May 14, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Other Mothers

 

Introduction

 

Billy Wilson, from Glasgow, Scotland, recently told the following story at the Pepperdine Lectureship.  He said that when Job died after all the ordeals of his life, he approached God in heaven.  But he was angry with God and felt awkward in His presence.  When God looked down at Job, Job would turn his head away.  Job was angry with God.  Finally, their eyes caught one another and Job said, “God, you know, you made it really difficult for me to believe in you while I was on earth.”  God shook his head in agreement and said, “Yes, Job, but you made it easy for me to believe in you.”  I think that most mothers make it easy for their children to believe in people and God, primarily because of their unconditional love.

 

The Mommy Test: A mother was out walking with her 4-year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth.  The mother took it away from her and asked her not to do that.  The little girl asked, Why?  The mother said, Because it has been lying outside, you don’t know where it has been, and it is dirty and probably has germs on it.  The little girl exclaimed, Wow, how do you know all this stuff?  Uh…. The mother had to think quickly.  She said, All moms know this stuff.  It is on “the mommy test.”  You have to know it, or they won’t let you be a mommy.  They walked along for a few minutes while the little girl pondered this information.  Oh, I get it, she beamed.  So if you don’t pass the test, you have to be the daddy!

 

The fathers may as well get use to it.  In any comparison between mothers and fathers, the fathers will loss every time! 

This lesson is to honor both our own mothers and the “other mothers” who mother children who may not be their own.  Mother is usually used as a noun, but it can be used as verb—to mother other children.

 

An Hundred-Fold Mothers

 

“Verily, I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or lands for my sake and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, brethren, sisters, mothers, children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.”  (Mark 10:29-30.)

 

Jesus said that there are many, an hundred-fold other mothers, for those who forsake all to follow him.  The apostles, who went into all the world leaving their parents behind, received many other fathers and mothers in Christ.  In the Body of Christ, we all have many brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers.

 

Paul wrote this to Timothy: “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father, and the younger men as brethren, the elder women as mothers, and the younger as sisters, with all purity.  Honor widows that are widows indeed.”  (1 Tim. 5:1-3.)

 

You can see it in any congregation.  The older men and women befriend younger members in the church.  They give them good counsel and advise.  They show them unconditional love.  They treat them as if they were their own children.  They hurt when the younger members and children hurt.  We share our material blessings with one another.  These other mothers and fathers are very important to all of us.  “Other mothers and fathers” have “other children.”  We have another family in Christ.  God is our Father, spiritually.  This other family provides emotional support, material needs, and teachings that guide us in the right way before God.

 

 

 

Mary & John

 

One example of an “other mother” is Mary, the mother of Jesus.  When Jesus died on the cross, he left his mother alone.  At that time, Jesus’ brothers and sisters did not believe on him.  Later they did.  (John 7:5.) Apparently, Joseph had already died and she had no one to take care of her.  Jesus knew that his death and ascension after 40 days would leave her alone.  On the cross, Jesus said to Mary, “Woman, behold thy son.”  And to John he said, “Behold thy mother.”  (John 19:26-27.)  Jesus did not intend for Mary to take care of the apostle John, but rather for John to take care of her.  Their relationship, as established by Jesus, is that of mother and son.  There is a young mother and son relationship, and there is an older mother and son relationship.

 

Rufus, His Mother and Mine

 

“Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.”  (Rom. 16:13.)  This seemingly insignificant statement by Paul is filled with meaning and serves as a good example of “other mothers.”

 

At the crucifixion, we read about an intriguing person who stumbled into the greatest event of history.  Jesus had been carrying his own cross, but fell under the weight of it and due to the weakness of his tired and beaten body.  They compelled a man, named Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross of Jesus.  This is what Mark said about this event.

 

“And they compelled one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.”  (Mark 15:21.)  Simon has no idea what was going on or who Jesus was.  He was the “innocent bystander” in the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

 

Mark identifies for his Roman audience who Simon was.  He was the father of two men that they already knew, Alexander and Rufus.  These two sons were members of the Christian community in Rome.

It is altogether possible that Simon’s chance meeting of the beaten Jesus and witness of his death on the cross later led his family to faith in the resurrected Son of God.  If so, the thief on the right of Jesus and Simon were the first two saved by the impact of Jesus’ death.

 

At some point in the work and travels of the apostle Paul, he came into contact with Simon’s wife and sons, Alexander and Rufus.  Paul had left his home and parents when he obeyed the Gospel and left Judaism.  His parents probably disowned Paul after his conversion.  But Jesus promised that if one leaves his father and mother for his sake and the gospel, one will receive an hundred-fold fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters.  Paul refers to Rufus, his mother and mine, to the Romans.  She became a close friend to Paul.  Both Paul and Rufus called her mother.  After leaving Judaism and his home, he needed someone to treat him like family.  Paul found that in this family.  In all of Paul’s writings, he never referred to another person in that way.

 

Adoptive or Foster Parents

 

Shaun Smith of Tuscaloosa, AL, told about a married couple in the congregation where he preaches.  Both were physically handicapped and seemingly would have difficulty taking care of themselves, but they decided to become foster parents.  They are now raising four or five mentally/physically handicapped children in their home!  They are among the numerous “other mothers” who share their love and affection.

 

A mother is not one who just gives birth to children biologically.  Being a mother is much more than that.  Some who have never given birth deserve to be called a mother.  They have fulfilled all the requirements of such a calling.

 

“The other mother” could be a mother-in-law like Naomi.  She developed an abiding friendship with her daughter-in-law Ruth.  Their bond was so strong, and Naomi’s influence so profound, that even after Ruth’s husband died, and even though Ruth was raised a Moabite, she adopted her mother-in-law’s homeland and accepted her God.  Ruth said these familiar words to Naomi:  “Intreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go.  Where thou lodgest, I will lodge.  Thy people shall be my people and thy God shall be my God.  Where thou diest, will I die and there will I be buried.  The Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”  (Ruth 1:16.)  Naomi had become the “other mother” to Ruth.

 

Conclusions: Traits of Real Mothers

 

There is an obvious advantage from looking at mothers from this viewpoint.  There are many other mothers in our lives.  Jesus promised that there would be those other mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.  We learn something important about who real mothers are.

 

Real mothers are those who show love unconditionally to others.  They step in and assume the role of mother whenever there is a need.  It need not be that they are their children biologically.  That is not the determining factor.

 

It seems to me that all of this says that we are going to need more than just one mother and father during our lives.  We may need another mother if we have lost our own due to death.  We will need another mother if we leave our homes and go away to preach the Gospel.  We will need their support.

 

This study may also teach us the need for women to be mothers when they could not have children of their own, or whose children have gone away.  There are many such other mothers in the Bible.  They play an important role in our lives.  We honor all our mothers today.