Let's Not Forget Mary, The Mother of Jesus
Posted: Saturday, May 10, 2008
by Teresa Ortiz
Freelance writer/Speaker
Of all the wonderful mommies that have come and gone, I can't help but think about Mary, the m
other of Jesus. What was so special about her? Why would God the Father choose her? And how can her mothering skills help me today?
These questions have been on my mind for the last few days. So much has been said about Mary and she has been made out to be someone whom the Father never intended her to be--nor is she. As a result, many, including myself have gone to the other extreme and have said she is no one special. God only needed one woman, and He just happened to pick her. In my opinion, neither position is a biblical one.
I decided to go back to the Scriptures to refresh my memory. What a blessing it is to be reminded of the reason God chose her and what a treasure I found in looking to her example.
Mary is only mentioned a handful of times in the Bible. What can we learn in a few examples? Quite a bit as it turns out--most of the lessons coming from a portion of her prayer as recorded in Luke 1:46-48. This she prayed after being told by the angel that she will give birth to the Messiah:
"And Mary said:
My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has
rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has
regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed."
Mary was a woman who had a relationship with God the Father. She understood that she was a sinner in need of a Savior and was a woman of worship. We also see that she was a humble woman and was blessed by the fact that God noticed her. Finally, we see that she recognized the amazing privilege that God had bestowed upon her and knew that she would go down in history as a blessed woman.
After the Child was born, Mary and Joseph acknowledged this Child as a gift and dedicated Him to the Father.
" Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the LORD." Luke 2:22
Mary knew when it was time to let Him be a man; The Man that she knew He was:
"And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'they have no wine.' Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it" John 2:3-4
Jesus calls his mother "woman" on more than one occasion. The last reference to her is recorded in John 19:26-27:
"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his home."
I gotta tell you, if that was me, I would have said, so this is the thanks I get for being your mom? After all the diapers I changed, after all the boo-boos I kissed, and after chasing you all around Jerusalem, you are just going to give me to someone else? Thanks a lot sonny-boy! Okay, so now we know why I wasn't picked to be the Mother of Jesus. Although she was only human so maybe...
I just can't imagine what a gift it was to raise the Messiah, the Savior of the world!!
From Mary, I have learned to be humble, to offer my children to God and to know that there will come a day when they are adults and they will need to find their own calling in life. (I have also learned that at some point, my kids will throw me in a nursing home.)
However, the most valuable lesson comes from what Mary told the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." As a mother who followed God, she led others to her Son. My desire is that I would do the same.
So while God makes it clear that we are not to worship her or glorify her (Isaiah 42:8), He does tell us to honor her. And so I do.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies in the whole wide world!
(C) Teresa Ortiz
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)hi teresa, this was a beautiful and moving article. your writing is more confident, i believe. it works well. keep doing it. i ordered a statue of mary last year made from the olive trees on the path that jesus walked. i don't like faces on people when no one knows what they really looked like, so this is all smooth wood. i, too, was thinking one day, and remembered mary, and decided to get something to keep reminding me. it works. my best regards, sueHi Sue, thank you for the compliment. It means a lot coming from you. I don't care for pictures or statues for the same reason. Not to mention that God said not to have any statues or carved images of anything in heaven or under heaven. I hope you have a wonderful mother's day. Again, thank you for all your encouragement. Love, T
Hi Lucy -- if I were to be honest, there are many characteristics of our Blessed Mother that I would have failed. I can't imagine how she felt while holding "her baby boy" dead as they took him off the cross -- God knew her faith and strength and that is why she was chosen. Very touching article. If you have a chance, I had written something on her last year on Searchwarp entitled, "Who Kissed The Boo-boos of Jesus" -- you may enjoy it. Stay well and thanks for this touching piece! Hope you enjoyed your "Mommy's Day!"Hi Ethel! How are you, chickie? Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for the kind words. I will go read your article. The Lord impressed these thoughts on my heart so strongly, that I had to write. I know He was in it. I have been guilty of down-playing Mary's position because of the extreme abuse of who she is. i.e. Mary worship, idols, statues and most disturbing, the visions and being told that she is the co-redemptress.(straight from deceptive spirits). God forgive me, I often teach that abuse and neglect are both sin before God in many other areas, and God called me on it in this area. Thankfully, he is a gracious and forgiving God.
Teresa-this was very well-written! I never realized the woman despite reading those scriptures several times. I think I would have been the same as you :) thanks for such a great view for mother's day! Hope yours was a good one!Hi Laura!I had a wonderful day, I hope you did too! Thanks for the kind words! There are many reasons he called her woman, one showing respect and value, and two, to release her to John so that he would care for her. Her job was done and he loved her so much that he put her in the care of his closest friend. What an honor that must have been for John. And then we don't hear anything else. It amazes me that she remained a humble woman until the end. What an example!
Yes the misnomer is when people worship Mary or she is percievd as being worshipped and when they do not recognize her significance in relationship to the Word and her son Jesus. As you stated Teresa 'Whatever He says to you, do it" John 2:3-4 meaning honor they mother and thy father, respect, high esteem, favored, loved. In that one instance she was an intercessor between man and God and God recognizing her, listened, as any good son would. That is the significance of Mary and the Word. God listened to her on behalf of others. With all best wishes on a great article. Robert.Hi Robert, thanks for the input and kind words. Yes it is sad when the line is crossed from respect to worship. From honor to praise. You have a great understanding of her position and seem to keep her in her right place. It just brakes my heart and the heart of God when people choose to pray to her as if she can hear and respond. The Bible is so clear that there is only one mediator between man and God and that is Christ Jesus. While she was alive, she was an amazing intercessor, just as we can be. But just as one would not ask me to pray for them after I die, we cannot ask her or any other saint who as gone before us for that matter, to intercede for us. Jesus is the only one who lives to intercede on our behalf-Romans 8, Hebrews. I am grateful for the balance I am learning in this particular area. Thanks again, dear brother. Teresa
Very nicely written article. Try not to dumb down, unless your target audience is a much younger crowd. For example, use mothers instead of mommies.Thank you for reading and commenting. I used "mommies" on purpose because to me "mommie" is an endearing term and one that reflects the closeness I have with my mother. It's what I call my mom when I am feeling extra happy about my relationship with her--sometimes "mother" is just to formal and doesn't express the heart of a relationship, which is what I was intending in this article. But I do appreciate the advice. Blessings to you! Teresa
Very appropriate for us to think about at Mother's Day.Hi Diane! Thank you for reading and for commenting. It was on my heart for awhile before I wrote it, and then after seeing so many wonderful articles regarding Mother'd Day, I figured it was the perfect time. Thanks again and many blessings to you! Teresa
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