Mary Of Nazareth And Her Prophetic Journey With Jesus - Part 2 - The Dark Night Of The Soul - The Work Of The Cross In Your Life - Resurrection - The Day Of Pentecost Series

"While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50 ESV)

After a radical visitation and the birth of Jesus, escaping to Egypt as a refugee, returning to Nazareth, and living an ordinary life for thirty years, the ministry of Jesus began. A great revival of signs and wonders swept the land! Mary's life changed dramatically, and her prophetic destiny emerged after decades of obscurity. Jesus started bringing home a bunch of crusty fishermen to dinner. Then Mary went to a wedding and watched Him turn water into wine. In the blink of an eye, everywhere Jesus went, He had a huge crowd following Him. Demons fled from Him, blind eyes were opened, and the incurable were cured. Revival is breaking out everywhere!

Then, one day while Jesus was "speaking to the people," Mary "and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him" (Matthew 12:47 ESV). But Jesus "replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" (Matthew 12:48 ESV)

Mary had to have been baffled by Jesus' response. She had been riding the wave of His celebrity and the esteem as His Mother and thought she deserved and was entitled to some of her own. After all, she had lived thirty years in obscurity in a secret history of protecting her child, bearing the shame and stigma of His birth, and having to sacrifice her home and family. It is hard not to desire position, glory, and people to revere our name. But to Jesus, it doesn't matter. The greatest enemy we have is ourselves. God wants those who are only concerned with the fame of His name. Mary had to relinquish all rights over her Son while watching the prophetic promises spoken over her finally be fulfilled. She had much to die for, even the reputation of being His mother.

God wants to use those who will bear the mark of the Cross and relinquish their lives for His life. Every day we are to pick up the Cross and be willing at any moment for Jesus to put to death those things in our life that are hindering greater intimacy with Him. Dying to self is the hardest thing we can ever do. However, when Jesus puts something in our life to death, He replaces it with the power of the resurrection!

Mary was in a season of blessing as the Holy Spirit was sweeping through the land by the touch of her son. However, God was asking her to decrease so that He could increase. The prophetic cycles carry us through a journey of increase and decrease. The most challenging time to grow in humility is in seasons of great visibility and prosperity. Suffering often protects us from self-promotion and pride. It is hard to remain humble when there are times of great blessing and increase and then give up control, relinquishing your rights, dying to your reputation, and just following Jesus.

The Dark Night of the Soul

"…but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene." (John 19:25 ESV)

As the name and fame of Jesus spread through the land, those in control of political and religious power were beyond anger and wanted Him permanently out of the way. As the pressure and persecution increased, the disciples fled to save their lives as Jesus was led to the Cross.

We find Mary kneeling in the shadow of the Cross, weeping, screaming in anguish as her firstborn Son hung naked and bloody and as His body was being torn and beaten, crying out in Messianic prophetic fulfillment, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?" (Psalm 22:1)

I can only imagine the pain and anguish Mary was going through and crying out to herself, 'Why God, why have you forsaken Him? Why have you forsaken me? He was supposed to deliver all of us. He was our salvation, and now He's gone. If you really loved us, why would you allow this?'

Mary was powerless to intervene as her son, and her prophetic promises were dying. She had no revelation of the resurrection to come. After waiting for thirty-three years, everything was dying - it looked like a complete and utter failure. Jesus was in the prime of His life and in the midst of a tremendous revival. But now He is dying on the Cross - and so is Mary - to her ambitions and dreams. She was in a crisis of faith, devastated, and feeling abandoned and betrayed by God. She couldn't see the raging demonic battle between Jesus and the hoards of Hell and then mightily taking hold of the keys of death and Hell by the power of His shed blood and conquer the sting of death (Revelation1:5,18).