All about Eve (or Mothers) Pt 2

Can you imagine what the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus must have been like? But before we go into this, let’s set the story straight. A lot of Christians have some funny notions about Mary, especially the Catholics. They treat Mary as something more than what she truly is, a mortal human who gave birth to Jesus. Catholics treat her as a saint, someone to be prayed to and revered. I had a conversation with someone who actually thought that Mary stayed a virgin throughout her life. How do you explain Jesus’ brothers and sisters then (see Matt 12:46)? I believe Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus, but after that, she and Joseph got married, and they made babies the old fashioned way.

I’m sure Mary worried about Jesus, probably more so than normal moms. Knowing that he was going to be the Messiah probably places a lot of burden on her. She probably thought that how Jesus acted would be a reflection on her. The listeners would all whisper to each other, “Isn’t that Mary’s kid? Boy he’s a little odd, I wonder if Mary dropped him on his head when he was a baby.” Ok, I made that last part up. But kids are definitely a representation of the parental upbringing. Even now, especially in Asian culture, how a kid behaves reflects the parental upbringing. If a kid is well-mannered and polite, people will think, “These parents have it all going on”. But if a kid starts yelling and running around the restaurant like a chicken with its head cut off, everyone starts blaming the parents… bad parenting. When Jesus started to piss off the Pharisees, I wonder what Mary must have thought. Or when she heard about Jesus walking on water, do you think she must have worried about whether he dressed warmly for the walk?

It’s pretty clear that Mary worried about Jesus. It wasn’t an easy childhood. As recorded in the Bible, Mary was worried that she lost her son on the way home from the yearly sacrifice. (see Luke 2:41-51) Can you imagine what must have gone through her head? “Oh no! I lost the Savior of the world! What will people think of me? They will think that I’m a horrible mother, and I don’t care as much about saving the world as they do.” I’m sure that’s not the first time she worried. Imagine! Taking care of the Son of God! How would God think if you had to spank the Holy One. Do you think she prayed for forgiveness every time she punished Jesus? Is misbehaving a sin? Since Jesus never sinned, I wonder if he ever misbehaved either. I know some people believe that his divinity didn’t come until after his baptism when the dove fell on him. Thus they believe he lived a normal life as a kid, getting into whatever mischief boys of his age get into. However, I don’t believe that. And that’s because of the verses that talk about when Mary did finally find Jesus. What did he say? "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." Wow! Did you read that? He called her woman! Boy, I wonder if Mary punished him after that? I know my mom would have knocked the silly out of me if I called her that!

What about the miracles Jesus performed? Do you think Mary got used to it? When he skinned his knee, can you imagine Mary saying, “Oh stop your crying and go heal yourself!” Or when she needs more bread, does she ask him to multiply the loaves? I wonder what kind of miracles Jesus did do when he was growing up. And yes, before you ask, I believe Mary was well aware of Jesus’ power. How? Well easy, the Marriage in Cana (John 2:1-11). When the wedding ran out of wine, who did Mary run to asking for help? Her son of course! I can just see Jesus there having a good time, hanging out with his friends, when his mother taps him on the shoulder. “Psst, son, we’re out of wine!” Jesus looks at her and says basically he’s busy. This isn’t the time yet to let people know about him. But, I guess she feels responsible or something, and she pressures him. “Can’t you just, you know, wiggle your fingers or something? It’ll take you all of 10 minutes, and then you can go back to talking with your friends! Honestly! After all that time of labor I had with you, and the worrying I’ve done for you, the least you could do is do me this one small favor!” Well, you know the results. You can’t resist the mother guilt trip (tm). There’s nothing in the world invented that can withstand the full force of that power. Luckily for me, my mom didn’t use that power too often.

So as this Mother’s Day comes around, and you’re considering blowing it off or by just giving her flowers and a card, just remember this: The time and pain she had to go through just to bear you, not to mention the 9 months previously feeling fat and having to walk around carrying an extra person insider her. The least you could do is buy her dinner, and no, Pizza Hut doesn’t count as dinner! (A sitdown place!) along with the flowers and candy and you have to sing the all-important Mother’s Day song. You know it, it was taught to you during elementary school specifically to celebrate Mother’s Day. Ok, everyone, sing along with me:

M is for the million things she gave me.
O means only that she's growing old
T is for the tears she shed to save me
H is for her heart of purest gold
E is for her eyes of love-light shining
R means right and right she'll always be