Mary, Mother of the Baptized

I once had a chimney contractor over to my house to fix the fireplace.  As it turned out, she also wanted to talk about Jesus.  We had a great conversation… until I asked her a question that made her visibly uncomfortable.  I asked if she’d given thought to the role Mary (the mother of Jesus) plays in the Christian life. 

I’d barely gotten the question out before she suddenly had to leave. 

That experience stuck with me.  It was my introduction to the fact that Jesus’ mom is a very divisive figure outside the Catholic bubble.  So today I want to examine the question I naively asked the chimney lady…  

What is the relationship between Jesus’ mother and Jesus’ disciples? 

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved:

The first place to look is John’s Gospel.  Throughout his Gospel, John uses the title “the disciple whom Jesus loved” to refer to himself.  This moniker invites us to enter the Gospel as a participant in the events which are recorded. 

In John’s Passion account, John recalls Jesus seeing Mary and himself from the cross.  The following exchange is recorded:

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘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.”  - John 19:26-27

Now, the Holy Spirit didn’t inspire John to include that detail during the climax of his gospel – as Jesus is experiencing His last gasps of agony - simply to assure us that Mary would be provided for.

The timing was significant and planned.  Drawing on the function of the “beloved disciple” moniker, one can apply Jesus’ words to all of us.  Somehow, the atoning death of Jesus Christ makes Mary into our mother as well. 

The Woman of Revelation:

This is reinforced in the twelfth chapter of Revelation – a book also written by John. 

At the beginning of that chapter, John sees a woman give birth to Jesus then flee into the wilderness.  I’ve heard different explanations as to who that woman could represent.  But since the woman is shown giving birth to Jesus, the most obvious place to start is with the woman who actually gave birth to Jesus. 

So John sees the devil chasing the woman throughout the chapter, unsuccessfully.  At the end of that chapter, John records that the devil becomes frustrated at his inability to reach the woman.  Instead, Satan decides to wage war on the woman’s children, whom John identifies as all Christians:

“Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make ware on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." - Rev 12:17

The Family Tree:

Lastly, we can see this with a simple family tree.

• Jesus is the son of God – he called God “father”.

• Jesus also taught his disciples to refer to God as “father” (Lord’s prayer).  Likewise, both Paul and John tell us that Christ has made us adopted sons and daughters of God [Eph 1:5, 1John 3:1]. 

• So if God is Jesus’ Father, and God is your father too… that would make Jesus your brother [Heb 2:11].

• If God is your Father and Jesus is your brother, what would that make Mary? 

Herein lies the whole point.  The Gospel is not simply a cold, legalistic system in which Jesus exchanges his righteousness for our sinfulness.  Rather, it is an invitation into the family of God.  It is a union so intimate that Jesus shares with us His own beloved mother. 

Her heartbeat was the first sound Jesus heard with human ears.  He was soothed into sleep by the warmth of her skin.  We know that Jesus, who obeyed the commandments to perfection, would have honored his mother Mary.  And are we not called to be imitators of Christ?

If honoring Mary as mother is good enough for Christ, it’s good enough for me. 

Thanks for joining me.