By Kay Dills
LUKE 1:28 Blessed art thou among women
The month of May reminds us to stop and remember our Mother. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be raised by a mother, whose love was unconditional and founded in the Lord, should give thanks to the Lord for we are truly blessed.
Let us look at two mothers whose faith and trust in god goes far beyond anything we can imagine. These two women are Jochebed, the mother of Moses and Mary the mother of Jesus. Moses tells us in Exodus 2: 1-10 the story of his birth and the love of his mother. After Pharaoh had ordered that every Hebrew son that was born should be cast into the river, Jochebed hid her son for 3 months. When she could no longer hide him, she built an ark and placed him in the river leaving his sister Miriam to watch over him. When Pharaoh’s daughter found the infant, she knew he was a Hebrew child yet she fell in love with the baby and took him as her own child. Jochebed had given up her baby to save his life. This is the epitome of a mother’s love. However, God was not finished. Miriam would ask Pharaoh’s daughter if she should go find a nurse for the baby. The baby’s mother was brought back to nurse her own son and was paid for it. Jochebed was able to maintain a relationship with her son even though Pharaoh’s daughter claimed him as her own and she named him Moses.
Jochebed was a mother who had learned to trust God and was able to instill in Moses the belief in God. She taught him about God’s promise to Abraham that Israel would be a great nation. Jochebed suppressed her maternal love and dedicated her son to God. Because of this mother’s love and God’s plan, Moses would grow up to save Israel.
Mary, the mother of Jesus stands apart from all women. Luke 1:28 states:
Hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women. She was and always will be The Greatest Mother ever to live because she bore and raised the Son of God. “Mary’s divine mission of being the mother of the only begotten Son of God never faltered from the manager to the cross on Calvary.” (All The Women of The Bible, Deen P. 163.) Like Jochebed, mother of Moses, Mary too would flee to hide her son. Herod had ordered the killing of all infants born in Bethlehem that were two years old and under. Mary and Joseph took the infant to Egypt until it was safe to return.
At the age of twelve, Mary knew that that Jesus had a mission and she did her best so that Jesus could “increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52. She would witness her son’s first miracle, His teachings, His suffering and His death on the cross. “Her silent endurance of what she could not change is her greatest lesson at the cross.” After Jesus was raised from the dead, Mary was not concerned for own motherhood but for her son and His message to the world. Mary is the greatest example of a mother’s love. Jochebed bore a son who would save a nation. Mary bore a Son who would save the world.
The love of a mother and her child is one of God’s greatest gifts. So love your mother. God has a special place in his heart for those who do.