaven.

So John establishes in Revelation that the Ark of the Covenant is a type for, or of, Mary.

But now let's go back to the use of the word Woman to when Jesus speaks directly to His Mother.
There is a very specific reason for that. He is recalling the prophecy in Genesis 3:15:

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:15

So Jesus is stating the prophecy is fulfilled in Mary. He is identifying her as the Woman in Genesis 3:16 who will be in a state of enmity with the serpent and He therefore identifying Himself as the promised Messiah in Genesis 3:16.

16 To the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”

Genesis 3:16

John