The Apostle John, an eye witness to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, wrote these words:
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his
mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary
Magdaline. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the
disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his house. (John 19:25-27)
Happy Mother’s Day to women all over the world who have given birth, adopted, or serve as guardians over the Lord’s children. All children belong to God. (Ps. 127:3) Moreover, I give a special salute to all of the mothers, whether there is a father present in the home or not, who raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, as Christian parents are admonished to do. (Eph. 6:4) I call these mothers, “Godly Mama’s.” Today’s message focuses on Godly Mama’s, who have decided to live for Jesus Christ and raise their children in the way of the Lord, and in the beauty of holiness.
As a child growing up in Washington, D.C., I played all sorts of sports and games with my friends in the alleys, streets and playgrounds. At times while playing, we would all participate in verbal play, called “Joning.” Before going further, let me say that joining by no means is considered acceptable Christian behavior. Indeed, it is anything but Christ-like. Joning involves the light-hearted hurling of insults at each other, usually among a group of friends, to see whose insult can draw the greatest laughter. We would for example, hurl insults on the person’s looks, clothing, ability to play sports, intelligence, as well as on members of their family.
However, if you have ever been in a joning competition, you know that things can get very emotional and downright ugly, if the person started joning on your mother. Oh yes, too many insults, even meant playfully, could turn into a street fight, if you talked about a person’s Mama. We would say to each other, “you can talk about me, my sister, my brother, or my father—but don’t talk about my mama!” “I don’t allow anyone to talk about my mama—that’s fighting words,” we would say.
Well guess, what? Today, I am going to do just that—talk about your Mama! However, in this case, I have nothing but good things to say about her. In fact, everything that I will say about your Mama is an attempt to get you to “Behold your Mama.” To remember her and think about how she deserves to be treated as long as you and she are alive on planet earth.
Let me start heaping accolades on your Mama. Even the letters of her title extoll your mama’s virtues: She is: (M)AGNIFICENT, (O)UTSTANDING, (T)ENDER IN TEACHING, (H)ONORABLE, (E)XTRAORDINARY, and (R)EMARKABLE.
Let me go deeper in my praise for your Mama. Your mother is the reflection of Jesus Christ in your life. The Prophet Isaiah asked this question: Can a mother forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? (Is. 49:15) Your Mama has unfeigned love for you. Since the day you were conceived in her womb, until the time of her last breath on earth your Mama has had compassion of you. She nurtured you, sacrificed all so you could have a better life than she had. She stood by you through every one of your troubles.
On your worse day, you could count on Mama being there to support you—just as Mary the mother of Jesus Christ was at the foot of His cross. Even when there was nothing that your mother could do to relieve or resolve your suffering, she looked up to God and prayed for you—just as Mary did for Jesus. It’s something special about having Mama with you that gives you extra comfort and strength in your day of adversity that helps you endure the pain.
Conversely, on your days of triumph, Mama is always there to lead the cheers in celebration of your accomplishments. She is there telling you, “I knew you could do it.” “There is nothing you cannot do when you give it your best.” And, she makes sure that news of your accomplishments are spread far and near. Tell me, is there anyone who has more photographs of you than your mama? You are the apple of her eye, just we are the apple of God’s eye.
Also, your Mama is God’s best messenger! She is divinely anointed to speak into your life. At various times in your life, Mama has served as your priest, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Don’t you recall your Mama saying to you, Baby, “Give your life to Jesus Christ.” “Put God first in your life.” “Don’t forget God—read your Bible and go to Church.” “Did you pray about it, and what did God say about it?” “God’s going to make everything all right.”
And, although Mama’s role in your life changes as you age, her love, support, and devotion to you remains the same. No matter if a Mama has one child or 12 children, her love remains the same for all of them.
Hear me now. Given all I have said about your Mama, as you “Behold your Mama,” tell me how should you treat her? Your Mama deserves to be honored above all the people in your life. She should never be taken for granted. Even if your mother made serious mistakes in raising you and failed to parent you as a Godly Mama. She still deserves special honor, because she gave you life and raised you as best she could. Therefore, from childhood to adulthood, Mama should be honored by her children, as instructed at Ephesians 6:1-2.
I’m talking about Bible honor, not the world’s way of honoring Mama, which focuses on one day out of year, giving Mamma candy, flowers, balloons and a meal. The word “honor” in the Bible means to prize, or fix a valuation upon a person. In the case of Mama, God says we are to revere our mothers and give her support sufficient to meet all of her natural and spiritual needs. As Godly adult children, we need to look to Jesus Christ as our example of how to live and treat our mothers. (Hebrews 12:2) It is especially important for us to examine how Jesus treated Mary while enduring the suffering of the cross.
There is no man in human existence that suffered in death as much as Jesus did. His face and entire body was so badly torn, beaten, and bruised by the weight of carrying the sins and sorrows of the whole world, coupled with the brutal beating He took in His scourging and crucifixion that He was unrecognizable. (Is. 52:14, 53:4-9, & Ps. 22:1,6-14) In essence, Jesus became death for every person. Yet, Jesus had his Mama Mary on his heart and mind, and entrusted His disciple John with her future wellbeing and security. (John 19:27)
It is presumed that Jesus’ step father Joseph was dead at the time of His crucifixion. By Jewish tradition, if a woman became widowed, the eldest son was responsible for the care of his mother. Jesus, therefore was obligated for assigning the care of Mary before His death.
Ordinarily, Jesus would have committed the care of Mary to one of His male siblings--either James or Jude. However, at the time of the cross, his siblings did not follow his teachings and refused to accept Him as the Christ. (John 7:5) Thus, Jesus could not entrust his siblings with the vitally important role of the care of Mary. Instead, Jesus selected the Apostle John because He knew that John would see to it that Mary received both natural and spiritual love and support for the rest of her life.
After the resurrection of Jesus, there was much spiritual growth required for all that would follow after Him. On the Day of Pentecost 120 disciples, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his siblings who came to believe on Jesus after he was raised from the dead, were recipients of the Holy Ghost and witnesses for the Lord. (Acts 1:8, 15 & 2:1-4)
Godly adult children make sure that Mama lives out her years in a Godly home. They make sure that Mama’s material and spiritual needs are met. Just as your Mama ensured that you were properly nurtured in the Word of God and brought up in church, adult Christian children are responsible for ensuring that their mothers can continue to attend church, have a peaceful and restful place to live, and remain vibrant and an integral part of the family.
Sadly today, we live in a society where many adult children do not know how to treat their mothers. In one recent survey of mothers, from age 65 to 75-years old, with at least two living adult children found, that 11 percent were estranged from one child, and 62 percent reported having contact less than once a month with at least one child. The first commandment with promise that God has given to us is that it would be well with us and we would live long on the earth, if we honor our parents. (Eph. 6:2-3)
In closing, never stop beholding your Mama, as she truly deserves the best treatment you can afford to give her. Always esteem her as being the most valuable person in your life. Provide a loving and safe place for her to live, buy her clothes and food, take her on outings, seek her wisdom on aspects of your life, visit her often with your children, take her to her medical appointments, ensure that she is able to attend weekly church services, and by all means go with her to church!
Finally, as you behold your mother, I want to give you a very sobering thought. Think about what your mother’s welfare would be like if you predecease her? Have you and your family developed a contingency plan for how your Mama will be provided for in the event of your death?
Recent surveys show that more than half of American adults do not have a will or living trust, and 25 percent of adults do not have a life insurance policy. Moreover, the majority of adults that have insurance policies do not have enough coverage to replace the loss of income due to death.
To fail to provide support for your love ones, especially your Mama, is equal to denying your faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. (I Timothy 5:8) Your Mama should be able to rest easy knowing you have provided for her well-being in the event you die before her. BEHOLD YOUR MAMA, HONOR HER, SHE IS FOREVER MOTHER!