TODAY’S SCRIPTURE Acts 1:12-14
Have you ever wondered what Mary the mother of Jesus must have thought as she watched her other sons reject their brother? They went so far, at least once, as to try to set Jesus up (See John 7:1-5), and that text ends by telling us, “For not even His brothers believed in Him.”
But something changes all that. When Jesus overcomes death and leaves the tomb empty, it changes many hearts and minds. While we do not have a record in the Gospel accounts of Jesus appearing to His brothers, Paul states that Jesus appeared “to James” even before He appeared “to all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:7).
The shocking knowledge that Jesus has overcome death leads to His brothers believing in Him. After Jesus ascends into Heaven, we are told that the believers are waiting in “the upper room” in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12-13). We have the apostles listed as being present, but the list ends by telling us that Mary the mother of Jesus is there, as are His brothers (vs. 14).
We are only left to conjecture how much time Mary has spent thinking about and praying for this moment; the moment when her other sons understand Jesus and put all of this together to the level of having faith in Him.
For a Christian mother, there can be no greater joy than to know that her children are walking in faith in Christ. Some mothers grieve because their children are not walking in faith. This is not meant to discourage them. Instead, it is meant to cause us all to think of those who have helped us grow in faith. When we are considering living apart from our faith, may our minds go back to them and use their training to help us make wise and godly decisions. It will be their greatest earthly joy.
Today I will…write a personal letter or send a card to someone (a mother, hopefully) who has helped train me in the faith and thank that person for his or her constant encouragement.
