The mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. "Sure," she replied, "but not the same ones."
When my son graduated from high school, he had to give a speech. He began by reading from his prepared text: "I want to talk about my mother and the wonderful influence she has had on my life. She is a shining example of parenthood, and I love her more than words could ever do justice." At this point he seemed to struggle for words. After a pause, he looked up with a sly grin and said, "Sorry, but it's really hard to read my mother's handwriting."
Matthew 1:18–24 (NKJV) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
INTRO. I know what some of you are thinking. You’re thinking, “Pastor H has lost it. It’s Mother’s Day and he’s about to preach a Christmas message. I know he turned 65 recently, but I didn’t think he’d reach senility so soon!”
Well, I thought we would look at some things in the NT about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and see some parallels that every mother faces or experiences.
1. THE ANNOUNCEMENT
There was an announcement by angels about the birth of Jesus! We just read Matthew’s account of that. You say, “Pastor, that didn’t happen when my child was born.” Maybe angels didn’t show up at your door, but there was an announcement about the birth of your child.
Every couple I know made an announcement about the fact that they were going to have a baby. We sent out birth announcements to our family and friends about the birth of both of our girls. We were excited that they were going to make their way into this world. Even adoptive mothers are glad to make the announcement that they’re going to have a child! There is a wonder about the miracle of little lives entrusted to our care!
2. THE ASTONISHMENT
Now, I also know there are sometimes when a child is not planned. At least in the minds of the parents. Mary and Joseph were not even married yet. They were both astonished at the announcement that they were going to have a child when they had not even been married. And everybody else was astonished too. Look at what Elizabeth said to Mary in:
Luke 1:43 (NKJV) But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
People can say some hurtful things to mothers sometimes. But notice that Elizabeth was thrilled to hear Mary’s news:
Luke 1:44 (NKJV) For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
“Elizabeth’s loudly spoken words, Blessed (eulogemene, lit., “well spoken of”) are you among women, carry the idea that Mary is the most honored of all women. Elizabeth called her the mother of my Lord. In Luke the term “Lord” (kyrios) often describes Jesus. It has a double meaning. “Lord” would be more important for a Greek reader than would the term “Christ” (meaning “Messiah”), for the Gentiles had not been anxiously awaiting the Messiah. On the other hand, the Septuagint often used the word “Lord” (kyrios) to translate Yahweh. In v. 45 Elizabeth said Mary was blessed (makaria, “happy”) because she believed what God had told her.”
Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 206). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
This tells us that Mary visited Elizabeth with a joyful heart not with skepticism about the angel’s announcement. But she was amazed that she was chosen by God to be Jesus’ mother!
Mary was so excited that she sang a song right there with Elizabeth in Luke 1:46-55. The passage is known as “The Magnificat.” Mary was amazed that God would choose her to bear the Messiah.
Luke 1:46–49 (NKJV) And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
Just about every mother I know was excited when their child was born and astonished that God would allow them to have children.
3. THE ATTENTION
Even just after He was born, Mary and Joseph received a lot of attention. Simeon, the priest, had been looking for the promised Messiah all his life! Look at what he said in:
Luke 2:25 (NKJV) And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
There are some mothers who never intended to attract attention with their children, but you do! But their children attract attention! Either because of their absolute cuteness, their absolute astuteness or their absolute rudeness!
Both our girls really attracted attention because of their curly hair! People would come up to them in Walmart and start touching their hair. The truth is most people certainly didn’t mean anything by it, but it was always kind of creepy.
Today, mothers have to be concerned about their children attracting attention of the wrong kind of people! You say, “That’s right, Pastor, but Mary never had to experience that.” Oh? Don’t you remember why they had to flee to Egypt? Herod tried to kill ALL the male babies two and under. That brings us to:
4. THE ADVERSARIES
From infancy, Mary knew that there were adversaries against her Son Jesus. Herod, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, Annas, Caiaphas, the devil and others.
John 5:12 (NKJV) Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
Moms, you have to protect your children from evil adversaries! And as they get older, you realize that you can’t always be there to fight for them. When your children go to school, there are bullies and predators! You have to build inside your children the character to help them make it in life.
The poem “Listen, Lord” by Ruth Bell Graham
Listen, Lord, a mother’s praying low and quiet; listen, please.
Listen what her tears are saying,
See her heart upon its knees.
Lift the load from her bowed shoulders
Till she sees and understands,
You, who hold the worlds together, hold her problems in your hands.
5. THE AMAZEMENT
Can you imagine watching Jesus grow up? I’m sure Mary was amazed at Him. But she wasn’t the only one!
Mark 2:1 (NKJV) And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Every now and then our kids amaze us. It's not always that they get the best grades or make the winning run in a baseball game. ILLUST. I heard a story about a little girl who found out that their elderly neighbor had lost his wife to cancer. When her dad drove up, she hugged the neighbor and ran off to see her daddy. The dad asked, “What were you doing of at Mr. Jones’ house?” She said, “I was helping him!” Oh, how were your helping him? “He was sad because Mrs. Jones went to heaven and I was helping him cry!”
6. THE AGONY
I’m almost certain that many mothers in this room today and some watching the livestream have had to deal with some agony in their lives regarding their children.
Maybe for you, it is only the agony of embarrassment. Have your children ever embarrassed you? Peggy Watkins, told me about her mother telling her children, “Now, we’re going to these people’s house. They are nice people and they have a nice house. Don’t touch anything! And don’t you dare ask for anything!” With those instructions, they all went inside the house and after a few minutes, Peggy said, “I smell Coke!” Have you ever endured the agony of embarrassment?
For other moms, you have a child who has been an incorrigible. They are simply strong-willed and at this point WILL NOT do what you want them to do. ILLUST. Like the little boy who got in trouble will his mom and she made him sit in the corner. His dad comes home and say, “What’s the matter, bud?” “I’m sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside!” Listen, moms, you hang in there! Be consistent in your discipline! I promise you it will pay off in the long run!
Perhaps for you mothers it’s the agony of incarceration. Some of you mothers have children who got involved with the wrong crowd and did something they should not have done and are in jail as a result of their actions. For these mothers, they are enduring the agony of their son or daughter being in jail.
Still some mothers are still facing the agony of incapacitation. You have a child who through an accident, or some disease, or because of some trouble during your pregnancy are dealing with a child with a severe handicap. Most of us have NO IDEA how you deal with that. But you’re still hanging in there, some days but a mere thread, but you’re still holding on with all that you have to do for your child, but you still love them! And even though it gets really tough some days, you would do it again! Because you love that special needs child!
The agony of addiction. You have a son or daughter who is on drugs or alcohol and it’s breaking your heart. God knows about it! And remember, He cares about you and your child who is trapped in the bondage of addiction.
The agony of bereavement. You’ve lost a son or daughter in the prime of life. You’re thinking, “My son/daughter was NOT supposed to die before me!” Or maybe you lost a child in childbirth or through some sort of disease or accident. And maybe you think that nobody knows the hurt that you’ve experienced…God knows! And He cares about your hurts!
I want to tell you, that Mary, the mother of the dear Lord Jesus knew about agony! Her Son, Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten was arrested, ridiculed, tortured, mocked, beaten, spit upon and nailed to a cross as a common criminal…and He had done NOTHING wrong!
John 19:25 (NKJV) Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
7. THE ADORATION
Perhaps you remember that not too long after Jesus was born, that the wise men (the Magi) came from the east bearing the three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They honored and adored Him and the King of Kings.
And I think Mary was so proud of Jesus at the wedding in Cana.
Well, that’s not the only time that is going to happen. The Bible tells us that one day:
Romans 14:11 (NKJV) For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
Mom, I want you to continue to be faithful to Jesus. Pray for those wayward children of yours! Ask God to put someone in their lives who will tell them about Jesus, yes! But YOU TELL them! You keep inviting them to church. Keep living a godly life in front of them! Continue to read God’s Word and cry out to him on their behalf! When they see your love and adoration for the Lord, they will want Him too!
1 Timothy 6:11 (NKJV) But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
THE WIDE SPECTRUM OF MOTHERING by Amy Young
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
