Mother’s Day isn’t just something the card companies made up. There’s a Biblical foundation for it.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) It’s the only commandment that includes a promise.
Jesus honored his mother. We all remember his famous first miracle. He and his mother were at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12). The wine ran out, and Mary said to him, “They have no wine.”
And he said, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
And she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
There’s a lot going on in this little interaction.
First of all, mom’s a little bit of a busybody. She’s thinking of the groom, who would be embarrassed if the wine ran out, and who might have been John, the evangelist who was telling the story.
Mary sees wedding disaster coming and takes charge. But notice she does not say to Jesus, “You need to do something about the wine.” She says, “They have no wine.”
She’s using psychology on her son, who just happens to be the Son of God. By saying “they,” she draws him into the groom’s predicament. And this is especially poignant if the groom is in fact John.
Just as Jesus was drawn into our predicament, by the way. We are the “they” who desperately need his wine of forgiveness. He was not eager to be crucified. He asked his heavenly Father to “let this cup pass.”
But in the end he died for our sins. It is in his blood that we wash our garments white as snow, the blood of the Lamb. “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
In the same way, he let his mother draw him into the predicament of the groom. He was reluctant at first. He said “my hour has not yet come.”
But Mary knew better than to try to reply to this riddling comment. Instead of scolding him, she simply told the servants, “Do what he says.”
First of all this shows her great love for her son. She had faith in him. She believed he could do whatever he set his mind on doing.
She didn’t know how he was going to do it. All she knew was that Jesus could make it better, just as so many less-famous mothers down through the ages have loved their sons and their daughters and had faith in their ability to do great things.
And Jesus honored his mother. He was obedient to the fifth commandment, even though it seems he didn’t really want to be. He told the servant to fill the jars for ceremonial washing with water, and then he turned the water into most excellent wine.
What does this mean? It means that the ceremonial law that the Jews used to live by was passing away. The jugs for ceremonial washing would no longer be needed after his sacrifice on the cross, for we are washed in the wine of his blood.
As Mother’s Day approaches it’s worth noting that Jesus honored his mother at the Wedding at Cana, even though he may not have wanted to.
He honored her because Mary was right. The wine was running out and something needed to be done.
And he honored her because it was his sacred duty. He was obedient to the commandment.
On this Mother’s Day, let us remember the mothers who love us and whose faith in us can help us to do great things and save the day.
And let us remember the Son who honored his mother because her intentions were honorable, and most of all because it was the will of his heavenly Father.
