On this Mothering Sunday, Stephen looked at Mary, the mother of Jesus, focussing especially on Luke 2:19 which tells us that Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. We usually look at that passage – following the birth announcements and visit of the shepherds after the birth of Jesus – at Christmas, and the song we listened to today (‘Mary, Did You Know?’ sung by Pentatonix) is also more associated with that time of year. But in truth, we do well to think about Mary and her role in bringing up the Son of God as we consider the role of mothers today.
In Scripture, much of what we know is selective, each gospel giving us part of the story as a whole. Luke gives us a lot of valuable information about Mary, with Matthew filling in information about Joseph and the visit of the Magi after Jesus’s birth. We know that Mary was told how special her baby would be and both the angelic announcement to her, her time with Elizabeth during her pregnancy and the circumstances of the birth of Jesus were all indications to her of just how important her son would be. She was mother not only to a firstborn son, but to the Son of God, and there is no doubt as she treasured her memories and pondered them (see also Luke 2:33-35) that she was in awe of who Jesus was.
The role of mothers in bringing up children is enormous and it is worth pondering the role Mary played in Jesus’s life. What is even more amazing, however, is the role Jesus played. As the song reminds us, the child delivered by Mary would one day deliver us all from sin. What a Saviour!
‘Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered will soon deliver you.’ (‘Mary, Did You Know?’)
