*Honoring Your Mother

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*Honoring Your Mother

John 2:1-11

ILL I read about a husband who was feeling guilty because he had not been very helpful and attentive to his wife, who was home all day alone caring for a house full of young children. He decided to try to do better. On his way home from work, he bought a box of candy and some flowers to surprise his wife. He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. She opened it, and there he stood, candy in one hand, flowers in the other, singing, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Instantly she starts crying, big old tears just gushing out of her eyes. She sobs, "Oh, Harry! Everything went wrong today. We had a leak in the plumbing. The kids were terrible. The house is a wreck. And now you come home drunk!" Well, at least Harry was trying.

We want to honor all of our mothers today and all the women that have played such an important and pivotal role in our lives.

In John chapter two, we see an interesting story about Jesus and his mother. They were at a wedding. It was probably some member of their family. We don’t know who was getting married, but we know that Mary, the mother of Jesus, felt some responsibility for the wedding feast.

Weddingsin that day were a big deal and often lasted seven days and I am sure it was easy to run out of food and drink. Let’s read the story.
*John 2:1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. NIV

We probably do not have the full conversation between Jesus and his mother and it is hard to understand what was going on between them. It is very likely that Mary didn’t understand that Jesus had begun his mission to save the world and that his time was very short.

Jesus knew all along that he was going to grant her request, but He may have used this occasion to begin to explain to her his new role in her life. The things he said to her may have helped her to see the changes that were occurring in their relationship. He needed to become her Savior, not just her son.

From this day forward,He was not going to be able to do everything she wanted him to do (for example, she might have been like Peter, not wanting him to go to the cross).

This was the beginning of all that Simeon had predicted when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple as a baby.

*Look at Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." NIV

From the time Jesus began his three-year ministry,He was under constant pressure from everyone around him to do things that were outside of God’s will. At this point, he had less than three years before he would go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. He had so much to do in such a short period of timethat He could not afford any diversions.

He had to make disciples out of the 12 men He had chosen. He had to make real disciples that would not fall away when he went back to heaven or when they were persecuted. He had to teach and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God to the whole nation of Israel. He had to do all of this without arousing the anger of the religious leaders too much until it was time for him to go to the cross.

Jesus knew that he had to do all of this according to God’s timing. One step to the left or to the right would mean failure. Jesus had to focus all of his attention and all of his time on the mission that God had given him.

Yes, Jesus was God but he was also completely human. When we forget that he was a man, we fail to see the kind of pressure he was under. I am sure that all of this was on his mind when his mother came to him and told him about the wine.

When the supply of wine ran out, Mary turned to Jesus expecting him to solve the problem.When you read this, it seems that Mary is expecting Jesus to do a miracle. But according to verse 11,no one including Mary had ever seen Jesus do a miracle. So why would she expect a miracle?

Jesus’ response to his mother does not help us much to understand know what she expected. He says in verse 4, “My time has not yet come”. This seems to be a reference to the end of his ministry when he would be crucified and raised from the dead.

You see each miracle that Jesus performed brought Himone-step closer to the cross. Let me explain. Each miracle made Jesus more and more popular with the people. The more popular Jesus became with the people,the more unpopular he became with the religious leaders. Their intense jealousy drove them to kill Jesus.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was always under pressure to do miracles or other things that were not in accordance with the will of God.

*Look at John 7:2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.”NIV

People of that day were just like the people of today. They wanted to see physical miracles, but what they needed was the spiritual miracle of salvation.

Jesus only did miracles as signs to prove he was the Messiah. He did not do miracles to satisfy curiosity or even to satisfy everyone’s desires. When Jesus fed the 5 thousand in John 6,the same crowd came looking for him the next day. He told them not to seek the physical miracle of the bread, but the spiritual miracle of salvation through faith in Him.

*Look at Jesus’s response to his brothers in John 7:6 Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come;” NIV

So, we are not sure what Mary expected Jesus to do. She just seemed very confident that he would take care of the problem. She told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you.”

The point of all of this is, despite of all the pressure that Jesus was under, he honored His mother by performing his first miracle to meet her needs. He honored His mother not with just some wine, but the very best. He honored his mother with the very best he could provide.

*Look at John 2:10… "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." NIV

How proud do you think Mary was of her son on that day? He had provided her and those she cared about with the very best.

He performed the miracle quietly behind the scenes so as not to attract too much attention. It was not yet the time for that. His disciples saw the miracle and it served to build their faith in him.

Jesus honored God by honoring his mother. He revealed his glory which was the glory given him by God the father.

He revealed the character and nature of God to the world. He revealed the character of God by the way he cared for his mother. He also revealed God’s glory by the miracle of turning the water into wine.

He revealed the nature of God, which is to save the best for last,which of course is a marvelous description of Jesus. He was the final revelation of God’s character and truth. Indeed,God saved the best for last.

Jesus set for us a wonderful example by honoring his mother at the age of thirty at the wedding.

Mother's Day is a good day to remember the commandment of God to honor our mothers but we need to practice it all year.

*Look at Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

The Hebrew word translated "honor" means to value or prizehighly, to count as precious.

It conveys the picture of someone who is of substantial worth. It is someone who deserves to be respected.Most of us owe a great deal to our mothers.

Abraham Lincoln stated that he owed much of his intellectual development to the efforts of his mother, Nancy Hanks, who died when he was only 10. Not only did Nancy teach young Abe to read, but she also would walk miles to secure books for him.

Lincoln bestowed a bouquet upon his mother years later when he said that she was chiefly responsible for all he was or ever hoped to become. Lincoln honored his mother long after she was dead not only by praising her for the contributions she made to his life, but also by the life he lived.

TS What have we learned from the Scripture and what should we do?

*1. Recognize the many reasons for honoring your mother.

*1.)Honor her because God commands it. Like all of God’s commands,obediencebrings life.

*2.)Honor her because she gave you life.

You certainly can’t take that for granted in the day that we live. She was the one that brought you into this world and no matter how tempted she was, she didn’t take you out.

I know I must have tempted my mother. Like when Ileft home without telling her where I was going, or when I broke her heart by doing things that I knew were wrong.

*3.) Honor her for her position.

All authority comes from God.

The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1 NIV)

If you had a loving and godly mother, then thank God for her godliness. If you did not have a loving and godly mother, then ask for God’s grace to recognize that she is someone that God loves so much that Christ died for her. Trust God that he will use all the circumstancesin your life (even the bad ones) for your good, if you will follow and obey his commands (Romans 8:28).

*2. Remember that the way you honor your mother changes through the stages of life.

Ill. Do you watch the antique road show? When the appraiser tells them how much the antique is worth, what is the next thing he tells them to do? To take care of it. Treating your mother as precious and showing her respect is how you honor her. We should always speak to her with politeness.

*1.) In youth, you honor your mother by obeying and respecting her authority.

Children living at home express honor by obeying their mother.

*Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise— NIV

The word "obey" means to listen and to obey. It is not enough to just obey, we must also show respect.

"In the Lord" means we obey so long as our parents’ commands do not conflict with God's.

ILL An older Christian lady told some young boys, “People will like you when you respect your parents, and you will have a better life because of it.” It's true, some of the most respected and successful people in history were ones that honored their mother.

*2.) In adulthood,you honor your mother by living a godly life.

Thomas Edison was homeschooled before homeschooling became popular. His mother found out that his teachers felt he had inferior ability, so she homeschooled him. Edison said, "My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt that I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint."

Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist of the 1900’s said, "All that I have ever accomplished in life, I owe to my mother."

*Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. NIV

When we leave home, we need to take with us those things that our mothers taught us from the Word of God. We honor a godly mother by living a godly life.

*3). In the evening of life, you honor your mother by caring for her.

*"Do not despise your mother when she is old." (Proverbs 23:22).

This tells us that we need to care for her when she is old. It might mean providing her a place to live. It means treating her with dignity, patience, and understanding. It means accepting responsibility for her. It may mean doing what is best for her, even when these decisions are difficult ones.

Jesus set an example for us in this also. Even on the cross Jesus made sure thathis mother was cared for.

*John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. NIV

Challenge:

*What do you need to do to honor your mother? Maybe you need to show kindness to someone that needs Christ, the same way your mother showed kindness to you.

ILL. Janice told me a story about her mother writing her letters when she was away at camp. Her mother would send it before she left so that she would get it the first day of camp.

There’s no better way to honor your Mother today than to put your faith in Jesus Christ and obey Him.