Mother's Day - A Twist for You

Being Mother’s Day upcoming, my advice is love your mother while she is with you. There will come a day when she is not, and her care will have to be entrusted to another.  In remembering my own mother, I put my mind back to Jesus and his mother and the scenes of Jesus’ birth and ultimately His death.  “Mary Did You Know,” a popular song is reflective of these happenings.  It is also an important thing to note, that Jesus left the care of His mother to his disciple John.

John makes a change in his life that is worth noting, in order for this event to happen.  It is significant that John is introduced is a typical fisherman, yet as with his brother prone to anger issues (Mk.3:17; 9:33-40’ Lk.9:51-56).  He also had a degree of covetous pride that would show itself occasionally (Mt.20:20-28; Mk.10:35). So the question is, what changed in John over a period of three years, that would make him at the cross, someone that Jesus would entrust the care of his mother to.

It is a significant thing, that Jesus taught his disciples that He did not “come to destroy, but to save (Lk.9:55,56). This would require John learning restraint of his temper and control of his ego in order for him to learn this.  Significantly, Jesus told his disciples that they would not be like the world and would behave differently (Mk.10:43), because they would march to the beat of a new commandment (Jn.13:34,35). The fact that John internalized this teaching is seen in his own writings and epistles.  1 Jn.2:24-28 is an example, where we see John emphasizing obedience and control, love, humility, and unity. The John of these epistles is not the John of the gospels. He is a changed man. A man that would be one of Jesus’ closest and most endeared disciples, enough that Jesus would entrust his mother to this man.

What does this have to do with Mother’s day? 

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1.    Love your mother while she is with you and you with her. Jesus did this and the scripture is filled with passages that provide commentary to “honor your father and mother.”
2.      John shows us that you can change and what changing for the good bring about in your life. He teaches us in 1 Jn.3:18 to love with our actions as well as the words of truth.
3.     That we transcend living as in a world of death, to a life of true living when we learn how to love and show that love to others (1 Jn.3:14)
4.      When we learn to help one another (3 Jn.8) then as Jesus said of Himself,  Matt. 12:50  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

So, honor your mother today. Mend fences if they are broken, it will be worth it.  Change your life and you  might just find that the world is a better place and the people around you appreciate that change.

Jim