What Went Through Her Mind

By Adam Faughn
    There are times when reading a passage of Scripture, I have to stop and wonder what someone was thinking or feeling as the events unfolded. At times, the Bible tells us what an individual was thinking, but many times, those details are not provided. While we do not need to try to come to some hard-and-fast conclusion about how someone felt or what they thought when the text does not reveal it to us, it is still an interesting exercise to engage in.    One of those times for me is in Acts 1, as a small group of the faithful were meeting in the upper room. Following the ascension of Jesus, 120 people were present in that room. The apostles would take that opportunity to appoint Matthias to take the place of Judas Iscariot, but most of what was done in that room was waiting, as Jesus had told them to do.    However, the Holy Spirit felt it was important for us to know at least some of those 120 who were present. The apostles were there, as well as "the women," presumably, those who had helped with the ministry of Jesus. Acts 1:14 ends by telling us that among those 120 were also "Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers" (literally, siblings).    When I read that detail, I cannot help but wonder what was going through the mind and heart of Mary. Those brothers had not believed in Jesus during His ministry. In fact, on one occasion, they had basically attempted to set him up, likely to be imprisoned or even killed (John 7:1-5).    Now, however, here were those same brothers, meeting with this small band of believers. Two of them--James and Jude--would go on to be inspired writers of New Testament texts. So far as we know, all of them remained faithful to Jesus.    What a blessing for that mother! The Bible does not reveal to us conversations that Mary had with those brothers during the ministry of Jesus when they struggled so much with believing in Him. We are left to our imaginations to wonder what she said, how she prayed, or what else she might have done. While we cannot go beyond the text, our hearts are filled with images of her desiring for these siblings to believe in their Brother.    Though it took some time, it would seem that the resurrection was the key (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:7). Now, those siblings were faithful to Jesus. We have to believe that Mary's heart was filled with praise and joy.    Today being Mother's Day, I believe her heart is similar to the heart of virtually every faithful Christian mom. Whether their children are faithful to the Lord or not, that is what they desire. They pray for it earnestly. They do what they know to do to help their children--small or grown--to know Jesus and be faithful to Him. Above anything else, that is what they want for their kids.    Those children may or may not be part of what is still a small band of faithful followers, but that is the heart of a Christian mother. And if anything can change those children, it is the same thing that changed the siblings of Jesus: His resurrection. Take them there. Remind them of His power over sin and the grave. Pray they will come to understand the eternal difference that miracle makes.    That is the heart of a Christian mother, and we praise God for each one of them today.

Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith