Scripture Matthew 12:46-50; John 2:1-5; John 19:25-27
In
Jesus’ day, women held a lowly position within the family structure, and a
widow’ survival was based on the mercy of any male relatives that she might
have had. Consider the story of Naomi
and her Moabite daughters-in-law Ruth and Orpah. Naomi’s husband and both of her sons died,
leaving her and the two younger women alone with a very uncertain future. At Naomi’s urging, Orpah returned to her
parent’s home, but Ruth chose to stay with Naomi, following her back to
Israel. We aren’t told how the two women
survived the trek, but it appears that God had a plan for them, as Ruth would
become the great-grandmother of King David! (Matthew 1:5-6)
Throughout
scripture, the Lord’s plan, in many instances, includes reference to a woman,
and many other times, scripture actually identifies a person’s mother by name,
which leads us to understand that even in those days, women held an important influence
in the life of their family. For today,
as we consider 3 passages that refer to mothers, we will also be looking for
the implied impact that close relationships in faith should also bring to light
in our lives.
Read Matthew 12:46-50
Members
of Jesus’ family had come to see Him for some unspecified purpose. Unfortunately, they were unable to get close
to Him because of the large crowd that had gathered around Him. But Jesus was going to use this moment to
expand the people’s understanding of what “family” should, or soon would, mean to them. The word, in a worldly sense, has always been
seen as someone who holds a direct physical relationship to you. But Jesus, as He so often did, took the
meaning of “Mother” to a new and much higher purpose.
Unfortunately,
in today’s society, family members tend to live in many different places! My family, including my brothers, are spread
all over the country – from New Hampshire to Texas to California, and many
places in between! We still try to have
a family reunion every few years, but there are always some who are unable to
attend, and they are missed.
But
Jesus, in our passage, asks the most important question of the day – “Who is my
mother and brothers?”, or more specifically, who is really part of my family, and who should I be able to depend upon when
I need help? Of course, the Lord isn’t asking about the
human family, but rather about His spiritual family. And who are they? Folks we worship with? Folks who believe exactly in the same way
that we do? Or is there a deeper
meaning to family through Jesus? The
Lord clarifies it for us – it is all who love, follow and obey in the way of our
Almighty God! It is that vast, and that
simple!
So what does this say about mothers?
Read John 2:1-5
So, is this actually about a
miracle that occurred at a wedding celebration?
Or is there more going on through Jesus’ mother that we need to be aware
of? Mary, of course, knows exactly who
her Son is, and she knows that He can resolve the problem that has arisen. But Jesus tells her that the time isn’t right
yet for Him to begin revealing His glory to the people of the earth. But His mother, by faith, doesn’t want the
wedding host to be embarrassed, and her Son is the only one who can do
something about it!
And without revealing the
truth within Jesus, she simply and quietly instructs the servants to “Do
whatever He tells you.” As one who
knows and trusts Jesus to do what is right, His mother leaves the final act up
to Him. This is what the family of God
does! We can ask Jesus for anything, but
should never tell Him how to accomplish the request! In John 14:9-14, the Passover feast is
just about finished, and Jesus is prepared to soon experience the Cross at
Calvary. But in this one last teaching
opportunity, Jesus offers some thoughts about the family of God. Philip had asked the Lord to show them the
Father, and Jesus says that when we see Him (Jesus), we have already seen the
Father!
Jesus’ mother already knew
this, didn’t she! At the end of that
passage from John 14, Jesus tells us that “... I will do whatever you ask in
My name …” and He will do that to bring glory to the Father. Faith is about believing before the evidence
is presented, and when we do what the Lord asks of us, it is also done to the
glory of the Father!
That was where Mary was on that day at the wedding
celebration. She had backed right out of
the experience, and was leaving everything, including the final decision regarding
what was to be done, up to Jesus. For her, it was about asking, but never
demanding a process or even the final result.
She had left it totally up to Jesus.
That’s what family is all
about, and Mary, as a member of the family of God, did precisely what she was
supposed to do – ask, and then let Jesus do as He knows best.
Read John 19:25-27
In offering this final act
of love to His mother and His friend, No one had to ask a single thing of the
Lord Jesus, He knew what their every need was on that day of agony. They
knew Him intimately, and He knew them in the same perfect way. That’s what God’s family is about -
intimacy! Jesus knew that His mother
Mary needed a son to help her through the rest of her life, and that His
brother John had enough love to not only carry out the ministry that awaited
him, but to also share the love that he had for Mary’s Son, with the one who
had received the prophecy of Simeon at the time of her child’s
circumcision. She was, I believe,
remembering the words that were uttered that day, certainly the ones of glory, but
also the ones that were now “piercing her soul.” (Luke 2:25-35)
Mary’s life as a mother for
her human sons and daughters, as well as that for her divine Son, was, I
expect, a life that saw faith in her God grow daily through joy, struggle, and
brokenness, as well as fear and an overwhelming sense of love and blessing,
just as most mothers do throughout their lives.
And the passionate gifts that they all try to give to their
children, make them a worthy example of what every Christian should know about being
welcomed into God’s family – that it is a holy honor, as well as an
extraordinary blessing to be part of such a loving and exceptional experience.
Happy Mothers’ Day. Moms! And thank you for all that you do for our families!
