On Mary for Mothering Sunday

 As its mothering Sunday, I want to talk a little bit about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I worry that some Christians might make too much of Mary. But that doesn't mean that we should neglect her.

Mary is a wonderful example to us of love and trust in her Saviour, Jesus. If Mary were here today, she would no doubt want to point us to her son.

 As her cousin Elizabeth says, Mary is indeed blessed amongst women (Luke 1:42): uniquely blessed to have God the Son in her womb and to give birth to him. But particularly blessed, according to Elizabeth, because she believed that what the Lord had said to her would be accomplished (Luke 1:45).

 According to the Angel Gabriel who announces Jesus’ forthcoming birth to Mary, Mary is highly favoured (Luke 1:28). She is the recipient of God’s grace, his undeserved love. God is being gracious, kind towards her. We can well understand that Mary would be greatly troubled at the angel's words and wonder what kind of greeting this might be (Luke 1:29). When she hears she is going to give birth to the Son of God, well might she ask, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34). And yet, Mary humbly believes this impossible life-up-ending thing. She responds to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” That’s amazing faithful obedience.

In her famous song, The Magnificat, Mary praises and glorifies God for all that he is doing as her Saviour in exalting the humble and keeping his covenant promises (Luke 1:46-55).

When Jesus is born and the Shepherds come to see him, Mary treasures up all these things and ponders them in her heart (Luke 2:19). She had so much to think about! And so do we, of course, as we read the gospel accounts. The example of Mary ought to encourage us to prize these things and to reflect on them prayerfully.

When Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesies that “this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign to be spoken against.” And then, movingly, he says to Mary: “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:35)

 It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for Mary to watch her son attracting large eager crowds, and then being rejected, betrayed and crucified. Jesus spoke tenderly to his mother as he died (John 19:26). It seems Mary was unique in being there at Jesus’ birth and death.

 It is understandable that Mary and Joseph were sometimes astonished at Jesus. When he was twelve years old and stayed behind in the Temple, Mary asks why Jesus has treated them like this. They did not understand that Jesus had to be in his Father’s house (Luke 2:48-50).

At the wedding at Cana, Mary points out to Jesus the wine crisis and his response to her is a bit enigmatic, perhaps off-putting. Literally, he says something like: “What [is that] to you and to me woman? My hour is not yet come.” It might even seem rude but Mary doesn’t seem offended or discouraged. She gives the servants excellent advice, which we would do well to listen to also: “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:1-5)

(If we think that Mark 3:21 refers to Jesus’ family[1] and includes his mother, this would represent a crisis of understanding and faith from which Jesus’ relatives recovered. It seems as if, at one stage, they might have thought that Jesus was out of his mind and needed them to come and take charge of him.)

We might agree with the woman who cried out to Jesus: “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” But notice how Jesus redirects our attention: ““Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27-28) That’s a blessing in which we can all share!

Jesus referred to those seated in a circle around him listening to his teaching and said: “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34) We’re invited into Jesus’ family by hearing and obeying his word.

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[1] οἱ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ para plus the genitive, those of him, from, indicating source or origin, rather than his friends (KJV) / associates / envoys / followers / companions / those with him. Consider the Markan sandwich (Edwards, Pillar, p117, house, crowd, vv20, 32, kratein, kalein, ze_tein) with v31 referring to Jesus’ mother. Doesn’t this make it more likely that the same group of people are in view in both sections? On kinsmen or household see the references in France NICGNT p166. Some Greek manuscripts (D W OL) and other witnesses have “the scribes and others” coming to seize Jesus. Metzger, Textual Commentary suggests that hoi par’ autou “apparently proved to be so embarrassing” that it was altered. France calls 3:20-21 bristling with difficulties but eventually supports the traditional interpretation that we have Jesus’ family offensively repudiating him here. Despite the problems France calls this “the least unsatisfactory solution to an exegetical conundrum” (p164, 6).  France also notes H. Wansborough’s view that Jesus followers go outside to calm down the crowd in v21 (165f). Some want to make elegon impersonal: “people were saying” Jesus was insane. Existe_mi (Mk 5:42; 2:12; 6:51; 2 Cor 5:13) does seem to mean out of his mind / one’s senses rather than amazed here (France, p167). Cf. also Ps 69:8. See John 7:3-10 on the unbelief of Jesus’ brothers. Lane thinks “it is unnecessary to suppose that Mary also suspected that Jesus had lost his grip upon reality. Her presence with Jesus’ brothers in Ch. 3:31, however, indicates that her faith was insufficient to resist the determination of her sons to restrain Jesus and bring him home.” (NICNT, p139).  Jerome refers to Jesus’ kinsfolk desiring to bind him as one of weak mind. Letter 108 to Eustochium.