This post is from Moms Take Ten episode 58, “Moms in the Bible–-Mary, part 2”, which you can listen to wherever you listen to podcasts or at https://sites.libsyn.com/403493/moms-in-the-bible-mary-part-2
In the weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter, it is right that we begin to prepare our hearts in remembrance of the incredible acts of love, mercy and power that Jesus did in those three days. In this episode, as part of our Moms in the Bible series, we are going to look at those three days through the eyes of Mary, Jesus’ mother.
There is a song that is often sung at Christmas time, called Mary, Did You Know. Written by Mark Lowry, it looks at Mary in the stable, cradling her new baby boy and wonders if she has an idea of what is to come. I think there is much that Mary did not know. The details that she was given were few. She was told by the angel that the child named Jesus would be great and would reign forever. Her cousin Elizabeth affirmed that he was Lord over all. The shepherds showed her that Jesus was someone worthy of worship, even as a newborn babe. Simeon, a righteous and devout man, declared that he was the long-awaited savior.
But what would that look like? How would it all play out? Those details were missing from the words spoken to Mary, with one exception. Simeon went on to say, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus’ future would not be without challenge, and neither would Mary’s.
I wonder if she thought about Simeon as she was standing near the cross, witnessing the brutal murder of her child. Did his words come rushing back to her as she felt pain invade every part of her? Did she begin to understand what Simeon had said so very long ago?
Mary had seen Jesus’ ministry unfold. From the first public miracle of the water into wine, Mary had seen or heard testimony of healings, resurrections, wise teachings, the feedings of many, and the calming of storms. She saw her son pour out his life in ministry to the masses, at the expense of himself and his family. She had also been a part of his ministry behind the scenes.
Matthew 27:55 tells of the women who were present at Jesus’ crucifixion–”There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph (this is Jesus’ mother) and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” These women were noted as having ministered to Jesus. Mary, along with the other women, followed her son on his journey, caring for him. As he poured himself out to others, she poured herself out to him.
And now, after all of that, she is watching him die. I can barely bring myself to watch a movie or even look at a picture of Jesus on the cross. How could she, his mother, bear witness to such a gruesome sight filled with so much agony? My heart cries out “No!” Tears burn my eyes as I think of her standing there.
What was she thinking? Was she remembering that moment in the stable when she first held her baby son close? Was she reliving her fear at discovering he was missing on the way home from the temple? Was she picturing his kind and compassionate face as he brought the widow’s son back to life? A million moments to remember.
Or was she thinking of what the angel told her about her son’s destiny and trying to reconcile that with Simeon’s words and with the reality that he was dying in front of her? He was supposed to be the savior of the world, to reign forever on the throne of David. Her cousin Elizabeth had called him her Lord. Her cousin’s son had spent his life preparing people for the arrival of the Messiah, and declared that Jesus was that Messiah. Surely the miracles and his teaching proved that he was who God had said he would be.
Did she question what it was all for as she followed Joseph of Arimathea to his tomb and watched as he placed Jesus inside?
That Sabbath must have felt so long. Waiting to be able to go to the tomb to properly prepare his body. Crying and mourning when she was supposed to be worshiping. I remember the day after my father died. It was a Sunday. My siblings had flown in during the early hours of the morning. None of us had slept much. It came time for church and my mom decided we should go. I remember all of us, filling the row of chairs, and fighting to worship God as our grief crashed upon us. That Sunday is a holy moment in my memory.
The difference, though, between my family and Mary and the disciples is that we had hope. We knew the rest of the story, and we had been told what is to come. The Scriptures tell us that Mary, the other women, and the disciples had lost their hope. They had forgotten what Christ had foretold. Mary was waiting to prepare him for death, not to celebrate his resurrected life.
The question that I have been pondering is: Am I living as though Christ is dead, or am I living in the certainty that he is alive?
The crucifixion and the resurrection have everything to do with our salvation, and they also have everything to do with our daily life. A Christ who is dead cannot help me when I am struggling, cannot hear me when I am praying, and cannot lead me when I don’t know where to go. A Christ who is dead can do nothing about the child who is sick, the teenager who is growing defiant, the adult who has lost their job. A Christ who is dead is of no good to me as a tired, weary mom who wants to parent her children in the best way possible yet continuously fails.
But he is not dead. Christ is alive!
Because he lives, all the promises that he has made live with him. All the power that he offers is available to us now. All the love that he spoke about during his life is being poured out on us today.
He does not leave us alone, mourning the harsh reality of this world and the brokenness of our sin. He meets us as he met the women leaving the tomb. They went there in the morning, Mary among them, to prepare Jesus’s body for burial. The tomb was rolled away and an angel spoke with them. Matthew 28:8 says, “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.” That moment changed everything for Mary and the other women. Not only did Mary receive her son back, but she received her savior.
Mamas, let us take hold of the feet of our risen Lord and worship him. Let us live, not as those without hope, but in the beautiful, life-changing knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death, and offers His spirit to us moment by moment as we await the time when we will live with him forever. Whatever burdens you are carrying today, whatever worries and fears, whatever dreams and goals, ask Jesus to help you view them in light of who he is and what he has done for us. He is not dead, mama. He is risen, just as he said.
Lyssa Stoyko 