These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. (Acts 1:14)
For several weeks now we have been studying the life of Mary the mother of Jesus. We have seen that Mary responded to God’s call to her to bear the Savior joyfully and with humility, courage, and instant obedience. Mary trusted God and her husband, Joseph to provide for her and her Child even when danger came their way.
When Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus she was willing to flee to 
Egypt, a land traditionally an enemy of the Israelites. Returning home to Nazareth she and Joseph raised Jesus as a normal boy even though Mary knew that He was the Son of God.
Mary did not remarry when Joseph died, but depended on her sons, especially her firstborn, Jesus, to help care for the family. Jesus continued to care for her until the day that He began His public ministry.
Jesus’ first miracle was at a marriage feast in Cana that Mary was attending with Him. We saw that though Jesus knew it was time for Him to go out on His own, He showed respect and deference to His mother when she asked for His help. Mary then acknowledged Jesus’ duty to begin His ministry when she turned over authority to Him as she told the servants at the wedding, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5).
After this Mary returned to Nazareth and continued her life with her other children. The Gospels do not say many direct things about her but we may infer some things from what the Gospel writers do say. Mary no doubt led a good life among her neighbors in Nazareth. She probably did all of the normal socializing and participated in the usual customs of the day. She was probably a friendly and caring person and well liked by her neighbors. Though she knew that Jesus was the Son of God, Mary did not go around boasting about her Son or treating Him any differently than she would anybody else.
In fact we have indirect evidence of this. When Jesus attained adulthood He began His public ministry in Galilee by teaching in the Synagogue. People were amazed at His words and wondered, “Is this not Joseph’s son? (Luke 4:22) His own neighbors did not accept Him apparently because to them He was just a normal member of their community. They wanted proof that Jesus was the Son of God and when He didn’t perform a trick for them they led Him out of the city to throw Him off of a cliff.
As Jesus’ ministry progressed people began to oppose Him more and more. Once after Jesus cast a demon out of a man the Pharisees accused Him, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul (Satan) the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 12:24). These Israelites thought that Jesus was evil or insane.
It was right at this time that Mary and some of Jesus’ brothers and sisters came to see Him. Was Mary worried about the anger and hostility that was displayed on this occasion? Mary must have been wondering how things were going for Jesus. Perhaps she was even concerned that He was being too controversial. This does not show a lack of faith on Mary’s part, only anxiety as she observed the life of her Son. We have the benefit of hindsight and we know the rest of the story. But Mary was living in the middle of it. Neither she nor any of the other disciples were clear at this point about what was to happen to Jesus. Mary had to live one day at a time trusting God.
When someone told Jesus that His mother and brothers were waiting outside to see Him, He responded, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” (Matthew 12:48) Some have said that Jesus’ response was being disrespectful to His mother. No, Jesus was not slighting them but trying to make a point. He immediately answered His own question by saying, “Behold My mother and My brothers!” as He pointed to His disciples. In other words, Jesus used this occasion to teach the lesson that those who have established a relationship with Him by putting their trust and faith in Him are His family.
As Mary listened to Jesus explain that, “whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50) she would have understood that Jesus was referring to more than just His physical family. Mary returned home knowing that she had a double relationship with Jesus, physical and spiritual. Jesus was her Son and her Savior.
We don’t hear about Mary again until we meet her standing at the cross when her beloved Son was put to death. Here she is standing with other women, and John the disciple. What pain and anguish must have been in her heart as she beheld the cruel and painful death of her Son.
Here again, we see how considerate Jesus is of His mother. Though He has the weight of the sins of the world to bear, He takes time out to provide for Mary. He puts her in the care of John, the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” John took Mary into his own household. Jesus shows that though He said that His family now includes all believers, Mary still held a special place in His heart. Though Jesus’ time on earth was growing short, He spent some of it doing His last duty as a human son by thoughtfully caring for His mother.
Mary returned home with John and waited for events to unfold. Was she as surprised as all of the other disciples when on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came and told Peter and the others that the tomb was empty? It is very likely that no one understood the full extent of Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth until His resurrection. But what joy must have filled her heart when she heard the good news!
This is not the end of Mary’s story. We know that she was waiting in an 
upper room in Jerusalem along with the eleven apostles and over 100 other disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven. (Acts 1:14) The believers would be filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They would then all go out to proclaim the Gospel of the good news that Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that people could receive forgiveness for their sins and be at peace with God.
Mary would surely have been a willing and dedicated follower of Christ her Son proclaiming the good news to everyone. We know that she lived for at least a few more years because of the details of her life in Luke’s Gospel. Only Mary herself could have recounted such intimate details to Luke.
Mary’s relationship with Jesus was very special. She was a model of faith, courage, humility, and obedience for all.
Mary is also our first example of the many women that Jesus dealt with during His ministry on earth. We see that Jesus showed her respect, deference, and most of all love. Jesus showed kindness, consideration, and love for all of the women He met. We will continue stories of these encounters in the coming weeks.
