Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! These words of resurrection tell us that Christ’s love, better than any earthly love, has conquered death and grave for the children of humanity. Today we give thanks for mothers, and those with a mother’s heart. Today we rejoice for those who have given us life, and most of all, for Him Who has given us life eternal.
The little boy with his Sunday School class was standing in front of the congregation. They had finished singing their hymn, and now they had to recite the Bible verses they had memorized. Understandably, placed in such a high stress situation, the boy forgot his passage: those words of Jesus, “I am the Light of the world.” Thankfully, his mother who had rehearsed with him, had come early and was sitting up front. She prompted her son, gesturing and forming the words silently with her lips. It didn’t help. Finally, in a desperate last attempt she leaned forward and whispered, “I am the light of the world.” The boy’s face lit up and with great feeling and a loud and clear voice he said, “My mother is the light of the world.”
It’s bad theology, but the power and purity of a mother’s love for her children is not the kind of thing which anybody puts down. Today, the second Sunday in May, is Mother’s Day. It is that day when the countries of North America stop; and as America’s President Woodrow Wilson first put it in 1914, offer “a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” Today is Mother’s Day, and this glorious occasion is met with both fervor and fear by pastors, as they ascend their pulpits to preach.
You can readily understand why somebody would speak about Mother’s Day with enthusiasm, but why fear? The truth is, Mother’s Day is not a day of joy for everybody. Anna Jarvis hated Mother’s Day. She did everything she could to have Mother’s Day removed from the calendar. That’s strange if you know your history. Strange, because Anna was the person who first persuaded the President and pushed the Congress, to set aside a national day to remember moms. Years later, disappointed with, as she said, “the racketeers and grafters” who had taken over the day, Jarvis spent her time crashing floral conventions and urging card companies to give Mother’s Day money to the poor.
But beyond Anna’s objections, there are some folks for whom this day may genuinely have lost its luster. Today is a hard day for so many women who have tried to become a mother, but without success. For them, the idea of a baby who remains a dream and never a reality, makes this day difficult. Standing by the side of these women are those who have carried and lost a child. At birth, in infancy, or later, it makes no difference. These women have an open wound in their heart that is never completely healed by the passing of time. Yes, many of them know Jesus promised a reunion in heaven. They cling to that truth with all their might; but as long as they live, something will be missing.
We can list others, for whom this day might be tearful. Some of you in this last year, have had to say an earthly farewell to your mother. This Mother’s Day, no matter what your age, you feel more than a little lonely. Some of you have had to reverse roles, and you are now playing the parent to your parent. Increasing years, physical infirmity, have pushed you into the position of being decision maker and advice giver. Some of you mothers are separated from your children by many miles. Worse, some of you are separated by broken family bonds. Maybe your home was an abusive one, and Mother’s Day leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Maybe you have lost contact. Maybe you don’t know where your children are. Maybe there were hard words said and there is an ongoing feeling of hostility. Maybe something happened, and you just don’t know what it was. All you know is this Mother’s Day, you have a heavy heart.
Because all of this is so, I know one pastor who out of serious concern for all the women in his congregation, has encouraged his people not to make any big deal about Mother’s Day. He is not going to mention Mother’s Day in his sermon, their church will give out no flowers, offer no congratulations. Another pastor wishing to recognize all the women who have never given birth, but nevertheless have shown great love to countless children, has changed the name of the day to Mothering Day. I kind of like that. One other pastor has said, “Mother’s Day is not a religious holiday. The text that is appointed to be read today doesn’t talk about Mother’s Day, so I’m not preaching about Mothers Day.” You see why this occasion is met with fervor and fear by pulpiteers.
So what shall this Lutheran Hour message talk about? Part of the lesson for today quotes the words of the Savior, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Jesus first spoke those words at the Last Supper. He knew that He would soon be betrayed by one of His disciples. The others would desert Him, another would deny Him. Within twenty-four hours He would be arrested, tried, beaten, whipped, tried again, spit upon, laughed at, and nailed to His cross. Before the sun set on Friday, He would be buried in a borrowed tomb. As He came to the end of His earthly ministry, as He prepared to die for you and me, He wanted to do some things that needed to be done; He wanted to say some things that needed to be said.
So, in their last meal together, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet; He gave them the Supper of His Body and Blood; He pointed out the man who would betray Him; and He gave them a new command: to love one another. Search as you will in the Old Testament, you will not find this command. The book of Deuteronomy tells God’s people to love strangers. (Deut. 10:19); and the book of Leviticus says we should love our neighbors (Lev. 19:18). But you will not find the command to “love one another.” In His three years with His disciples, Jesus had told His followers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44); He had told them to love God with all their heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37); He had told them to love their neighbors like themselves. (Matthew 22: 39) But only now, as He is preparing for His suffering, His sacrifice, His crucifixion, He says, “love one another, as I have loved you.”
Jesus gives a short command with lifetime implications. First He says, “Love one another.” Look, if I can’t force myself to like Brussels sprouts, watching bowling on television, or putting all nine zip code numbers on my envelopes, how am I supposed to love the guy who cuts me off in traffic, the people who talk out loud at the movies, and the child who kicks his dog? How am I supposed to love all the negative, nasty people this world holds? But Jesus isn’t done. First He tells me to love. That’s hard. Then He commands something harder: He says, “love as I have loved you.”
Exactly what does that mean? Exactly how did Jesus love us? Tough questions, those. Made tougher by the fact we’ve never really seen Jesus, at least not face-to-face. I do know His love had to be a wonderful love. But to what can I compare it? How does Jesus’ love compare to the finest love that we have known, the love we received from our mothers? How does Jesus’ love stack up beside a mother’s love?
Let’s take a look. We all know a mother’s love is under-appreciated. Not so long ago, while mother was out, a dad and daughter decided to dig in and do something special. Furiously, they tidied the kitchen. Counters were cleaned, dishes were done, floor was swept. With satisfied smiles they waited for mom’s return. She walked in, looked at the kitchen, and without comment went to the family room, picked up the TV remote and started surfing the channels. Husband and daughter stared. Finally mom said, “What?” Two words came out of two mouths: “the kitchen.” “The kitchen, what?” mom asked with a small smile. Dad was first, “We cleaned it.” Daughter added, “Didn’t you notice?” Now sporting a great grin, mother replied, “Oh yeah. Thankless job, isn’t it?”
That mother was trying to teach her loved ones that what they had done at seeming great sacrifice, was something she did all the time. They expected applause for that which she faithfully had done without any appreciation. The truth is, mothers get no overtime for extra hours; they get no promotion for a job well done. They just, day after day and year after year, keep plugging away at the dirty, dismal, dull duties that need to be done. Love, not admiration or appreciation, keeps them coming back to do the work nobody else wants to do. That’s love: to keep going when nobody appreciates you.
Did Jesus have an I’m-going-to-keep-on-giving-even-though-I’m-unappreciated kind of love? You decide. When He was born, wise men came to Herod, the king of the Jews. They told him about the newborn Ruler. How did Herod react? He tried to have Jesus killed. Jesus kept on loving. As a grown man, Jesus went to His hometown of Nazareth to tell them that the Messiah had arrived. He wanted to share with them that He was going to be sacrificed so that they might be saved. How did they react? They tried to kill Him. Jesus continued to love. Jesus healed ten men of leprosy. Nine of them forgot to thank Him. He continued to heal. Jesus saved a man by casting out the demons that had possessed him. The man’s neighbors asked Jesus to leave town. He left, but He kept on loving. His church lied about Him, unfairly tried Him. He continued to love them. His government denied Him justice, yet He still, in love, carried His cross and died. His disciples fell asleep when He asked them to pray. Still, on Resurrection Sunday, Jesus, in love, appeared to them and said, “My peace I give to you.” Yes, Jesus had, and has, a love which will continue on, even when it’s not appreciated. Like a mother’s love, and more than a mother’s love.
Jesus says we are to love each other as He has loved us. What does that mean? We all know a mother’s love is sacrificial. During the Second World War, Solomon Rosenberg, his wife, and two sons were arrested. In the Nazi labor camp there was one main rule: “If you work, you live. If you can’t work, you die.” Every evening the father came back to the barracks and looked for his family. For a few minutes, they would huddle, and give thanks for another day. One day, father came back and his family wasn’t there. He finally found his oldest son, Joshua, crying in a corner. To the father’s heartrending question, the son shared: “Today David (David was the younger, and weaker son) was not strong enough to work. They came for him. When they came for him, he was afraid and he cried. Mama said, ‘There is nothing to be afraid of, David,’ and she took his hand and went with him.” I have no doubt my mother, your mother, would have done the same. Did Jesus have that kind of sacrificial love?
Yes, Jesus had that kind of love and more. David’s mother was willing to give herself for her child. She loved him. Purely. Completely. He was her flesh and blood. Every day as he grew within her, her love had grown for him; but would this wonderful mother have died for someone else’s child? I don’t know what she would have done. I do know Jesus lived His life, gave His life, for all of lost humanity. Jesus gave Himself to those who had walked away, who wanted nothing to do with Him, for those who hated Him. This, Jesus did. David’s mother went with her son so that he would not be alone. It was a noble act. No one can question it. But Jesus went to death and grave, not to keep us company, but to take our place. He became the sinner’s Substitute. Yes, Jesus’ sacrificial love is like a mother’s love, and more than a mother’s love.
Jesus said, “love one another as I have loved you.” On earth, the best love most of us can expect to see is that which comes from our mothers. They show us a love that is beautiful, blessed, and a blessing. But, as wonderful as a mother’s love is, as complete and good as it is, it falls short of that which we see in the Savior. That is because Jesus’ love is absolutely unique. Let me tell you what I mean. Every mother I have ever known, have ever seen, has one very special quality: she believes in her child. I have seen the mother of murderers and misfits, rebels and rapists, beyond all reason or logic, continue to believe in their son or daughter. Everybody else, with good reason, may have turned their backs on that child, but not mother. A mother believes there is a spark of goodness in her child. A mother believes her child has some small redeeming quality. A mother hopes tomorrow will be better. Mothers believe.
In contrast, Jesus had no such beliefs or delusions. With Divine insight that allowed Him to see into the hearts and souls of humankind, Jesus knew. He knew His disciples would desert Him; His friends would fail Him; His listeners would leave Him. He knew that you and I would be among those disciples, listeners, and friends. He knew that His life would end alone, upon a cross. Still, even though Jesus had this knowledge, even though He knew there could be no escape for Him, Jesus continued to love us. So we might be saved, Jesus loved us, lived for us, died for us, and rose for us. And now in Word and Sacrament, He continues to love and call us to a new life. A life of faith, forgiveness and eternal future.
On August 16, 1987, a Northwest Airlines flight took off from the Detroit airport. Soon after takeoff, the plane crashed onto a highway. One hundred fifty-five people died. When rescuers arrived, among the carnage of cars and craft, they found a four-year-old girl. She said her name was Cecelia. Because of Cecelia’s almost perfect condition, it was thought she had been a passenger in a car, rather than the plane. A quick check of the flight’s roster showed they had thought wrongly. Cecelia had been on flight 225. Cecelia explained how, in the plane’s last moments, her mother Paula, had unbuckled her seat belt, knelt in front of her daughter, and held Cecelia as tightly as she could. The mother put herself between her daughter and death.
Is that the kind of love Jesus has for us? Yes, that kind of love, and much more. You see, no mother, no matter how great her love, no matter how readily she is willing to sacrifice herself, can rescue her children from eternal death. No mother, no matter how far her love can reach, is able to embrace all of humanity’s adults and children. That kind of love, that kind of sacrifice, that kind of all encompassing caring comes from the Lord Jesus, alone. As humanity was dying, He left the safety and security of His heavenly home, became one of us. As you and I were going down, He put Himself between us and hell. So great is His love, so far the span between His nail-pierced hands, there is room for all of us. Yes, like a mother’s love, and more than a mother’s love.
If you do not know Him, let Lutheran Hour Ministries introduce you to Him. If you are a mother who has been entrusted for a few years with the raising of a child, let us help you bring your child to Jesus, the only One Who will love that little one more than you. Judgment day will come. When it arrives, may you stand with your children and grandchildren and hear them say: “My mother taught me, and I never forgot: Jesus is the Light and Love of the world.” Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for May 9, 2004
Topic: Men and Women: Equal and Different
ANNOUNCER: Does the Bible consign women to second-class status? Stay with us as we discuss that question next with Pastor Ken Klaus; I’m Mark Eischer. Before we tackle that subject however, let’s take this opportunity to first wish a happy Mother’s Day to our listeners, and on a personal note, especially to my mother Lois, my wife Debbie, and to Pastor Klaus’ wife Pam, and his mother Jeanette.
KLAUS: Thank you for taking care of that Mark, it’s appreciated.
ANNOUNCER: Our question today comes from one of our staff members here at “The Lutheran Hour,” although it’s really not their question either. It’s something someone asked them, and they weren’t quite sure how to respond. Again, the question is, “Does the Bible consign women to second-class status?”
KLAUS: I’ve heard that question before. It seems to be a commonly held view. More so, I think, from the people who are not part of the church.
ANNOUNCER: So would you say then, the Bible does not consider women to be second-class?
KLAUS: Absolutely. It’s true, there are some other religions that say a woman will only get to heaven because of her husband, or that her testimony in a court is weighted half the value as that of a man.
ANNOUNCER: But that’s definitely not true for Christianity.
KLAUS: Absolutely not. St. Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28-29)
ANNOUNCER: So St. Paul is saying that …
KLAUS: Men and women are both sinners. Men and women both need a Savior. Men and women both receive forgiveness at the cross. Men and woman are both equally adoptable into God’s family.
ANNOUNCER: Now you said there were a number of reasons why you think this way. Would you share another?
KLAUS: Glad to. You know, when it comes to the story of Jesus’ life and death, we have four different accounts.
ANNOUNCER: From Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
KLAUS: All men?
ANNOUNCER: All men.
KLAUS: How did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show themselves during Jesus’ passion, death, and burial? When those men wrote the Gospels, you would think that if they considered women to be second-rate, they would have painted them second-rate in the narrative. At the same time, they would have shown the men to be superior.
ANNOUNCER: But they didn’t.
KLAUS: No they didn’t. The disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested. The women, they didn’t. There was only one disciple at the foot of the cross – John; but there were a number of women there. After Jesus’ death and burial, the disciples were hiding away, cowering, afraid they might be next. The women, on the other hand, watched to see where Jesus was buried. On Resurrection Sunday they were headed off to the tomb. They were the first to see the Risen Savior. They were the first to believe that He’d risen from the dead.
ANNOUNCER: So all in all, it seems the men are portrayed in a fairly poor light, at least in the passion narratives.
KLAUS: Well, they’re portrayed in an honest light. A great many women, like those around Jesus, have been spiritual dynamos.
ANNOUNCER: So men and women are equal then?
KLAUS: Now I wouldn’t go that far.
ANNOUNCER: You’re backtracking on me.
KLAUS: No, no. Let me explain. Today, people in North America like to say that we are all created equal; and that is certainly true in some areas of our faith. We listed some of them before, we’re all sinners, we all need a Savior. But there are a great many areas where we’re just not the same. That does not mean, however, that anyone should be considered second-rate. Different and unequal does not mean inferior.
ANNOUNCER: Could you explain that further?
KLAUS: There are a number of people in my life … a doctor who prescribes medicine for me, a dentist who keeps me smiling, an accountant who does my taxes, a mechanic who keeps my car running – all of them are very good at what they do. On the other hand, I am very bad at what they do. So does that make me an inferior human being?
ANNOUNCER: No, it just means you’re different, but you have certain gifts, and I might add, a calling that they don’t have.
KLAUS: Oh, so that would make them inferior to me?
ANNOUNCER: No, that’s makes them different.
KLAUS: and that’s the point. Men and women have differences. They have different roles to fill. The mark of a superior person, woman or man, is that they fulfill their God-given vocations in a superior way.
ANNOUNCER: So different, but not second-rate. Is that what you’re saying?
KLAUS: That’s exactly what I’m saying.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.