“A Mother’s Wonder” – Luke 2:19, 49-51

Mother’s Day has been officially observed in the United States since 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order recognizing the second Sunday in May as the day to honor mothers. Anne Jarvis was the first to celebrate Mother’s Day with a liturgical service in her church in West Virginia. Originally, the carnation was the flower associated with Mother’s Day.

From the beginning of the Bible, there have always been mothers. Beginning with Eve and through the Syrophoenician in an encounter with Jesus, there are examples of mothers and their devotion to their children.

The Bible tells us we are to honor our mothers, and warns against disrespecting our mothers. The latter part of Proverbs 31 is devoted to a wife and mother, lauding all she does for her family.

In short, the Bible shows us that we are to love and respect our mothers, and it is right to celebrate this day in our worship today.

Background

Perhaps the most famous mother in the Bible is Mary, the mother of Jesus. From the moment she was told by an angel that she would bear the Son of God, we get glimpses into her character. Through these glimpses, we draw a picture of what it means to be a mother.

Being the mother of Jesus, Mary experienced things that you and I can only imagine. Having just celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can only wonder what was going through Mary’s mind as she watched her Son endure horrendous torture at the hands of the Romans, watching Him die on the cross. She had to wonder what it all meant, this child she had been told would be the Messiah, the Savior of her people. The agony, the confusion that must have filled her heart on that dreadful day and weekend must have been tremendous.

Matthew tells us that Mary went to Jesus’ tomb to prepare His body for final burial, which means she was also there when the angel proclaimed that Jesus had risen. Again, she must have been bewildered at the news. Matthew wrote that the women who heard the angel’s message were afraid and yet filled with joy. As she made her way with the other women to tell the disciples of the resurrection, Mary saw her Son, alive and well.

Looking at the life of Jesus and the few snippets of information we have of Mary, it should come as no surprise that what Luke tells us really happened. Mary must have treasured up the memories as Jesus grew, and she must have pondered many hours about what it all meant. It is this wonder that we look at today.

Central Truth: As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we look to Mary for an example of how to have a close relationship with God.

Mary’s example:

1. Faithful obedience (Luke 1:38)

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

I read a sign several years ago that said something like, “We do difficult things within the hour. The impossible takes a little longer.” This fits well with Mary’s encounter with the angel.

The first time we see Mary is when the angel Gabriel told her she was to give birth to the Son of God. Enough has been said about this event that we really don’t need to go into too much detail. Suffice it to say that the angel’s proclamation required Mary to believe the impossible was possible with God. Such a statement was to be made by Jesus to His disciples later in His ministry. “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

We can probably all admit that Mary’s ability to express her faith in God and to submit to His will was probably easier since she was talking to an angel. Still, the faith she showed in yielding to God’s will for her was truly remarkable. It would have been easy for her to dismiss the entire incident once Gabriel had left—she could have dismissed it as a dream or a hallucination. She could have convinced herself that she misunderstood what he was saying. There are any number of excuses Mary could have used to say she didn’t want the task of being the mother of God’s Son.

Yet, she did submit to God’s will and allowed herself to become the mother of Jesus.

Looking at the selection of Mary and Joseph to be responsible for raising Jesus as their own son is a reflection on God’s wisdom and discernment. Both Mary and Joseph were people of faith in God and both were obedient to God’s will for their lives. Both were observant followers of the Law as revealed to Moses, and both were committed to living out a life of obedience and faith in God.

I wonder how many times Mary had to answer her Son with the words, “God will provide,” or “God can do anything He wants to do.” All she had to do was look into the face of her eldest son to realize that God truly does keep His promises and that, with God, anything is possible.

It was this faith that Mary imparted to her Son, and it is an example for you and me today of how to live out our lives before our children and grandchildren.

2. Meditation on Jesus (2:19, 51)

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. . . Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

When God inspired the writing of the Bible, He moved in the lives of those who were putting the words to paper and in the lives of those who shared their stories with the writers. This is particularly true of the Gospel writers. We can see the Spirit’s inspiration in the words that tell us of Jesus and those He touched with His words and deeds. God speaks to us even in the seemingly throwaway verses that are seen in the Bible. These two verses are such verses.

When Luke tells us that Mary treasured up the things in Jesus’ life and pondered them, it should let us know first that Luke must have spoken directly to Mary when he was researching the Gospel account that bears his name. It also tells us that Mary must have been fascinated and wondrous as she watched Jesus grow into the man He became.

The first mention of Mary treasuring an event in Jesus’ life is not His birth, but the testimony of the shepherds. She knew from Gabriel that Jesus was the Son of God, but the testimony of the shepherds reinforced this truth. It was a special memory that she kept about her, just as the days searching for the twelve year old Jesus must have been.

Think of the things Mary must have treasured and wondered about as she witnessed Jesus’ early years. It is most certain that Mary and Joseph talked some at least about her visit from Gabriel and his dream encounter with the same angel. There was the visit of the shepherds, followed by the visit to the temple to offer the sacrifice for Jesus’ birth. She heard the words of Simeon and Anna saying things about her Son that Luke tells us caused both Mary and Joseph to marvel. There was the visit from the wise men and the magnificent and costly gifts they brought their Son. Mary must have pondered the additional dream visits to Joseph telling them to flee to Egypt and then to return safely to Nazareth. We have no way of knowing what else God was doing in their lives and in Jesus’ life until we come to the 12-year-old boy found in the Temple. Jesus was amazing everyone at His insights and answers He gave. His words to His parents—“Why were you searching for Me? Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” (2:49)—was simply another thing Mary must have pondered.

There is no doubt that Mary’s faith must have been tested and expanded throughout the life of Jesus. Everything about Him must have caused wonder. “Wonder” means not only ponder, but it also is used to describe something that seems too good for words. Jesus must have been a wonder in Mary’s eyes, and caused her to wonder about her Son.

When we look at the lives of our children, do we have a since of wonder? Do we take the time to reflect on how God was working in their lives as they grew up? Do we see the world as God wants us to see it—a world filled with wonders that come from Him, a world that causes us to wonder at the majesty of God?

Mary noticed the things God did in Jesus’ life and pondered them. She may not have fully understood all about Jesus and the wonder of her Son until He had been resurrected. Still, she treasured and pondered.

We do well to follow her example.

3. Constantly in prayer (Acts1:14)

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

The third thing Mary shows us comes from Luke’s continuation of the Gospel account he had written.

Luke wanted to continue the story of God’s work in our world through His Son and through the Holy Spirit, so he wrote the book of Acts. In this book, Luke related how Jesus told the disciples about the coming Holy Spirit before He ascended for the final time to the Father. Through this book, Luke showed how the Spirit moved in our world to create the spread of the Gospel as He worked through the apostles and others who had a saving faith in Christ.

The last verse shows us a church in transition. They had just witnessed Jesus rising in the clouds, and were now waiting for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. Acts 1:14 tells us two things. One, the time spent waiting for the Spirit was spent in prayer, and that those who had come to pray with the disciples were Jesus’ family, including Mary.

John tells us in John 7:5 that Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in Him. There are numerous places in the Gospels where the brothers and Mary followed Jesus, but the brothers didn’t believe until after the resurrection.

Going back to the pondering that Mary must have done, she must have done a lot during the time between when she watched her Son die and met Him again as the Risen Christ. This Son of hers who was to be Messiah was now buried in a borrowed tomb. What could it all mean? What had happened? Had she done something wrong? Were her sons and daughters aware of their brother’s special relationship with God? Were they wondering what it all meant?

Acts 1:14 tells us that seeing the risen Jesus reaffirmed the faith of not only Mary but her children as well. They now believed in Jesus, but they no doubt still had questions. Seeking answers, Mary turned to God in prayer and meditation. And in so doing, Mary gives us a third way to give an example to our children.

There are times when you and I are confronted with life’s mysteries and puzzles, times when we find ourselves in the dark and uncertain about where and when to go, or to stay. We need direction, sometimes even in the simplest of things. Mary shows us that turning to God in prayer is the answer. When our children see us seeking God’s direction on a daily basis, they learn that they, too, need to seek Him with all their heart.

Mary is our example. It’s not too late to show our children, even if they are grown, that our faith in God leads us to Him in prayer each day and moment He calls to us.

Conclusion

There are few people in the world that are more influential than our mothers. It is our mom that takes the lead in caring for us, nurturing us and guiding us in how to become an adult. Yes, dads do the same, but not to the degree mothers do. If God has blessed you with the privilege of being a mother, then you know He has gifted you with a special calling. You have been called to shape the lives of the next generation, and that calling never ends, even after the children have grown up and started their own homes.

We can use the example of Mary to lead us, as parents and as adults, in how to live in our world and show our children what it means to be people of faith, people of wonder, people of prayer.

If you haven’t followed Mary’s example before, it’s never too late. God invites you today to walk closely with Him and become the influence He always knew you could be.