Jesus said, “Leave her alone, why do you bother her? She did a good work to Me.” Mark 14:6
Happy Mother’s Day! Every year, we set aside a day to honor the incredible women who gave birth to us, nurtured us, raised us, and were our greatest defender, our mother’s. Mother’s Day celebrations have been celebrated for all the way back to ancient times, the Greeks and the Romans. Mothering Sunday was a festival that the early Christians in Europe took to celebrate the amazing women who had perhaps the greatest influence on society. Reverend George W. Bethune revealed the power of influence women have had throughout the centuries that have been over looked by society. He proclaimed, “It has long been acknowledged that female influence, has controlled the world, whether for good or evil. It may be said with great truth, and certainty that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world and who should wish the scepter taken from her hand?” Our American History is full of pioneering women who stepped up and not only influenced their children, but helped shaped our nation with their influence, wisdom and strength. Ann Reeves Jarvis was such a woman, she organized a mother’s club, “Mother’s Day Work Clubs,” to teach local West Virginian women how to care for their children before the Civil War. After the Civil War, she formed “Mother’s Friendship Day”, where moms gathered with former soldiers from both sides to foster the reconciliation needed to heal our great Country. When Ann passed from this life, her daughter Anna worked endlessly trying to create a national holiday that would celebrate the great accomplishments of her mother and other mothers in the United States of America. Finally, in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Not only has our nation celebrated the accomplishments women make mothering their children, there are many references in the Bible about the influence and contribution women have made not only in the lives of their children, but also in the survival and success of the nations they lived in. Go and study the lives of the kings in 1 and 2 Chronicles and 1 and 2 Kings and note what the influence of the Mother was. It is interesting that after each King is listed, it is clarified who his mother was. Some were great mothers like Paul told his spiritual son, Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5 “When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is I n you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” While many people want to focus on the influence Paul on had on young Timothy, Paul knew the spiritual foundation Timothy had was evidence of the faith and lifestyle of Timothy’s grandmother and mother and Paul refused to take credit for Timothy’s strength and wisdom, but instead acknowledged who really laid that foundation for him. Many women in the Bible went beyond the joy of mother hood and changed the world they were living in. Hannah prayed for her son Samuel and God granter her request and he became one of the greatest prophets in the old testament. Jochebed had the audacity to hide her son in the Nile River among the reeds and Moses led the Children of Israel out of slavery from Egypt. Esther called the entire Jewish community to a three day fast and kept them from being destroyed. Judges 5:7 “Village life ceased it ceased in Israel, until I Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.” Scripture tells us that she was appointed as a Judge over Israel, she was a prophet and had the wisdom and direction from God to led the military attack against Sisera. Jael had the fortitude and tenacity to drive the tent peg through the head of Sisera and end the battle the Israelites were facing. Not only women were called in the life of public service and placed in great places of influences in the secular world, the New Testament also records the calling and anointing of Women in the New Testament Church. Luke 8 reveals that not only the twelve apostles traveled with Jesus but among the group of disciples that went from town to town preaching the good news of the gospel, there were women that traveled and ministered with Jesus. Three were named specifically Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanne. The women stayed to the very end at the cross while the only male disciple mentioned was John. They women were the first to go to the tomb and to anoint Jesus and Mary Magdalene was given the first Resurrection Message to proclaim to the disciples who were men. Jesus do not exclude them from sharing the good news of the gospel because they were women. John started the letter in 2 John “Greeting to the Elect Lady, the Elder, To the Elect Lady and her children, whom I love in truth and not only I, but also all those who have known truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.” John addressed her as the “Elect Lady, the Elder.” Not only was she a mother she served in the God given position as Elder of the Church, the same title he addressed Gaius in 3 John. John goes on to warn her that there are deceivers who will not teach the truth, and she was not supposed to let them into the church that was in her house. She was to guard the doctrine that her followers were exposed to. The Bible makes it clear that women are called and equipped to not only raise their children, they were placed in prominent positions in the early church.
Being a mother is one of the greatest joys! I am so thankful God blessed me with three children and I do not want to take for granted the amazing honor of being a mother that I have been given. Being a mother does not define everything about me. I believe the qualities and abilities it takes me to be a mother are the same qualities I should use for every God given assignment I am called to fulfill. We are all called to preach the gospel and make disciples. Acts 1 tells us that the women went into the upper room to await the promise of the Holy Spirit which Jesus said would come and Joel prophesied about in Joel 2:28-29 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions; and also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” We are in the end time harvest which is the end of the age, instead of praying Matthew 9:38 “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborer’s into His harvest,” the church is engaged in a battle of the sexes, trying to keep roughly half of the body of Christ from doing what God has called them to do.
Sadly, the women of today are treated much like some of the women during Jesus time. Religion has successfully delegated women to the role of motherhood and not allowed them to answer the call of God on their lives. I was talking to a pastor a few years ago and he told me that there was no way he would allow a woman to teach a class where men were present. When asked him how Phoebe the deaconess in the book of Romans fit into his narrative, (Paul sent her as one of his best students to deliver and teach the letter to the Romans to establish order and give doctrine,) his answer was that the church in Rome must have been an all women church. Religion has so blinded the minds of church people that they are not able to dig into their word and find out what all the Bible has to say about women in ministry or examine how Jesus treated women. I love the story of the woman with an alabaster box. (her story is recorded in Matt. 6:7, and Mark 14:3) A sinful woman boldly walked into a room of men, carrying an alabaster box of expensive perfume. She broke the box open and anointed the head of Jesus with the perfume. The self-righteous men in the room, who did not even wash Jesus’ feet, became indignant and question why Jesus would allow her to do this for Him. Jesus did not rebuke her, but He defended her heart and her actions, calling her act of service a beautiful thing. Jesus went even further and said “Wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Worship can be an act of like of physical loving Jesus with the alabaster box or it can be acts of service for our Lord and King. Keeping all of His commandments is an act of love and worship. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. “John 14:15. All the commandments including go into all the world and preach the gospel. What is disturbing it is not just men who are critical and think a women should be kept in the kitchen. (I love cooking and enjoy time in the kitchen, but it does not define who I am.) Remember when Martha and Mary had Jesus in their home and Martha was upset that Mary chose the place of a student and sat at the feet of the Master Teacher to learn what the men were learning. Martha asked Jesus to make Mary get back in the kitchen and help her. Once again Jesus defended the woman, and told Martha that Mary had chosen the best thing. Too often women who have been denied that opportunity to be a pastor, prophet, apostle, evangelist or teacher are the first to tell another woman that it is not her place to hold such a calling, in other words tend to your family and get back in the kitchen. One of the fiercest forces in nature is a mother whose child needs help. What would happen in our churches and across our nation if we would allow the women to b e all they are called to be and they would put their mamma bear tenacity into winning the world for Jesus? I challenge you to research the five-field ministry and then start searching for women in the Bible that held those positions. In order to win our world for Jesus, it is going to require every man and woman to do what God has called and equipped them to do. Happy Mother’s Day, my prayer is that you will know what is the hope of your calling and you will find the courage to be all He created you to be.
Cathy Nesmith