Mary: Jesus' Mother - Mary of Nazareth Part 2

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When Jesus was born, people from all over came to see Him and began spreading news about Him.  Twice in Luke chapter 2, it says that "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19 and 51).

I love this commentary about Luke 2:19 by Albert Barnes:

Mary kept all these things - All that happened, and all that was said respecting her child. She "remembered" what the angel had said to "her;" what had happened to Elizabeth and to the shepherds - all the extraordinary circumstances which had attended. the birth of her son. Here is a delicate and beautiful expression of the feelings of a mother. A "mother" forgets none of those things which occur respecting her children. Everything they do or suffer - everything that is said of them, is treasured up in her mind; and often she thinks of those things, and anxiously seeks what they may indicate respecting the future character and welfare of her child.

Pondered - Weighed. This is the original meaning of the word "weighed." She kept them; she revolved them; she "weighed" them in her mind, giving to each circumstance its just importance, and anxiously seeking what it might indicate respecting her child.

In her heart - In her mind. She "thought" of these things often and anxiously. 

Because we only know Mary as part of the Jesus story, it is easy to forget that she was His MOTHER.  And she felt about her Son the way we feel about our own children.  We ponder and treasure things about our own children in our minds and in our hearts.  When they hurt, we hurt.  When they suffer, we suffer.  We worry and become anxious as they grow.  And no matter how old our children are, they are always our children.

Mary was the only person who was with Jesus when He was born and when He died.  This thought made me think about Sally Field's character in Steel Magnolias after Julia Roberts passes away.  She says, "I realize as a woman how lucky I am. I was there when that wonderful creature drifted into my life and I was there when (s)he drifted out."  Mary was there in the stable.  Mary was there at the foot of the cross.

Mary was the one who urged her Son to begin His ministry at the wedding in Cana.  She knew who her Son was, even if she did not understand all that He was capable of and who He would become.  And soon after His ministry began, she became frightened by how radical His teachings were.  She was His mother and I'm confident that everything within her wanted to protect her Son - but Jesus knew who He was and why He was here.

I wonder if being chosen by God to mother His Son was both an honor and very isolating.  She was chosen by God to become a mother - she was not praying for a child like so many of the precious women whose stories have been recorded.  Instead of bragging about how great and amazing her oldest Son was, she sat back, carefully treasuring up all the little comments others made about her Son.  She archived the things He said and did - protecting these memories in her heart.

Mary was part of Jesus' entire life.  And they loved each other deeply.  But Mary had to remember who her Son was and let Him go.

Mary of Nazareth was a remarkable woman, full of grace, great strength, and bold faith.


You can read more about Mary of Nazareth's story at She Reads Truth.  Also read Luke 2:1 - 20, 41 - 52; John 19:25 - 30; Acts 1:9 - 14.