We are not given a lot of information about Mary in the Gospels.
When you think of Mary, what image comes to mind?
For me, the most powerful image of Mary is as a mother, so I’d like to reflect on four passages which speak to me about Mary.
The Wedding at Cana [1]
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’
I love this passage! Mary was concerned that the bridegroom would be embarrassed and that the wedding celebration would be negatively impacted by the wine running out. She
didn’t ask Jesus to fix things; she simply made a comment. Jesus recognised the implied request or instruction but refused to be drawn in. Mary was obviously confident that Jesus
was able to rectify the situation and ignored his decision to not get involved. I’m pretty sure that most of us can relate to this situation, and probably from both sides!
By telling the servants to follow Jesus’ instructions Mary forced his hand, and forced him to reveal ‘his glory’ and commence his public ministry. On the flip side of this, by encouraging
him to ‘do what he was called to do’, she nudged him onto the road to Jerusalem.
Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?
This is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke with slight variations. [2]
Crowds were gathering around Jesus. He was healing and casting out demons. The scribes and the Pharisees accused him of being possessed by Beelzebul. Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent a message to him and called him because they could not reach him through the crowd. Mark adds a bit more detail, ‘When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’’ [3]
In the past I’ve had a negative reaction to Mary and her other sons, thinking that they wanted to stop Jesus’ ministry. But I don’t know! Looking at the situation as a mother, I think that she was probably trying to protect him. After all, attracting the negative attention of the authorities is never a good thing. And dealing with large crowds to the point of not even being able to stop for a meal, [4] ... I can hear her saying, “Jesus, you’re doing too much! You need to slow down, take a break, and maybe tone it down a bit so that the authorities lose interest.”
In Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts, Jesus seems to resent his family’s intervention. So, when someone tells him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’ I don’t think that Mary and her children understood the urgency of Jesus’ ministry and mission at that stage.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth [5]
Jesus came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? ... And they took offence at him. Mary was known by all the people in the village. She was one of them, and not expected to have an exceptional son. It seems to me that her experience in bearing and raising the Son of God did not result in her ‘putting on airs’. What must she have thought when she heard people putting Jesus down?
Jesus’ Crucifixion
Mary watched Jesus, her firstborn son, dying on the cross. [6]
I can’t imagine what that must have been like – to watch as her son was tortured, taunted and made a spectacle of. There were others there with her: other women, and at least one of the disciples, but I can’t help wondering whether she thought back to the angel’s visit, and to the day she and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple. Did she hear Gabriel say, “He will be great, ... and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his
ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” [7]
And did she hear Simeon say, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”[8]
Why do we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of our Lord? Within her womb the divine and the human were united, and she willingly became an active participant in God’s redemption of humanity and all creation.
Ultimately though, Mary was an ordinary, devout young woman through whom and with whom extraordinary things happened. Her yes to God certainly didn’t guarantee her an easy life, yet she believed that God would bring about all that God promised.
Do we? Do we look for God’s promises being fulfilled or do we focus on the negative we see in the world?
[1] John 2.1-12
[2] Matthew 12.46-47; Mark 3.31-35; Luke 8.19-21
[3] Mark 3.21
[4] Mark 3.20
[5] Matthew 13.54-58; Mark 6.1-6
[6] John 19.25b - 27
[7] Luke 1.32-33
[8] Luke 2.34-35