The Rest of the Story: Mother and Child = =20 John 19:25-27

T= he Rest of the Story: Mother and Child = &nb= sp; = John 19:25-27

I ran ac= ross an article this week by Frank Deford, a writer with Sports Illustrated and a frequent guest commentator on the world of sport with Public Radio. And I promise--there really is a g= ood reason to share this on Mother’s Day.

Deford&#= 8217;s topic was “female coaches for men’s athletic teams.” He was wondering out loud how that= might work, seeing as we often have male coaches for women’s’ teams.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We won’t get into that debat= e this morning, but I do want you to hear how he begins the article. The title is 'Coach Mom' has a nice ring to it (Thursday May 11, 2= 000):

Have you ever wondered why athletes so= often respond to cameras by saying: "Hi, Mom?" It is never, "Hello, Mom"= or "Hi, Mother" or any other variation thereof. Always and forever, = just exactly: "Hi, Mom." Where did this convention come from? And why?

The penchant to say "Hi, Mom"= ; is especially of interest because, in sports, it is invariably fathers who do = most of the sports parenting. Ther= e are exceptions, of course, but it is mostly fathers who play catch and coach Li= ttle League and shoot H-O-R-S-E with their children. Then the ungrateful kid grows up and actually gets to be a hotshot college or professional star, and as soon as = he gets a chance, he says: "Hi, Mom!" Not Dad. Mom.

This caught my attention because I’ve wondered a= bout the same thing myself. Profes= sional athletes, with multi-million dollar salaries and thousands of adoring fans, maybe a wife and children too—will look right into the camera and say what?

And sometimes it’s not only that. They’ll say “Hi, Mom,&= #8221; but then this big, burly, bench presses-a-Sherman-Tank athlete, will also s= ay, “I love you, Mom.” Right there in front of millions! Y= ou’ve seen that too, haven’t you?

Why do they do that?&= nbsp; Where did they get this? Well, perhaps this is a bit of a reach, but they may have gotten it = from Jesus—maybe not all of them directly, but Jesus did something similar= .

I thought about this as I considered our text for toda= y. We continue to look at “the = rest of the story” of Jesus’ life and ministry as we find it in the Gospel of John.

Our passage today is found only in John’s Gospel= . Only John tells us that as Jesus w= as being crucified, he looked down from the cross and spoke directly to his mo= ther…and to John, who was there, which is probably why we have this detail. Listen as he shares with us this painful, and yet very beautiful memory as we find it in John 19:25-27:

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disc= iple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, her= e is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Jesus is in the midst of the most important contest in= the history of the world—not some sporting event but a real life-and-death battle. All the forces of sin, Satan, and hell are trying to defeat the Lamb of God. They’re attempting to destro= y the very source of light and life—and in the midst of this cosmic confrontation, Jesus says, in effect, “Hi, Mom. I love you, Mom.”

Death is near. = In this sacred moment filled with so much physical pain and spiritual anguish, Jesus turns His attention to one of the most important of all personal relationships. He focuses on = this powerful bond—this God-designed-and-created relationship between “Mother= and Child.”

Let that sink in—what was happening to Jesus and= why; and then consider what Jesus did—could there ever be a clearer and mo= re poignant affirmation of motherhood? Jesus is dying for the sins of the world, for my sin and yours, but = He takes time to focus on His mother, and express His concern for her welfare.

That’s powerful! Several thoughts come to mind for me about this relationship between “Mother and Child.”

1. The f= irst is, “What a Precious Relationshi= p This Is.” Whether we con= sider athletes greeting their mothers on national TV, or the words of Jesus spoke= n to Mary and John from the cross, or if we simply draw upon thoughts and memori= es of our relationship with our own mothers, it is clear how vital this is and= how much it is valued.

Mothers, never under-estimate your importance to your = family and the impact you make on your children’s lives. Thomas Edison is a familiar name f= or most of us. We have all benef= ited from his inventions, best-known of which is the light bulb.

Edison paid this tr= ibute to his mother: "I did not have my mother long, but she cast over me an influence which has lasted all my life. The good effects of her early train= ing I can never lose. If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in = me at a critical time in my experience, I should never likely have become an i= nventor. I was always a careless boy, and with a mother of different mental caliber,= I should have turned out badly. But her firmness, her sweetness, her goodness, were potent powers to keep me in the right path. My mother was the making of me. The memory of her will always be a blessing to me."

As far as I know, we do not have any famous inventors = here today; but for many of us, whatever we have become and what we have accomplished in life are due in large measure to the loving nurture, the wi= se instruction and consistent encouragement we have received from our mothers.

And one of the ways we honor them is to do the same fo= r our children, so that they, in turn, will be ready to do the same for theirs. This is the way the Lord designed families to function—each generation raising, training, and blessing = the next, so that they will be ready to do this when their time comes. Never neglect this precious relati= onship with your children.

Our jobs, hobbies, volunteer work—wherever we sp= end our time—none of these should take priority over that portion of our = time that needs to be devoted to parenting.&nbs= p;

Last week, we honored our graduates. Today, we dedicated our babies, al= ong with their parents. The years between dedication and graduation go quickly by. This is our window of opportunity,= Moms and Dads, to make an impact on our children that will pay dividends for a lifetime.

No investment of our time, attention, and money is more important than that part of us that we give to our children.

This relationship is precious. Give it the priority it deserves.<= /p>

2. But also remember that we are not alone in what we are trying to do in raising our children. This br= ings us to the second point I want to make: “What an Ever-Present He= lp We Have.” We’re not alone as parents= 212;we have help.

God has promised to be “= ;an ever-present help in our times of trouble.” Having children can qualify as = 220;a time of trouble,” of course. <= /span>So often, though, God sends His help to us in the form of a mother who loves us and cares for our needs.

Mothers not only help us, the= y also tend to be our first teachers. Now, that’s not to say they always follow the lesson plan. Here are “some of the things my mother taught me:”

My mother taught me aboutR= 30;

RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she said, "You better hope and pray that stain comes out of the carpet.&qu= ot;
LOGIC WHEN SHE INSISTED: "Because I said so, that’s why." <= br> IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING AHEAD: "Make sure you wear clean underwear̷= 0;in case you’re in an accident."
STAMINA: "You’re gonna’ sit there until you eat every bite= of that spinach."
WEATHER: "It looks like a tornado came through your room."
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"
TO BE GRATEFUL: "There are millions of children in this world who don&= #8217;t have a wonderful Mother like you do!" THANKS, MOM!

Let’s be honest, though, those lessons LIKELY came only after the more positive ones she tried to te= ach us “didn’t take”…and exasperation set in—even= for dear old mom!

Mothers have been gifted by G= od with a special attentiveness to their children that most Dads will never eq= ual. Isn’t this true, Dads—I think most men will agree. Th= ere’s a story going round about a basketball coach who had to confess his tendenc= y to get a little too focused on the game.

Seems he took his three year = old son to the barber shop for a haircut and while there, started watching a ga= me on TV. One of the teams was u= sing a new strategy that he found intriguing, so he left the barber shop and hurri= ed home to catch the rest of the game, thinking about what he had been watching the whole way.

Couple of hours later, the ph= one rings. It’s the barber.= He says, “Coach, little Bobb= y has read all the comic books we have and we’re about to close the shop. What do you want us to do with the boy?”

Now, no mother would do that = kind of thing—and the coach had better hope his wife never finds out HE DID! Seriously, though, with = the work and stress loads so many young mothers and fathers carry today, itR= 17;s surprising this kind of thing doesn’t happen more than it does.<= /o:p>

Our focus, parents, should be sufficiently on our children so that they know—they are confident--th= at mom and dad’s help is always available.

In the picture of the crucifi= xion that John provides, we see soldiers at the foot of Jesus’ cross, gamb= ling for His garments. =

How cold-hearted and indiffer= ent can you get—rolling dice as Jesus dies.

But then we have Mary, the mo= ther of Jesus, heart-broken, but still attentive to her son. And Jesus, in turn, is just as con= cerned for his mother.

The world may seem indifferen= t to you as a parent. Your employe= r may not sympathize with your need to spend time with your children. But the Lord wants us to know that= we are never alone in this vital task of parenting. He’s with us fully.

His word instructs us. His love flows through us. His Spirit provides wisdom and str= ength for the challenges at hand. W= hat an ever-present help we have for parenting when we know that our lives are in = the Lord’s hands—and so, too, are the lives of our children!

3. And now, a final observ= ation: = “What a Lifetime Perspective We Need.”&nbs= p; Wedding vows usually have something about “’til death do us part,” or “for as long as we both shall live.” <= /span>Now, parents and children don’t make vows to each other, but the commitmen= t is intended to last a lifetime.

Babies come into the world totally dependent on their parents—their needs are to be met with lov= e, nurture, discipline, and never with abuse of any kind. As they grow, children owe their p= arents their love, respect, and obedience.

There comes a time, though, w= hen childhood gives way to adulthood, and good parents know they must increasin= gly let go of active parenting and allow their children to take charge of their= own lives and responsibilities. M= uch wisdom and patience is needed for this stage of parenting as well.

Then, sometime during the yea= rs of life known as “middle age,” the roles begin to reverse, and = the child becomes the adviser, caregiver, and maybe even the decision-maker for= the elderly parent—something else that requires wisdom and compassion.

So the “Mother and Child” relationship is a two way street. It’s designed by our Heavenly Father to last a lifetime. Th= e love for and allegiance to each other should never end. We’re to bring a lifetime perspective to the parent-child relationship.

Jesus is our greatest example= of this—dying on the cross, and yet taking time to care for the needs of= His mother. Dare we do any less f= or our parents? Not if we are follow= ers of Christ!

Epictetus, the Greek philosop= her, as he contemplated death said this: “I should like best that it should find me busy at something noble and beneficent and for the good of all mankind. But since that is li= ttle likely to befall me, I should choose next to go out rendering what is due to every relation in life.” (I.B., V.8, p.781)

“Mother and child,̶= 1; parents and children—this is a precious relationship, friends, design= ed by God to last throughout our lives, and even on into eternity. But we must know and rely upon the= Lord who promises to be our ever-present help…for parenting, and for every other challenge we face in life.

The job is way too big for us—but not for us and the Lord together. Together with God, we can!

We can meet the challenge—the challenge of those early childhood years / adolescence = and out of the nest / inlaws and grandparenting / and yes, getting “sandw= iched” between the needs of adult children and aging parents—God is an ever-present help! Together w= ith God, we can!