|
Motherhood
in the Bible
by
John A. Tvedtnes
There are nearly
400 references to mothers in the Bible. One of the earliest human
titles in the Bible is that of "mother." It appears in
Genesis 3:20 in reference to Eve, who is called "the mother
of all living."
When Eve was
brought to Adam, he recognized her as "bone of my bones, and
flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2:22-23). God himself termed her
"an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18), where the English
word "meet" means "suitable." The Hebrew is
better translated "as his complement," or "as his
equivalent." The passage demonstrates the equality of women
and men in the eyes of God.
The equal status
of mother and father is reflected in the fifth of the Ten Commandments,
"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exodus 20:12).
To this, the Lord added that "he that curseth his father, or
his mother, shall surely be put to death" (Exodus 21:17). Jesus
later reiterated, "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father
and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the
death" (Matthew 15:4; see also Matthew 19:19).Some
Bible passages pronounce severe curses on any who would dishonor
father or mother (Proverbs 20:20; 30:17), while others stress the
sorrow that comes to a mother when she has a sinful child (Proverbs
10:1; 29:15). Proverbs 15:20 says that "a foolish man despiseth
his mother."
The author
of the Proverbs counseled his son to "hear the instruction
of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother" (Proverbs
1:8; repeated in 6:20). "Hearken unto thy father that begat
thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old" (Proverbs
23:22). One chapter of that biblical book comprises "the words
of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him" (Proverbs
31:1). Lemuel, identified by some as Solomon, may have written the
words, but they are those of a mother addressed to her son, as the
wording in the rest of the chapter makes clear.
Some of the
mothers mentioned in the Bible have gained renown that has lasted
through the millennia. We think of Sarah, wife of Abraham and mother
of Isaac, who raised a son so faithful that he acquiesced to God's
command that his father offer him in sacrifice, and then praised
the Lord when the order was rescinded (Genesis 22). Isaac married
Rebecca, who became the mother of twins, Jacob and Esau. It was
she who ensured that the more righteous son, Jacob, receive the
patriarchal blessing from his father, as the Lord intended (Genesis
27). Jacob married the sisters Leah and Rachel and their two handmaids,
who became the progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Though we do
not know the names of the mothers of most of the men in later Bible
times, it is interesting that the Bible makes a point of giving
the names of the mothers, as well as the fathers, of the kings in
the line of David.
The most famous
mother was, of course, Mary of Nazareth, whose name almost never
appears in the New Testament without reference to her being the
mother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:18; 2:11; 13:55; Luke 2:34; John
19:25; Acts 1:14). When she and Joseph found the twelve-year-old
Jesus in the temple, he made a point of saying that he had been
"about my Father's business," but nevertheless returned
to Nazareth with them "and was subject unto them" (Luke
2:48-51). From this, we learn that, despite his divine nature and
calling, Jesus was obedient to his mother and stepfather. Even as
adult, we find him acceding to Mary's request to provide wine at
the wedding in Cana (John 2:3-8). When other women are mentioned
in the story of Christ, they are typically identified as mothers.
Thus, we have the widowed mother of Nain, whose only son Jesus raised
from the dead (Luke 7:11-15), the mother of Peter, whom Jesus healed
(Matthew 8:14), and the mothers who stood nearby as the Savior hung
on the cross (Matthew 27:55-56). It was, in fact, during this time
of suffering that the crucified Christ, as one of his final acts
in mortality, made provision for the care of his own mother, placing
her in the keeping of one of his trusted disciples (John 19:25-27).
In the Old
Testament, the prophets Isaiah and Hosea liken Israel to a mother
for the people, the bride of the Lord himself. In one passage, the
Lord compares himself to a mother, saying, "As one whom his
mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted
in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:13). Surely this demonstrates the
high esteem in which the Lord holds mothers and suggests that we
do the same.
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2001 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
