Love Your Mother

‘On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”’

~John 2:1-5

As a mother, this is one of my favorite passages. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself, at a wedding and His mother wants Him to provide wine for the guests—and He wasn’t the host! I think the reason it appeals to me so much is because I have sons and it doesn’t matter to me what their job is, or who they married, or how many grandchildren they’ve given me, they are my boys and I love them. More than that, I know how much they love me and will do anything I ask them to do for me, even if it meant making the wine for a wedding. Obedience to God, to our parents, and to our spouses is an important part of who we are as Christians. And even if I didn’t already love the Lord for what He’s done for me, I’d love Him even more for the way He loves His mother.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land (Ephesians 6:1-3).” 

While we are young, obeying our parents is for our own well-being and safety. We are under their care and they provide for our needs. As we get older and come into a sense of independence, we may begin to push the boundaries our parents set for us, and sometimes, we may push those boundaries too far. There are consequences for our actions, and even though we may be too young to understand those consequences, they may affect our lives for years to come. There is a reason the Lord wants us to be obedient as children—there’s a steep learning curve that can have immediate and dire repercussions, some that we may never recover from. On the other hand, as we mature and become adults, we are told to “honor” our mother and father, and that’s different than obedience. Honor means to show respect and hold in high esteem. Even parents who weren’t the greatest at parenting deserve our respect. When we honor our parents, we honor the Lord.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:12-17).”

Read Acts 13-19

©2018 Marie McGaha