The Mother of our Lord … (May 2024 Update)
Motherhood is simultaneously the greatest and the hardest thing. The job is difficult, unending, and heart-wrenching. Mothers are to be celebrated because of the tremendous influence that they have upon our lives and because of the unselfish love and care they provide.
I have always been surprised at how much affection and attention is given to mothers by everyone – especially professional athletes. I love watching football games. And it has never ceased to amaze me at how these great big football players often react in interviews after games. Now, I assume that most of these athletes owe a lot to their fathers for all the time they put into helping to train them so they can be professional athletes. And how much time their dads spent throwing and catching footballs with their sons. But whenever one of these athletes gets on camera for an interview, what do they always have to add at the end? “Hi mom. I love you.” I’ve never heard one say, “Hi dad. I love you.” I’m sure they love their fathers too. But moms hold a special place in their hearts. That’s why Mother’s Day is such a special day – because almost everyone wants to let their mother know how much they appreciate them for all they do.
Interestingly, the Bible says very little about what it takes to be a good mom. Do a search sometime to see what the Bible specifically says about being a good mother. I found numerous sites with titles like “50 Verses about Motherhood.” All the verses listed were general verses about godly wives, parents teaching their children, or God loving us as a mother loves her children. But nothing specifically about motherhood.
However, the Bible does show us some examples of a great mom. And one of those examples is Mary, the mother of our Lord. Mary is often idealized and even idolized within branches of the Christian church. This is understandable too because she was the mother of Jesus. In fact, Mary herself says, “all generations shall call me blessed!” This is not because she was unusual as a mother. It was because she was a woman who feared the Lord. But what are some characteristics of Mary that made her so extraordinary?
So what made Mary so special? And what are the characteristics of Mary that make her a wonderful example for all women and all mothers?
First of all, Mary was a humble woman. We have been reading The Little House on the Prairie series and we have been watching the old TV series too. There is one character from the series that is the exact opposite of humility. This is Nellie Oleson. But the books and the TV series show us that much of the reason for Nellie’s bad character is rooted in her mother’s character. Her mother is supremely proud and her pride negatively affects everyone around her.
Humility does the opposite. Humility allows us to see ourselves as we really are and to rightly care for others. In Romans 12:3, Paul tells us “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Humility helps us to see that we, like everyone else, are also sinners in need of God’s grace.
Mary was like that. In Luke 1:39-45, when Elizabeth showers compliments on Mary as the mother of her Lord, Mary quickly turns her attention to the Lord: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.”
Many groups think Mary was some kind of a saint who never sinned. Some denominations even consider Mary to have been sinless. But Mary did not think of herself in that way. Notice what she says – “my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” A person who has not sinned does not need a savior. But Mary had a humble heart and a right understanding of herself. She saw herself as a sinner in need of God’s grace. She, like everyone of us, needed a Savior.
One of the biggest reasons people will not come to Christ is that they think they are okay. Maybe not perfect, but good enough to go to heaven. They might need to improve some areas of their lives but they certainly don’t need a savior.
Look at Luke 18:9-14. Here Jesus contrasts two men in the temple. The first was a Pharisee who thanked God that he was better than other men. The second was a publican – a tax collector who collected Roman taxes from the Jews). He stood at the back of the temple and beat his breast saying, “God, be merciful to me – a sinner.” Jesus said the second man was justified, not the first. It takes a humble heart to be able to admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Mary did just that. While others venerate Mary, Mary simply said, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” In her humility, she recognized that she was a sinner in need of a Savior.
Second, Mary was a woman who trusted God. Martin Luther tells us that there were 3 miracles in the birth of Jesus. First, that God became man. Second, that a virgin could be a mother. And third, that Mary had faith to believe God. The first two are obvious to us. God becoming man would require a miracle. A woman who has never known a man becoming a mother would be a miracle too. But Luther says that, maybe the greatest miracle is the faith of Mary. She has been told that she will be the mother of the Messiah. Mary asks: How will this be since I am a virgin?” The angel simply tells her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” And Mary replies, “Be it done unto me according to your word.”
In John 2, at the Wedding at Cana, Mary tells Jesus that the hosts have run out of wine. Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” Most of us would be put off by such a response. But Mary simply trusts that the Lord will do what is right and best for every situation. So Mary says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” And the result of her faith was that Jesus performed his first miracle. Mary was a woman who trusted God.
Finally, Mary was a woman who loved the Word of God. A godly mother prays and reads the Word of God. This is not an occasional practice but it is the habit of her life. She believes Scripture and knows its instructions will help her become a better wife and mother. In fact, prayer and Bible reading affect every area of her life—how she dresses, handles herself, and works. Her conversation, character, and conduct are rooted in the Word, and her children are a reflection of this.
We see this in other mothers in Scripture too. For example, we see it in Lois and Eunice, the mother and grandmother of Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul reminds Timothy about the faith that was first in Timothy’s mother and grandmother. And throughout 2 Timothy, Paul constantly reminds Timothy of the importance of the Word of God in his life. In 2 Timothy 3:14-15, Paul makes it clear that the godly influence of his mother and grandmother’s love for the Word of God was instrumental in his salvation: “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” And he reminds him that the Word of God will prepare him and equip him for everything in his life – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-18). Godly mothers, like Mary, Lois and Eunice, love and obey the Word of God.
Jesus makes this clear when someone in the crowd cries out: ““Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” He certainly loved his mother, but he wanted everyone to know that she was special not just because she was his mother, but because she loved and obeyed the Word of God (Luke 11:27-29).
In Luke 8:19-21, when his mother and brothers could not get to him because of the crowd, someone told him that his mother and brothers were outside. Jesus replied, ““My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Jesus loved his mother and his family. But he made it clear that those who love the Word and obey it are the ones who are truly blessed. Mary was blessed not because she was special, but because she was humble, she trusted the Lord and she loved His Word. Those are the best characteristics for a godly mother.
However, Godly motherhood is not without difficulties.
Now, if you are a godly woman, that does not mean your life will be without difficulties. Many today think the Christian life is like a bed of roses. When you trust Christ, everything is easy after that. The early church knew better. In fact, Paul told new believers that “through many trials we must enter the kingdom.” And “all who intend to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Like every follower of Jesus, Mary too faced difficulties. Here are just a few.
First, Mary faced fear and rejection. When the angel explained that she would have a baby, she asked, “How can this be, seeing I have not known a man?” Mary would be bearing this child without being married. That would be a difficult stigma to live with in any time, but it was especially difficult in biblical times. A woman found pregnant without being married could be stoned to death or at least put away from society. In fact, Mathew tells us that is what Joseph decided to do when he found out that Mary was pregnant. But God sent an angel to Joseph to explain that Mary would be a part of God’s plan to save the world through Jesus. But, certainly Mary experienced fear about being rejected often as people would remind her about the strange circumstances of the birth of her child. Mary understood this, but, in Luke 1:38, she responded: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to thy word.”
We all face many difficulties and fears and even rejection for following Jesus. But, we need to have a heart like Mary and say to the Lord, “Let it be done unto me according to thy word.” Mothers who trust the Lord even in great difficulties are the best examples of motherhood for us all.
Second, Mary also experienced frustration. Look at Luke 2:39-52. Here Mary and Joseph lose Jesus during a trip to Jerusalem when he was 12 years old! When Jesus was 12, the family was returning to Nazareth from Jerusalem for the Passover Feast when they realized they had lost Him a full day after leaving. Can you imagine losing the Son of God? So Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem and took three full days to find Jesus.
You can imagine her frustration with Jesus when she says to him, “”Son, why have you mistreated us? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” But Jesus gently reminded her that God’s will and plan for His life took priority over everything: “Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business?” Mary, like all mothers and fathers, had to deal with many frustrations in raising children. But, like Mary, they also have to learn to trust what God is doing in the lives of their children. And sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.
I have a number of friends whose children decided to become missionaries. When they heard about their child’s decision, they were gripped with fear, sadness and frustration. Many of them said to me, “I have always prayed that many would hear God’s call and become missionaries. But I never expected one of them to be my child!” Like Mary, mothers have to learn to trust what God is doing in the lives of their children. And sometimes, that is the hardest thing to do.
But Mary provides a great example for us. She shows her frustration, but she also understands that God is doing something unique. So “his mother kept all these things and treasured them in her heart.” She didn’t understand everything that was happening, but she learned to trust God even in her frustration.
Finally, Mary experienced sorrow and suffering. In John 19:25-27, we see Mary, along with some other followers of Jesus at the foot of the cross watching her son suffer and die. I’m sure this was not the only time she experienced suffering and sorrow over Jesus. How her heart must have broken when she saw her hometown completely reject her son! How many times she must have grieved when she listened to the religious leaders telling people that, if they followed Jesus, they would be put out of the synagogue! Isaiah 53 tells us that Jesus was “despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
All of those times must have broken his mother’s heart. Yet she understood something even more important – that his suffering was for her salvation and for the salvation of many others. Isaiah 53:4-6 reminds us of the reason for his suffering: “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Certainly, Mary experienced the same fears, frustration and sorrows that every mother does. But hers were certainly more difficult than any experienced by mothers today. Yet she bore them all. Not because she was anyone special. But because she was a humble, godly woman who feared the Lord, loved His word and obeyed.
Mothers deserve our praise. They do so much for their children that often goes unrecognized and un-thanked. But there is no greater gift that a mother can give her children than to be a godly example to them all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:28-30 tells us this about a virtuous woman: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” A woman that fears the Lord shall be praised. Mary exemplified Proverbs 31:30 and, because of this, “all generations will call [her]blessed!”
Teaching Ministry …
This month has been a busy month for teaching and getting prepared to teach. In May, I will be teaching two online classes – one at Kyiv Theological Seminary (KTS) and another at Ukrainian Baptist Seminary in Lviv. At KTS, I will be teaching Research and Writing with Natalia Tereschenko again. We have been teaching this class for over 14 years now! Graduates always tell us that this is the hardest class they have to take, but also that it was the most helpful for them in ministry. It teaches them how to formulate their ideas in ways that are clear and logical. We use lots of biblical examples that are applicable to preaching and leading Bible studies, as well as writing papers. This class will run from May 13 until June 21. We currently have 41 students enrolled! That’s a lot of papers to grade every week!!! Be praying for us as we train another group of students in how to think and write logically. And we have a couple of graduates who will be in the class that we are hoping will be able to teach the class next year too.
At Ukrainian Baptist Seminary, I will be co-teaching Prayer and Worship class with David Snead. He has been helping me teach this class for about 7 years now. This year, he will be teaching most of the class and I will be helping him. Hopefully, he will be able to teach the class by himself next year. This is an important step as we transition back to the states while training and equipping others to teach my classes in the future. Pray for us as we teach this class together.
Both seminaries continue to provide regular classes and special seminars even during this time of war. Both schools have built special rooms to allow learning to continue even during missile attacks. Both seminaries are also providing special training for chaplains and classes for counseling those affected by the trauma of the war. Pray for these two schools and their leaders as they continue to help equip pastors and other ministers to share Christ in difficult circumstances.
Additionally, I am continuing to preach and lead music at the nursing home whenever I am needed. This is a very special ministry and the people there have become very precious to me during this time. Over the last few months, it has been a sad time too. We have seen a few go to be with the Lord and a large number have moved to assisted living so they cannot be with us in person. Fortunately, the nursing home televises the service for the residents every Sunday, but it is still sad as we miss seeing a number of our regulars!
Ministry Plans and Financial Needs …
We are planning to help Global Serve International (GSI) with missionary care and with theological training in the coming year. They wanted us to start as soon as last month, but I have too many classes this spring. So, we have told them that we will begin to help in the summer and will help more as I have fewer classes in Ukraine to teach. In case you missed our last updates, GSI only sends missionaries to closed (restricted access) countries where missionaries are not permitted. Each missionary works with an unreached people group, learning the language and planting new churches among those people groups. Our job would be to provide pastoral support and training for these missionaries on the field. While we will be helping GSI, we will still be working through Teaching Resources. We will be partnering with them so that we can help provide some help and resources that they are currently lacking. So, all of our funding needs to come through Teaching Resources just like it always has. The only change is that we are transitioning our US office to be nearer us. Also, we have a new mailing address for donations – Teaching Resources International, PO Box 100, Goshen, AR 72735.
Our finances are still a little lower than we need to live in the US. We have a number of monthly supporters who are shifting their gifts to other missionaries and ministries since we are now stateside. Again, last month, we were blessed to receive an extra gift that has helped greatly with the need for additional finances. But we are also needing to add 3-4 additional families to our regular monthly support team. If you are interested in being part of our support team, information about making donations can be found at the end of this update.
Address Change (reminder) …
We are in the process of transferring the main mailing address to an office nearer to our home. It would be helpful if you could start sending your gifts to Teaching Resources International, PO Box 100, Goshen, AR 72735 (we actually live closer to Goshen than Fayetteville). The Post Office will forward all mail but only for 6 months. So, please change the address for your giving.
Family …
With everything else going on, we didn’t have a lot of time to work on the house. But we did accomplish one major goal – building a shed. Now we have a place for storing our mower and garden tools. It was a lot of work. The shed reminded me of the houses we built on mission trips to Mexico with Mission Discovery!
April was also a time to celebrate Katya’s birthday. We had a special breakfast on Saturday (because I had to go to the nursing home on Sunday) and then a birthday party with the Coopers in the afternoon. Then on Sunday, after church, Katya wanted to cook out and go hiking in Devil’s Den. So we had a wonderful two days celebrating her birthday!
The girls have been taking swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School now for about 2 years. It is amazing to see the progress they have made. This month, they got to compete in their first swim meet. It is great to see them enjoying swimming so much!
We are nearing the end of another school year. When we told the girls that we only have one more week left, they said, “We don’t want to stop school. We like learning!” Well, we do too, but we need a break. Still, it has been a really fun year. We are especially impressed with how many books they have read this year. They love to read, and we hope this will be a great foundation for life-long learning!
Pray for Ukraine …
Thank you for praying for Ukraine! They still need our prayers more than ever. Right now, Russia is increasing attacks in the east, and they are massing for a new offensive to try to take Kharkiv. Russia is also continuing to fire missiles at the major cities almost nightly. Fortunately, the air defenses have greatly improved and most of the missiles are being intercepted. Still Russia is increasing their attacks on energy plants where there are fewer defenses. Pray for Ukraine as they try to protect their cities and their people.
But also please pray for our students in Ukraine. Life is difficult and most are saying that they have a hard time thinking about the future. But, in spite of this, they continue to find ways to minister and share the gospel. Pray that they can continue to be effective during the war time.
Thank you for your faithful support for us! When we lived in Ukraine, you were our “lifeline” in more ways than you can imagine. Returning to the states has been difficult emotionally and financially, but God has been faithful to us through this transition. And we have been so blessed by your faithful care and prayers for us too!!!
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia
If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .
Also, some have asked about how to support us. You can send checks to Teaching Resources International, PO Box 100, Goshen, AR 72735 (note: new address) or pay through PayPal on our website. Just put “#1000 Ehrhard” in the memo so our treasurer knows where to allocate the funds.
Some have asked about our personal address now that we are in the states. Our new address is 14680 Magnolia Ridge, Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Teaching Resources International 