Resurrection Monologues - Mary (Mother of Jesus)

On Good Friday we published ‘The Golgotha Monologues’ four monologues written from the perspectives of people who would have been there on the very first Good Friday. But we know that after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday, after Jesus’ death comes his resurrection, and so, today we are publishing ‘The Resurrection Monologues’!

The third is from the perspective of Mary the mother of Jesus.

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O Lord, my Saviour, my spirit rejoices in you, for you....

-

Oh, Jesus. This isn't as easy as I thought it would be.  Oh, my son, my child, my beloved child - now my Saviour.  My whole being worships you, and yet… in my heart I still treasure those times when it was just you and me.  Holding you close, hearing your first words, shepherding you as you took your first steps, watching over you, binding your first scrapes - you were sooo adventurous; it was always a challenge keeping you out of your father's workshop.

And now you watch over me.

Son, my heart still aches when I recall your body arched in pain, bleeding.  Your cries still haunt me. It's hard to shake the image of your lifeless body wrapped in cloth and lying - in a tomb.

Forgive me, dear son; I almost lost my mind with grief. I was blinded with my tears, and in my fear I didn't understand.  All I could feel was the sword piecing my very soul, just as old Simeon promised.

And then, when I saw you again, whole, restored....  Oh how I loved to see that smile again, to feel your arms around me once more, to hear your laughter, to draw in your warmth as we shared a simple meal, just like we used to.

But you were taken again so soon.  I know you had to go, but oh, how I missed you – to lose you again. (Deep breath)

But I'll tell your story - so many want to hear my story.  The boys promise to write it down, but I'll still tell. It thrills me every time I tell it, for how can written words capture you, your love, your presence.

Son, you spoke of a gift.  Well, as you probably know, it arrived right on time. You said that if we waited here in Jerusalem, we would be bathed in YOUR Holy Spirit.  

And now I see.

I almost weep with joy when I hear young John and the rest of your friends – your disciples - speaking in your name.  I recognise your voice, you see, I recognise your heart, in their words.

It's -

it's just like you're still here.

Thank you for not leaving your old mum alone.

I'll see you soon, my Jesus. 

Golgotha Monologues - Mary

It was great to see so many people at our Good Friday meeting on zoom this morning! If you weren’t able to join us, or you simply wanted to read them again, we will be posting all four of our monologues from this morning on the blog today! The monologues help to convey the feelings of four people mentioned in John 19.

Our third monologue is from the perspective of Mary, the mother of Jesus…

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I stood there overwhelmed by unbelief and sorrow.  What Simeon had spoken to me, 33 years earlier kept whirling round my head ‘Your own heart shall be pierced with a sword’,  

Yes. That’s how I felt – it was almost a physical pain… I could hardly stand.  I thought my legs would give way any moment. I leant on John, and he whispered ‘it’s okay, Mary, I’m here’ as he put his arm around me.

I looked up at my Son, Jesus, the Promise of Israel, now bloodied and dying for all to see.

The teachers of the Law and some of the Sanhedrin were there too.  They hurled insults at Him and each one twisted the sword further in my heart.  ‘He saved others, he cannot save himself’, ‘come down from the cross and we will believe in you’ they challenged.  But I knew as He knew that this was not true! Hadn’t He given them plenty of proof before that He was the promised Messiah? Yet most of them had not been willing to give Him a chance. They were afraid of Him, jealous of Him.

And then I heard Him whisper ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do!’ 

Unbelievable!  Fresh tears came into my tired eyes!  Forgive them?  For the way they had contributed to his torture, His agony? And for even now, at the end, having no mercy? I wanted to hit them, to make them suffer just a little of what my Son was going through! Jesus, Jesus, my Son, will I ever learn from You? And as I thought this He looked straight at where I was standing with John. His eyes were full of blood. Almost closed.  I realised He was trying to speak to me, to us, so I pushed John closer.

‘Dear Mother’ He said in a barely audible voice, ‘behold your son’. and His face moved slowly and painfully towards John.

I wanted to shout, No, YOU are my Son, not John, not anyone else, I don’t want anyone else, but His beautiful face, full of compassion and yes, sorrow for me, prevented me from doing so.  The tears now streamed uninhibited down my face. I nodded so He could see I was in agreement with this new arrangement. 

Then His eyes were on John, standing there right next to me.  ‘John’, He whispered, with an urgency in His voice ‘Behold your mother’. And as John tightened his arm round my shoulders, I could see a fleeting look of relief in His eyes.  He had provided for me, His mother.  The faithful Son, right up to the end! 

Like that day at the wedding feast of Cana, when I had asked Him to do something about the wine to help out Samuel and Ruth.  He had humoured me, because He loved me.  And them. 

Memories now flooded my mind… not just of Him with me, but with so many others… the widow’s son, being carried on the pyre on his way to his funeral; Jairus’ daughter; our good friend, Lazarus!  He raised them all from the dead… and people clapped and cheered and said ‘Surely the Messiah has come!’ and less than a week ago they were looking to crown Him king, as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey…  

He was doing so well – healing the sick, the blind, the lame, loving the outcasts, the marginalised…literally thousands hanging on to His every word for days…  I was so proud of Him.

And now – here He was, my Son, gasping for breath! At the mercy of these Roman soldiers…

An anguished silent cry came from deep within me, as I groped about in the dark. Questions tumbled into my mind, one after another.

What happened?  

Why did it happen?  

God, why did You let it happen? 

You could have stopped it! He could have been king, instead of suffering this cruel, undeserved death! 

Why, God, was there not another way for You to have achieved Your purposes?

Now – He is almost dead.  End of everything! What, oh God, have You accomplished through this unnecessary suffering of my Son whom I love?

Suddenly I remembered the Angel Gabriel’s words about Jesus when he told me I would be with child. ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and of His kingdom there shall be no end’.  No end, no end, no end? And so – what is all this, how can this happen, as He hangs on that cross…Aloud I whispered ‘I don’t know, I don’t know…’ But surely – God would not lie?

Hope, like a slither of sunlight, somehow began to creep into my dark, agonised mind.

What had the Angel Gabriel said to me when he told me I would become His mother and I had asked in bewilderment ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ He had said ‘NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!’

Slowly a supernatural peace began to enter my heart as I pondered on the Angel’s words. 

I glanced at Jesus again.  His eyes met mine. There was torture there, yes, but now I saw something else. In the midst of this there was peace – and hope! The crooked half smile He gave me was the most wonderful smile I had ever seen… for in it I could see a future. For Him. For me, for all humanity!

With dawning realisation, I thought ‘His birth was a miracle from God, His death has been accepted by God, and with God, He can live again!’ Incredibly, inch by inch, hope was pushing out the unbelief… the pain… the despair!

And as a few seconds later, with a loud cry, He said ‘Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit’ I knew my Son had won, somehow He had won! 

Even though it felt like my heart had been pierced not by one, but by so many swords, a new sensation of anticipation and excitement had also begun to enter my heart so that I was able to turn to John and say through my tears : ‘It is over, and yet it has only just begun!’ 

Written by Adele Dabrowski

WHAT TO DO WHEN FACING TOUGH FAMILY GATHERINGS

Family matters.

Most mothers and sons have a singular relationship. Some mothers dote on their son, considering him near-perfect...much to the chagrin of his sisters.

And when her husband passes away, the relationship can change, perhaps by her becoming more dependent on the son's support. It's then that it's important for roles to be clarified, and boundaries redefined.

My father, a larger than life character, died after a short illness shortly into his retirement years. I'm an only son with three sisters, and now my mother will often call me by my father's name. We laugh about it, but we both know that she still feels his absence even 16 years since he died.

I still miss him too.

Jesus' father, Joseph, doesn't get a mention in the Bible after the account of Jesus at the temple aged 12. Most assume that Joseph died at some point between then and Jesus' 30th year.

However, his mum was still around.

Mary was aware that events would one day cause her deep pain, like a sword piercing her heart, as promised when he was still a babe in arms. This didn't deter her, she stuck with him, appearing in the Bible's accounts among his followers.

We read that when he had grown up, Mary and Jesus both went to a wedding in Cana, in Galilee.

Events such as this typically lasted several days.

The bridegroom was responsible for feeding the guests, and providing wine for the duration of this community celebration. To fail to do so was shameful and might even prompt the bride's father to sue!

On this occasion the wine ran out before festivities had concluded.

You can read the account in John 2. John records the action as taking place 'on the third day'.  Here's how I imagine it:

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On the Third Day

There was a wedding in Cana
and Mary nudged her son: 
'The wine has finished
This - is - not - good.' 
And Jesus said, 'Mum. Not now'. 
- 
And Mary said
'Listen to your mother.' 
And Jesus sighed. 
- 
And Mary told the servants, 
'Do whatever he tells you.' 
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Then Jesus saw that it was no use to argue. 
And he said, 'let there be water'. 
And they rolled across the stone jars in front of him. 
- 
And Jesus said, 'let there be wine'. 
And it was so - very - good. 
- 
And Mary smiled to herself
thought how much Joseph would have laughed to see this
and whispered to Jesus: 
'This just the start you know.' 
And he did,
and it was. 
- 
And there was a Mother's faith
and there were gallons of glorious wine. 
And Mary kept on smiling, so proud of her son
and of this start of his new-vintage Kingdom
with the original third day, rolled-stone, miracle. 
- 
And there was a great party, 
and loud singing
with much laughter, 
and the Son danced
with his mother through the night. 
- 
There was evening and there was morning, 
a fine Third Day. 

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Have you experienced the loss of close family?

Do you find it harder at family gatherings?

I've found the secret of adapting and adjusting is keeping Jesus close, trusting him because he is the one person who will always be with you.

And he can work miracles in the face of everyday challenges.

Also, make the most of the family you have with you; honour those who are no longer with us by celebrating the life we have.

WHAT A MISSING CHILD REVEALS TO EALING PARENTS

APPEAL TO FIND MISSING BOY, AGED 12

The authorities in Jerusalem are appealing for the public's help in locating a missing boy from Nazareth (GALILEE).

Jesus Barjoseph, 12, was last seen near the Susa Gate five days ago. We are concerned for his welfare.

Jesus - described as a serious boy and mature for his age - is olive-skinned, 4' 8" tall, and of slim to medium build with shoulder-length black hair.

He is understood to be wearing a brown and tan tunic and black sandles, carrying a small satchel.

Jesus is familiar with the area around the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives.

His mother, Mary, says, "Jesus, if you read this, please contact us. We are not angry with you, just very anxious."

Jesus also goes by the name 'Son of Man'.

It's scary just how many children go missing each day in the UK alone. MissingKids tells us that a child goes missing every three minutes.

In a country where child abduction and abuse is regularly reported, and Ealing we know is no exception, I can only try to imagine what the parents go through.

My son is now in his 20s. At the time of writing one of his close friends from South Ealing is missing. Last weekend they made plans to meet midweek, but by then he was the subject of a Met Police alert.

His mum and his friends are left in the limbo of anxiety until more news is known.

The emotions of the last few days made the account of Jesus going missing at the age of 12 that much more heart breaking.

Jesus' family

We don't know much about Jesus' childhood. We know he was entrusted to two devout, loving parents. They weren't a wealthy family (the offering sacrificed at his purification rites, 2 doves, was that allowed for those who couldn't afford a lamb). His father, Joseph, was a carpenter, providing for several children. We presume he died before Jesus started his ministry as an adult, as he doesn't get a mention in any of the biographies of Jesus after the 12 year-old Jesus is found.

Luke, the author of one of these biographies, tells us that Jesus' parents had taken him to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover for the first time at the age of 12.  It was an annual trip for them, but this time they took their eldest son. The trip was shared with friends, and the journey back home was planned with the same group.

The journey lasted five days:

1. Mary and Joseph started out back home, confident that Jesus was with their party.  One day out from Jerusalem, they realised he wasn't with the group. Their child had been missing a whole day.
2. They headed back, puzzled, anxious, (more likely distraught) and perhaps a little angry at themselves.
3. Mary and Joseph started searching.
4. And searching.
5. After three days searching they found him. In the temple courts. He was calmly in discussion with the teachers there!

(I know what I would have said to those teachers had I been Joseph.)

Jesus was fine, "safe in his Father's house."

It may make sense to us thanks to thousands of years of hindsight, but Mary and Joseph were confused and upset. And what was Jesus' explanation? "Didn't you know I'd be about my Father's business?" Mary and Joseph didn't understand, and took him back home.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.

I take two lessons away from this account from Luke.

First, God's universal plan asked for his son, Jesus, to lead a typical human life, full of the normal milestones for boys in that society.  This is why it's easy to connect with Jesus; he's been where we are.

However, his priorities were a little different from his peers.  He gave first place to 'his Father's business'.

I have to ask myself, is that the way we live? Do we model that approach to day to day living for our children to follow?

Second, his parents deserve full credit for raising the Messiah as their son.  If this account is anything to go by, it wasn't always easy.

What have you learned?

What would be your biggest parenting lessons? Why not email them in to blog@redeemerlondon.org so we can compile them into a future post?