Mother’s Day is really
important to Mothers. Even the most laid back, understanding mother
expects to be honored today with special attention. If you stop and
think about it, it’s easy to understand why. After all, she sacrifices
her time, energy and interests for the sake of her family every day
of the year. She cleans the house, prepares the meals, washes the clothes,
runs a taxi service and oversees the family year round, without getting
much thanks in return.
I
remember seeing a cartoon that showed a mother standing in a living
room that’s a total mess. She’s got a crying baby in her arms, another
child is scribbling on the wall, and the dog is chasing the cat. The
husband walks in the front door, looks at the chaos going on, and stands
there with his eyes bugging out The exasperated mother says, “You always
ask me what I do all day. Well today I didn’t do it, and here it is!”
Mother’s
Day is a big deal to mothers because not only does she deserve to be
honored one day a year, but every day. For that is what God commands
us to do. The Fifth Commandment reads “Honor your father and your mother.
Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will
give you.” (Exodus
20:12)
To
honor simply means to value, to respect, to pay tribute to. The responsibility
to honor your mother begins when you’re a child and continues until
the day you or her dies. Jesus Christ set the example for us about how
to honor our mother. This occured at the very beginning of his ministry.
A
lot transpired in the life of Jesus that we don’t know much about. We
know that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with
God and men.” (Luke
2:52) And when he was 30 yrs. old, Jesus got baptized, and he proceeded
to complete the work his father sent him to earth to accomplish. A few
days after his baptism, Jesus and his disciples were guests at a wedding
in Cana. At the reception, which in those days lasted for as long as
a week, the host ran short of wine. That was an embarrassment, and Mary
wanted to help her friends out--v. 1-3.
That
was not an announcement; it was a request! If my mother says to me,
“Robert, I don’t have enough money to pay for my lunch.” She is not
just informing me of facts. She is telling me I need to buy her lunch.
In the same way, Mary was asking to help.
In
Jesus’ response, and his actions, we see 4 truths concerning ways to
honor our mothers. The first truth we see in our passage is that honoring
our mothers is a Lifetime Commitment. Look at Jesus’ reply--v.4(a).
Remember
that Jesus was 30 yrs. old at this time. He was to old for his mother
to be telling him what he needed to do. In reality, Mary is interfering
with his life. But notice that Jesus didn’t get mad at her.
Jesus
didn’t publicly humiliate his mother. He didn’t yell at her, “Wait a
minute. How many times did you whisper in my ear when I was growing
up that I was the Messiah? So how can you ask me to perform some kind
of magic trick like this?”
But
instead he calmly reminded her that this was not the purpose of his
coming. This purpose of his coming, his hour, was not to supply the
temporal wants of people. The hour of the full revelation of who he
is would not come till death was hovering over him.
For
as Jesus talked about his impending death he said, “The hour has come”
(John
12:23; 17:1)
The hour of his greatest glory would come not from turning water into
wine for people to drink. Rather, it would come when his shed blood
would be turned into the ransom that needed to be paid to free all mankind
who were enslaved to sin. But that hour had not yet come, as Jesus gently
reminds his mother.
The
term ‘Woman’ is not as cold in the Greek as it is in English. It’s a
term of respect or affection. It’s a term he will use in his last moments
as he hangs on the cross and he tenderly places his mother’s care into
the hands of his beloved disciple, John.
Yet
we must bear in mind that it is most unusual to find a son addressing
his mother with this word. In fact, there appears to be no examples
of this cited in any ancient writings. Therefore, this was neither a
Hebrew nor a Greek practice.
The
fact that Jesus calls Mary ‘woman’ and not ‘mother’ probably indicates
that there is a new relationship between them as he enters his public
ministry. By using this word, Jesus is establishing his independence
from his mother. As Jesus began his public ministry he wanted Mary to
know that he not just her son, but he is also God’s son who has come
for the sole purpose of bringing salvation to all mankind.
One
of the things I love about the Bible is that it is so practical. For
there will be times when your mother is going to try to interfer in
your life. Even if you have completed school, left home, and established
a family, there will be times when your mother might say things like:
“You ought to look for another job. Are you eating out again? Why don’t
you move back here? Isn’t it about time you have children. If you wait
until you can afford them, you never will have any. Don’t make her eat
that!”
So
when your mother tries to interfere in your life, don’t let her comments
get on your nerves! Don’t explode. All that will do is create more tension
and hard feelings. What you have to do is be mature enough to ignore
her and go on.
Another
thing to think about, when your mother seems to be interfering, is that
she may be right. She may just know what she’s talking about. Your mother
has the perspective of age and experience on her side, so you need to
listen to her.
Think
how much more you know now than you did 20 years ago. Don’t you think
you’ll gain some more wisdom in another 20 or 30 years? I am just starting
to realize how wise my mother was. And I sure do wish I would have listened
to her more while I was growing up.
Some
of you have godly mothers, but you’ve strayed from the faith she imparted
to you. I know you think she’s interfering in your life when she’s always
looking for some way to pull you back into living right with God. But
don’t get mad when she does. She is doing it because she loves you.
One
of the most hurtful things you can do is to ridicule her for trying
to encourage you to keep growing in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
You have no clue as to how much that wounds the heart of your mother.
We see this as John would later write: “I have no greater joy than to
hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3
John 4)
If
you have a godly mother, the greatest way you can honor her is to be
a Christian. The greatest gift you can give her today is the assurance
that you are going to spend eternity with her and with Jesus Christ.
Maybe this day is the day for you to return to the truths you were taught
as a child, and walk in obedience to Jesus Christ.
If
you have a godly mother who refuses to let Satan have you, be grateful.
It may be her reminders to God that is causing him to bless you in so
many ways. It may be her prayers that have spared you from death or
destruction. So maybe you need to give your heart to Jesus Christ before
it’s too late.
Jesus
turned water into wine to be respectful of his mother’s desires, even
though, as an adult, he wasn’t bound by her wishes anymore. Because
Jesus loved his mother, he honored her request with his first miracle,
turning water into wine. And in doing so, he shows us that honoring
our mother is a lifetime commitment.
We
see Jesus fulfilling this commitment moments before he was going to
die. As I said earlier, Jesus used the same word for woman while he
was hanging on the cross. But then he quickly makes sure that someone
was there to take care of her for the rest of her life.
The
Bible tells us that “When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside
the disciple he loved, he said to her, ‘Woman, he is your son.’ Then
He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that
disciple took her to his own home.” (John
19:26-27).
At
the foot of the cross were the two people Jesus loved the most, his
mother and John, the beloved disciple. For some reason his brothers
and sisters were not capable of taking care of Mary. We don’t know why
Jesus’ brothers or sister couldn’t take care of her. But obviously Jesus
knew that John had the capability of caring for her. So Jesus entrusted
to John the responsibility of caring for his mother after he was gone.
Part
of honoring your mother is to make sure that she’s cared for when she
can’t take care of herself. That might mean pitching in with financial
resources so your mother can live her final years in dignity. It might
mean showing tender love and care even when her health or mental faculties
begin to fail.
As
she gets old, it might be an easy temptation to neglect things like
buying her a Mother’s Day card. After all, her eyesight is so bad she
can’t read. Or her memory is at the point she won’t know who gave it
to her. But the bottom line is, you’ll know.
The
truth is that no matter what her health is like, she will always be
your mother. And she will always deserve your love and respect. God
commands us to “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the
elderly.” (Leviticus
19:32)
The
second truth we see from Jesus’ example is that we honor our mothers
through Obedience. Jesus was obedient to his mother’s request----v.
5-8. Jesus knew he had a special calling on his life. He was the Messiah.
But even though he was the Son of God, in order for him to be able to
go to the cross as the Lamb of God, he had to remain sinless all of
his life. Which meant he had to keep all of God’s Law. Therefore, he
always was obedient to his mother.
Teenagers,
you need to walk in the steps of Jesus and honor your mother by obeying
her as well. It’s nice to give your mother a card or take her out to
eat today. But I guarantee you what would mean more to her is for you
to obey her instructions every day of the year, not just this one day.
When
she says you can play computer games for just 30 minutes, don’t stretch
it to 45 minutes. When she wants you to turn your music down, turn it
down without complaining. When she wants you to give her a hand setting
the table, jump up immediately and help out. Don’t say, “Can’t it wait
until the next commercial?” If she says, “Don’t drive over the speed
limit,”obey her even if she’s not in the car.
In
fact, when you get ready for bed, throw your dirty clothes in the hamper
instead of on the floor. When you get up from the table and put your
dishes away. When you throw a candy wrapper toward the wastebasket,
and it misses, bend down and pick it up. You can honor your mother by
making her workload easier.
From
this passage we see the answer of the dilemma of what you are to do
when your mother asks you to do something that is wrong. From Jesus’
example, we see that unless what she asks you to do is a sin, do it.
Jesus didn’t let the fact that what she was asking was not in line with
the purpose he was sent to this earth prevent him from honoring his
mother. He knew that even though Mary was wrong for him to perform this
kind, what she was asking him to do was not a sin. Therefore, Jesus
honored her by being obedient to her misguided wishes.
Who
knows if it isn’t because of Jesus’ continual honoring of her that caused
Mary to become one of Jesus’ most devoted followers. In the moment of
his greatest need, as he hung on the cross, all but 1 of his disciples
deserted him. But not Mary. The Bible tells us that “Standing near the
cross was Jesus' mother.” (John
19:25)
So
not only did Mary get to witness the birth of the one who would usher
God’s kingdom to this earth, but she also got to witness the means of
how people could enter into God’s kingdom, by trusting in what Jesus
did on the cross. And she also got to witness the birth of the vehicle
through which God would use to further his kingdom on this earth. While
we don’t know if Mary saw Jesus after he was the resurrected from the
dead, we do know that she was there when the church was birthed. Luke
tells us that following Jesus’ ascension, that the disciples, “All joined
together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother
of Jesus.” (Acts
1:14)
The
third truth we see in our passage is that honoring your mother now brings
Future Rewards--v. 9-11. We don’t know what impact this miracle had
on those who attended the wedding. John doesn’t tell us that the entire
wedding party put their faith in Jesus as their Messiah. But he does
tell us that those closest to Jesus did. For John tells us that through
this miracle, through Jesus honoring his mother, his disciples believed
in him. In other words, Jesus earned their trust.
As
a teenager, you know how important it trust is. For if you have earned
the trust of your parents, you have a lot of freedom. But once you lose
their trust, your ideal life can become a nightmare.
When
you become a teenager, you develop a tendency to think you know what’s
best for you. And that is what makes it is so hard to figure out how
to honor your parent’s right to tell you what to do with your desire
to gain independence and control of your life. The teenage years are
usually so difficult that someone said: “Adolescence is God’s way of
preparing parents to welcome the empty nest!”
And
to make it worse, not only are you struggling with how to grow up while
obeying your parents, but you live in a world where everything you watch
on TV or at the movies tells you that being disrespectful to your parents
is the in thing to do.
People
Magazine asked teenagers, “Who would you want to be your mother?” The
number one vote-getter was Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzie Osbourne.
She’s a mother of one of the most dysfunctional families that ever lived,
who lives out their life on MTV.
The
world’s values are so perverted, so please don’t follow what it says.
Instead, follow what the Bible says! For the Bible says: “Children,
obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father
and mother; which is the first commandment with a promise; that it may
go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians
6:1-3)
Please
notice that this promise is not to just little kids. For the word children
in the Greek refers to children of all ages. I am still my mothers child,
even though I’m 50 yrs. old. What Paul is telling us that if we obey
our parents now, it will go well with us as we get older. In other words,
your life will be a lot easier and a lot happier if you obey.
Let’s
say you go out with your friends on Friday night. Your mom said you
had to be home by 11:00 at the latest. But instead, you come sneaking
in at midnight. And when you come in, you discover that your mom is
waiting up for you and she is mad. In the heat of the moment, you: “You
don’t trust me.” She replies: “That’s because you aren’t acting responsible.”
Then
the next morning, when your mother comes in your room and tells you
to get out of bed right now and to clean up your room because it looks
like a pig sty, do you do it? Or do you lay in bed until you can’t take
any more of her nagging? And rather then clean up your room, do you
toss things in drawers and under the bed? And then do you spend the
rest of the day on the phone complaining to your friends about how your
mother abuses you and doesn’t understand you?
If
so, how do you think she is going to react, when about suppertime you
say, “Mom, some of the kids are going to the movie & pizza tonight,
and I’d like to go. But I’m broke so I need about $25.00.” More than
likely, what you will hear, is “After all you have done, you have the
gall to ask for $25. Do you think I’m crazy? Your butt is staying home
tonight so you can get up on time go to church with me tomorrow.”
Now
suppose you did things a little different. You’re supposed to be in
at 11:00, but you surprise your mother by coming in at 10:00. And the
next morning you get out of bed and start cleaning your room without
being asked.
And
about suppertime, you say, “Mom, some of the kids are wanting me to
go with them to the movies & get a pizza afterwards. But I don’t have
the money. Can you give me $25? But if you’d rather me stay home, or
if you don’t have any money, that’s okay.” More than likely, she’ll
say, “I want you to go. Stay out as late as you’d like. And here’s $50,
because money doesn’t go as far as it used to.” You probably think that’s
a little bit unrealistic, but I guarantee you if you will obey your
mother, not only are you honoring her, but in doing so, you are also
earning future rewards.
Let
me conclude by reminding you to honor your mother today. She deserves
it for the sacrifices she made for you. Honor her with obedience as
you go through the difficult teenage years. If you are an adult, honor
her by respectfully receiving her ideas even when it seems she’s interfering.
But the greatest way any of you can honor your mother is by honoring
Jesus Christ as the Lord of your own life.
Let’s
pray!
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