“My Mother and My Brothers”

The Jesus think about Mother's Day question Alistair Begg explores today on Truth for Life. Scripture only gives us a few brief glimpses into the unique relationship between Jesus and his mother Mary will take a closer look at those passages today.

Beginning in the gospel of Luke chapter 2 well this is the conversation, and the only conversation that breaks the silence between the birth of Jesus and the commencement of his adult ministry Jesus is 12 years old and he's missing in action.

It's not an extraneous detail that is 1212 was the significant here in this, much as it was the final year of preparation for a Jewish boy before his bar mitzvah before he became involved in the life of the synagogue before he became a son of the commandment. And if you have Jewish friends then you will know and you have participated in that very very important transitional moment in our young man's life, a milestone for every Jewish boy and certainly a milestone here in the story that is recorded for us by Luke. It is in this context that we find the what I would refer to as our normal paternal reaction. We know what is happened. They have gone home.

If you've ever traveled in a big group. You have made the same mistake of thinking he must be in this conveyance or not conveyance. I'm sure were all fine.

Let's go and then you go away down the road and way down the first time you start with the mortuary exit for a coffee you realize you don't have no we don't have who has apparently nobody has and then back you go. That's the circumstance you gone for a day and I will back and after time of searching, they discover where he is and mother asks what is not on surprising question son, why have you treated us so behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress that is normal, then surely the response of Jesus is an unusual response. It doesn't say oh I'm sorry I should've told you know he says why were you looking for me and then he adds, did you not know that I must be in my father's house is a peculiar shift that is taking place here not just in the transition from 12-year-old into 13 in the bar mitzvah, but in the whole development of the understanding of his earthly parents in terms of who Jesus is and what Jesus has come to do and what it means that Jesus is the person he is your father and I have been looking for you. Jesus is essentially saying, well actually my real father has me on an assignment.

Did you not know that I have to be about my father's business, or in my father's house both work because the father's house. The temple, the place of his activity is a place where he says I need to be and what is the activity in which the father is engaged is in putting together a company that no one can number from every tribe and nation of people in language and tone. In other words, the business of the father is the business of salvation. And so, in this moment Jesus is beginning to sound a note and note which were told here by Luke Mary and Joseph did not understand they did not understand at that point the things that he was saying to them. The teachers of the law were astonished at his ability not simply to ask good questions, but also to engage in conversation so we can see that this is a very dramatic and significant moment before silence ensues. Then for the next 18 years, you go forward and we know nothing until you get to the 23rd verse of chapter 3. Therefore, surely this little incident has to tell us something in terms of Jesus interaction with his parents, and particularly with his mother and so he says I must be about my father's business.

Note here is the obvious and essential point, the priority of Jesus is obedience to the father in the work of salvation and he is sounding that note, even though Mary and Joseph do not understand he is not being disrespectful.

He is obeying the fifth commandment to honor his father and his mother, and you will notice that verse 51 tells us that after this interchange, he went down with them and was submissive to their so his response was the response of submission. His mother's response was, as again as before to treasured up all these things in her heart and status of my my wonder what all of this means. And then you will notice that the development of Jesus in terms of his growth from adolescence into manhood was normal he increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and with man as the first section. Now let's turn to the passage in John and in chapter 2.

Once again, a familiar passage.

Once again, something of a charcoal sketch. Now, incidentally, were returning to our the three occasions and in the entirety of the Gospels for your interaction between Jesus and Mary Aydin chooses arbitrarily. This is that there are no more right so in other words, if this is the only documentation that we have for in faring anything from the text asking the question I want to have Jesus with you Mother's Day. So here we are the wedding at Cana in Galilee, you know, again, if you know your Bible daily where Jesus was invited verse two to the wedding so were his disciples and his mother was also present. It would seem that they certainly knew this person at maven of being a relative when you read the commentators the of all kinds of conjecture, most of which you don't really need to pay much attention to. But here's the point of engagement out of the blue.

Is it where the mother of Jesus, that is Mary said to him, they have no one else. Quite an interesting start conversation is an out weddings at this time I would go one for sometimes as much as a week and so the provision that would be made for the hospitality of the gas would be important provision, and it would be a striking embarrassment to run out and clearly that is what is happened.

You may say to yourself I wonder why it is that Mary does not say to Joseph because no indication that Joseph is here. Indeed, when you read the Gospels, it becomes apparent that Joseph must've died fairly early on because he is never mentioned. He's never present. He never contributes, so I think that's a fair inference. So the new is Mary going to turn to potential or boy turn to Jesus is the always go to person. Perhaps he is been the one that is been sustaining her in the absence of her husband. They have no wine well do you think it why do they Mary does this. This is all conjecture is that she does this because she wants to because now she's fully grasped who Jesus is and what he's doing and she wants him to show his true colors.

I don't think so that she sees this as a unique opportunity for him to perform a miracle will probably not because there hasn't been a miracle yet. The text tells us that this is the first miracle that Jesus performed so there was no precedent to it. It was as if she was sick or here's another opportunity for Jesus to to do a miracle note, but so what is the response of Jesus. Verse four and Jesus said to her. Well let me see what I can do about that mother know Jesus said to her, woman, what is this have to do with me. Is Jesus being discourteous in addressing her in this way now for a moment to show you in just a moment or two that in the next encounter, which takes place on the cross. He's using the exact same terminology in addressing his mother. There must be some reason why says woman rather than mother right because he loved her as his mother, but he addresses her as the woman I think the answer is this, or at least this is the start of the answer that Jesus is establishing the distance between them. He says here what is this going to do with me, my hour has not yet come.

When you trace that through the Gospels, you realize that Jesus is constantly moving.

According if you like to a divine calendar he is explaining all along the way that he is moving inexorably towards the day when prior to his crucifixion.

He will take Brad and he will take wine and he will say to them. This card is the new covenant in my blood. So all of this if you like is somehow another in the panorama with which we come to a text like this. We don't come to it in isolation.

We don't come to it in isolation from the rest of the Scriptures so the rest of the Scriptures enable us to make certain deductions again try and think this she had borne Jesus nurse Jesus taught. Jesus but now there's a distance.

What is happening here Jesus is beginning to make it clear to her that family ties were to take second place to the divine mission that she is no longer going to operate on a standard mother son relationship. She is his mother. He is her son but he is about his father's business. He has an hour towards which he is moving. She does not have an inside track. Remember in the Magnificat.

She had declared my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, the son is her Savior. He is about the business of the father. Therefore Mary like every other person must come to him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and then notice in verse six.

Here is Mary's final statement in the entire record of the Gospels. His mother said to the servants do whatever he tells you why, because that is exactly what she must do whatever Jesus tells because Jesus her son is the Lord of glory. Let's turn to John chapter 19 if you're still still with me. John 19 verse 23 and then we have the scene standing by the cross of Jesus beneath the cross of Jesus. I find a place to stand where his mother his mother's sister and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby.

He said to his mother, woman, woman, behold, your son, then he said to the disciple, behold your mother and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home there surely can be few scenes in all of history that are more touching than this. And so it is that Mary is confronted by that she had nurse this wee boy she had raised this young man she had listened to his teaching in his adult life and it is this one who hangs dying on a Roman cross. Jesus has by this time, prayed for his executioners.

Forgive them.

He has remained alert to respond to the request of the thief on one side of him saying to him today you will be with me in paradise.

And now he addresses his concern for his mother, woman.

Once again, even in his death, paying attention to the fifth commandment to honor your father and your mother know notice very carefully what he's doing.

He's not asking his mother to take care of John or to take care of everything. He's asking John to take care of his mother and let me pause on this for many of you have come from a Roman Catholic background and you are at best confused on this issue. There is no suggestion in the Scriptures that Mary is the protector and that Mary is the provider rather the Scriptures provide her as the one who stands in need of it herself. The idea that this presents for us a continuing rule or role for Mary is actually if you look without any biblical basis et al. according a French commentator DI Carson has this wonderful little section where the fellow points out that in the section that we considered in John chapter 2 Mary approaches Jesus as a mother and she is rebuffed.

If she demonstrates the first sign of faith.

It must be the faith of a disciple and not a mother. So now here she stands near the cross with other disciples and once she has assumed that stands i.e. as a disciple she may again be assigned a role as mother but not as mother of Jesus, and certainly not as the mother of the church, but the mother of John. He said I think this must be the significance of woman again. It is not discourtesy Jesus is establishing the fact that his dear mother who gave birth to who raised him, who cared for him that this mother is a woman who is in need of the salvation that is provided in his atoning death, Jesus is reminding her that she can presume upon her natural maternal ties.

If she is to live the life of faith as a believing woman her blessedness doesn't lie in her position as his mother, but in the blessing of keeping his word woman then finally in Mark chapter 3. Here we have the encounter that never took place. Here we have an interesting little piece math Mark chapter 3 and verse 31, and his mother and his brothers came in, standing outside the center him and called him. Could you go in and tell Jesus that we're here in the crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you.

And he answered them who are my mother and my brothers and looking about those who sat around me said here my mother and my brothers for whoever does the will of God. He is my brother and sister and mother. What is Jesus doing well.

Once again he's he seizing this opportunity to teach them.

Note if your Bible is opening you look up to verse 21, you realize that the family of Jesus, his actual siblings. His mother did not have an understanding of who he was and and and his own brothers did not believe in him until after the resurrection. Look at verse 21 and when his family heard it. The crowd that was following Jesus was so vast they went out to seize him, for they were say he's out of his mind is never some of your family have said to you when you became a Christian, why can you just be a normal person like everybody else and I go to church run a nice person and and you were always a nice person. I brought you up is a nice person.

I don't what you're on about a guy I'm really annoyed with you. This kind of thing. There was Amber Jesus.

There were no coming behind the scene he is Lord. No, now shows Jesus disavowing his family. Once again, is he saying I don't care about my family know how do we know because we just read Luke to John to and John 19 and I gives us the context they can be ignored there not an important but the fact of the matter is our duty to God takes precedence over everything else that family loyalty takes second place. I just allow a statement like that to to register in your mind for a moment.

Family loyalty every day of our lives. We see there is nothing more important than family.

Nobody I love more than my mom. There is nothing works out and all of those things we can say quite unequivocally until we come right up against this question.

How do we explain world mission over the last 200 years. How do you explain CT studs departure from his family.

How do you explain Helen Rose fear. How do you explain there there their willingness to turn their backs on the most precious relationships in all of time for the sake of their heavenly father for their desire to be about our father's business. You see the challenge here is this, do we belong to the family of God, not institutionally, by signing a form but transformation elite by being received into his family as his children. He came to his own his own received him not.

But to as many as received. To those that believed in his name, he gave the power to become the children of God. Children of our heavenly father is my relationship to Jesus simply institutional or supernatural is my love for God and his kingdom so clear to me that when push comes to shove, sometimes it may, it is God and his kingdom that must take precedence over every human relationship. Here's what Jesus said with a sigh close. Jesus said do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth have not come to bring peace but a sword.

Five. Come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother and and a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

Whoever loves son or daughter more than we is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find. I wonder what Jesus make mother's true, of course, the Jesus was Mary's son but more importantly he was her Savior, listing the Truth for Life. Alistair Begg explaining why obedience to God should take priority over everything else in our lives, including family ties recently.

We've been recommending a book titled women and God hard questions. Beautiful truth. This is a book that looks through biblical history beginning in Genesis and traces God's purpose and plan for women. The first section of the book looks at creation how Eve was created why she was created home role is in relation not only to Adam but to all of humanity. The book explains how God's plan for Eve laid the foundation for the park women would play to fulfill God's covenant to Abraham and the Lord Jesus. The book explores all of this and more. You can request your copy of women and God. When you give a donation to support the teaching you here on Truth for Life. Just click the picture of the book you see in the app or visit Truth for Life.org/donate bubble team. Thanks for listing today on behalf of all of us here at Truth for Life will take a minute and wish every mom whose listing a very happy Mother's Day weekend.

On Monday you'll hear Alister begin a compelling study from the book of Revelation. It's titled letters from the risen Christ.

The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life for the learning is prolific