BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both
to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He
through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles,
whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after
His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty
days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And
being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to
depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,
which, He said, you have heard from me; for John truly baptized with
water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days
from now. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him,
saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And
He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the
Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do
you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up
from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go
into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey. And when
they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were
staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas;
Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the
Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the
mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 1:1-14
I have heard the expression many times, especially from
ministers and teachers, that Scripture is inexhaustible. I have
noticed that if fifty different ministers come to the same text, the result
very often is fifty different sermons. There just seems to be something
else there that has not been noticed, some other word, phrase, or
detail that when you read even a Scripture that is very familiar to you,
it seems like it is there for the first time. That was the feeling I got as I
read our text for this morning. In all the times I have read this account
of the ascension of Christ, I had never really paid attention to the fact
that Mary was among the group gathered in the upper room at

Pentecost. Since today is Mothers Day, there was something about

her presence that seemed especially significant to me. As I thought
about her unique role to motherhood, and the journey she had had to
walk to reach this point, I couldnt help but wonder what it must have
been like to be the mother of the Lord. This morning I thought we
would take a little walk in her shoes for just a bit and take a look at
some of the things she had to deal with.
Marys life was a series of ups and downs, far beyond what most
people ever have to face in a lifetime. Her roller coaster ride began
with the announcement made to her by the angel Gabriel. That was
certainly reason for rejoicingbut what happened from there, when
she was found to be expecting, and Joseph had thoughts of putting her
away? Did she know of his plans? Probably not, since the account in
Matthew says, While he THOUGHT about these things, an angel
appeared to him in a dream (Matt. 1:20). So that part of the ride
may have been Josephs and not hers. But then, of course, there was
the birth of the child, and the presentation in the Temple. Another
joyous occasion, to be sureand yet there were the prophetic words of
Simeon: This child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce
through your own soul also) (Luke 2:34-35). Mary may have
wondered at his words, but Im sure she never realized at that point
just how sharp that sword would be.
Mary had to be impressed when the three wise men came to
visit, not just by the costliness of the gifts, but by the length of the
journey they had made just to come see this child for themselves. But
almost before she even had time to consider the meaning of it, the
warning came from the angel to flee to Egypt for the childs safety.
Im sure Mary was a woman of great faith. Her faith was evident
at the annunciation, when she told the angel, Let it be unto me
according to your word. No questions, no denials, just simple
acceptance of the word of the angel. But how her faith must have
been tried when Jesus was left behind at age twelve and they found
Him in the Temple. What did it do to her to hear His remark about
being about His Fathers business? What did it do to here to realize
that at about age thirty He would abandon the common path of the
eldest son following in his fathers trade? How about when He entered
His ministry at Nazareth, by being run out of the synagogue and the
townand even facing an attempt by His hometown crowd to throw
Him off a cliff?
At some points in Scripture we get indications that perhaps she
understood Him as fully as anyone on earth. When He performed His
first miracle at the wedding at Cana, it was SHE who approached HIM.
And when He seemed to say no, she didnt bat an eye, just turned to
the servants and said, Whatever He says to you, do it. Even so, how
did it affect her to hear the conflicting reports that were circulated

about Him? There was much complaining among the people

concerning Him. Some said, He is good; others said, No, on the
contrary, He deceives the people (John 7:12). How did it affect her
when Jesus was rejected even by His own brothers? (John 7:5) We do
know that they eventually came around and got with the program,
because we find them present with Mary in the upper room as well.
But what about the process it took to get there?
I think maybe the loneliest figure we find at the cross is Mary.
After all, this is her SON; this is also the Son of Gods promise,
confirmed to her and to Joseph by the witness of angels. How does it
affect her to hear Him express words of abandonment by God? Never
mind for a moment all the ups and downs she has seen to this point,
and all the wrestling with her feelings that has taken placethis is her
SON, and this is the END.
Yet we see Jesus affirming motherhood, even from the cross, as
He tells John, Behold your mother, and it says John took her into his
home from that day. But where was her family? We dont see them at
the cross, or we assume if her other children had been there, they
would have stood by her, and the Scriptures would have noted their
presence. But somewhere between the cross and Pentecost,
something has happened to bring them once again by her side.
Something about seeing Mary listed in this group reminds me of
that true spirit of motherhood we celebrate on this day. We live in
times when motherhood has been cheapened. Since 1993, an average
of 1.5 million babies have been aborted each yearand by far the
majority of them simply because they were inconvenient to the
mother. We live in times when a teenage girl can go to a prom, take
time out to deliver a bab and drop it in the trash, and then carry on as
if nothing had happened. We live in times when cloning and test-tube
babies and sperm banks and egg banks have redefined the entire
process of becoming a mother.
Not only has motherhood been cheapened, but childhood as well.
We call a prenatal child a fetus; we have a shady undercover market
for body parts of aborted babies; the internet is loaded with child
pornography; we are bombarded with news reports about spiritual
guides who have become sexual predators of our children. Its really
no surprise that motherhood is cheapened, when we have cheapened
all the relationships that go into what it means to become a mother.
Maybe thats why we celebrate the examples we find all around
us of motherhood that clearly goes beyond the call of duty. I see that
in Mary, who is a prime example of motherhood that has stayed the
course, even when it took her through rocky ground. I see it in single
moms doing everything they can to make ends meet rather than
looking for a way out like abortion or abandonment. I see it in mothers
who have had to make career choices, and who sacrifice career in

favor of providing for the nurture of their children. I see it in mothers

who never give up even when their children reject the mothers nurture
and rebel. I saw it in my own mother, when my sister told her, Why
dont you just give up on him? But she never did.
I think maybe its that never say die spirit that we celebrate in
our mothers on this day more than anything else. There is something
of that spirit in every mother. There is something in that spirit that
witnesses to us of unseen things, of a heavenly realm beyond this one.
There is something godly in that kind of love. Because I dont believe
God ever gives up on us either. He leaves the 99 and goes after the
one that got lost; He receives the prodigal child with wide-open arms;
He goes to the greatest lengths for ALL His childreneven when that
love means a cross.
Today, let us remember once again the special qualities that
make up a mothers love. Let us remember the nurture, the love, the
sacrifices, the giving that really never ends. Let us with all our heart
give thanks to God for our mothers this day, and make this truly a
special day for them. They are truly a gift of Gods love and a badge of
Gods loving presence with us.