Jesus And Our Persistent Mothers

Introduction

Illustration: Mom & Me & Mom autobiography by Maya Angelou

And how Maya Angelou referred to her mom, Vivian Baxter

Mom & Me & Mom (2013) is the seventh and final book in author Maya Angelou's series of autobiographies. The book was published shortly before Mother's Day and Angelou's 85th birthday. It focuses, for the first time in her books, on Angelou's relationship with her mother, Vivian Baxter. The book explains Baxter's behavior, especially Baxter's abandonment of Angelou and Angelou's older brother when they were young children, and fills in "what are possibly the final blanks in Angelou's eventful life".[1] The book also chronicles Angelou's reunion and reconciliation with Baxter.

In the book's second section, entitled "Me & Mom", Angelou chronicles the unconditional love, support, and assistance they gave to each other, as Baxter helps her through single motherhood, a failed marriage, and career ups and downs.

“I went back to my hotel and called my mother. I didn’t use “Lady” or “Mother.” “Mom, I need mothering. If you have ever done any, I need it now. I am sending you a check, and as soon as you get it please book a flight and come to Stockholm.”

She said, ‘Baby, if any plane is leaving San Francisco today for Sweden, I will be on it. You pick me up tomorrow morning at the Stockholm airport.’”

I knew that if she said she was coming, she was coming.

I sat at the airport waiting for my mother to mother me. The plane arrived at last and I went to the area where I could see my little mother come down the steps, tipping in her high-heeled shoes. She was in her typical Vivian Baxter dress, carrying her sable stole, and her sparkling diamonds were flashing. I waved at her and she waved back with a little military salute. As soon as she was through security, we embraced.

One morning as I was leaving, the director said I didn’t have to leave the set anymore. What happened? Why did they change their ways of treating me? I came to the realization that it was because I had a mother. My mother spoke highly of me, and to me. But more important, whether they met her or simply heard about her, she was there with me. She had my back, supported me. This is the role of the mother, and in that visit I really saw clearly, and for the first time, why a mother is really important. Not just because she feeds and also loves and cuddles and even mollycoddles a child, but because in an interesting and maybe an eerie and unworldly way, she stands in the gap. She stands between the unknown and the known. In Stockholm, my mother shed her protective love down around me and without knowing why people sensed that I had value.

Transition To Body- Mother of Jesus & Disciples of Jesus Who Came & Saw

John 1:35–46 ESV

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Jesus & his disciples of only 1-2 days

Body

Mothers’ Significance Derived From Jesus

John 2:1 ESV

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus named mention whereas his mother’s name is not mentioned

V1- Jesus’ mother was there with Jesus & knew what Jesus could do

V2- Jesus and His disciples were invited there

John 2:2 ESV

2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

Jesus mother is there where Jesus & his disciples were invited

Mothers’ Concerned Petition To Jesus

John 2:3 ESV

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

Illustration: My mother can just tell me, I have to unassembled entertainment cabinet

Illustration: My wife can just look at our children and they know what she is thinking

V3- Jesus mother’s concern moves to action

Illustration: Job 31:13-15

Compassion of Mothers

Job 31:13–15 ESV

13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, 14 what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

Jesus Respectfully Challenges Mothers’ Motivation

V4- Jesus respectfully let’s his mother know he is not there for show or to perform purely a physical need

John 2:4 ESV

4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Kairos time (John 7:6,8)

John 7:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.

John 7:8 ESV

8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”

Jesus mother directs the servants to Jesus

Now the person in charge is no longer Jesus’ mother

V5- Jesus’ mother directs the servants to obey Jesus

John 2:5 ESV

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Jesus mother would not take no for an answer

Mother of Jesus demonstrates strong faith

John 2:5 (IVPBBCNT): answer (Gen 32:26–30; Ex 33:12–34:9; 1 Kings 18:36–37; 2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6, 9; 4:14–28), Mary acts in confidence that Jesus will hear her entreaty. Ancient Jewish readers, who told stories of miracle workers who insisted that God would send rain, would read Mary’s action as demonstrating strong faith.

Jesus Performs Miracle Of Compassion

Jesus works with & in stone (not earthen) vessels because they are not subject to ritual contamination- is this pointing to Jesus as the stone the builders rejected

V6- Jesus works with vessels meant for ceremonial (continual) washing

John 2:6 ESV

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

Illustration: We must be careful when we label unholy what the young people do because of our traditions of the past

Acts 10:9–15 ESV

9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

God’s resources are exceedingly abundant

V6- Jesus transforms the insides of the vessels

V7-8 Jesus directs the servants

John 2:7–8 ESV

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.

John 2:8 (IVPBBCNT): 2:8. “Master of the banquet” was a position of honor (Ecclus 32:1–2); one of his primary duties was to regulate the distribution of wine to prevent excess that would (especially in a Jewish context) ruin the party. At least in Greek banquets, guests elected this person to preside over the entertainment and to control the level of dilution for the wine; thus some observers might have held him partly responsible for the host’s running out of wine prematurely.

Master blessed by unknown source of the miracle

John 2:9–10 ESV

9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Transition to Close

Illustration: Mom & Me & Mom

“A horse needs a tail more than one season. You see, a horse that thinks once summer is over it can get rid of the appendage stuck on the back of its butt, which it doesn’t even have to look at, is a damned fool. If the horse lives, spring will come and the flies will be back, and the flies will begin worrying the horse. When the flies aggravate the horse’s eyes and the ears, the horse would give anything for just a minute’s peace. “Baby, now they are treating you as if you are a horse’s ass. Let me tell you something. All you have to do is get your work done. If these people live, they will come back to you. They may have forgotten how badly they treated you, or they may pretend that they have forgotten. But watch: They will come back to you. In the meantime, Mother is here. I will look after you and I will look after anybody you say needs to be looked after, any way you say. I am here. I brought my whole self to you. I am your mother.”

When Jesus defrayed the expenses or rather costs of our sin and removed the shame of our sin

1 Corinthians 2:6–10 ESV

6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

Romans 8:27–30 ESV

27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Illustration: Manifest Season 3 Episode 7 Precious Cargo

I did not say that I do not believe in miracles

Miracles do exist & still happen

John 2:3 (IVPBBCNT): To run out of wine at a wedding was a social faux pas that would become the subject of jests for years; the host was responsible to provide his guests with adequate wine for seven days.

John 2:3 (IVPBBCNT): The women’s quarters were near the place where the wine was stored; thus Mary learns of the shortage of wine before word reaches Jesus and the other men. Her words probably suggest that he should do something; guests were to help defray the expense of the wedding with their gifts, and it seems that their friend needs some extra gifts now.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 2:11 ESV

11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Jesus’ miracles are signs which reveal his glory

Jesus miracles are signs that ought lead you to put your faith in Him

Do you have eyes to see Jesus’ signs?

Matthew 11:13–15 ESV

13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

John 1:9–14 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:16–18 ESV

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Close: And I believe....

Job believed in during trials and affliction

Job 19:25–27 ESV

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

When it was Jesus’ hour

John 2:4 ESV

4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

In the Gospel of John, the ultimate focus of the hour is on the glorification of Jesus- his death and resurrection

John 7:30 ESV

30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

John 8:20 ESV

20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

The Son of Man to Be Glorified

John 12:23 ESV

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

John 12:27 ESV

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

John 13:1 ESV

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The Son Glorifies The Father

John 17:1–7 ESV

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

Let Your Light So Shine Before Others, so that...

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.