Who is my mother?

By Devon Dick

 In a few days, we will celebrate Mother's Day and it is good to reflect on Jesus' attitude towards his mother. While Jesus was talking to a crowd, his mother stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone brought it to his attention and he queried: "Who is my mother?" He then pointed to his disciples and said: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my mother." (See Matthew 12:46-50).

This question, 'Who is my mother?' was not asked because Jesus was unaware of who his mother was. Neither was he suggesting he had no mother, nor was he denying that Mary was his mother. It does not appear that the intention of Jesus was to slight his biological mother. However, it is about the preeminence of his relationship to his Heavenly Father over a natural earthly relationship.

It should not be missed also that Jesus is claiming that God is ultimately creator of all human beings, so we are brothers and sisters as members of the human race. Therefore, we should not worship family relationships to the exclusion of others of the human race. The nuclear family should not be given priority over the extended family based on proximity when there is a genuine need. Jesus also made clear his concept of who is a neighbour. A neighbour was not based on location, but rather on need and meeting a need.

More than childbearers

Similarly, our understanding of motherhood should be all-embracing. There is an overemphasis on biological mothers. This overemphasis puts pressure on some young women who, seeing their biological clock ticking, rush into single parenting. It also puts pressure on married couples to have children soon after marriage and gives them a sense of incompleteness if they do not have a child. Furthermore, some teenage girls feel pressured into having babies in order to prove their fertility. Our primary understanding ought to be that there is a bond between persons who are committed to doing the will of God that transcends blood relations. Therefore, there are church mothers who nurture the young in the Christian faith through various small groups. They, too, should be celebrated.

In the concept of God as creator of all, we belong to one race - the human race. As members of this human race, we have a commitment to each other. We are in one world and the welfare of one is related to the other. The unjust incarceration of one affects the whole. We are our brothers and sisters' keepers. We have to be concerned about the common good and the building up of community.

Show children love

Additionally, we should never make children, who were abandoned and/or adopted, feel inferior if they cannot identify a biological mother. But we should help them to appreciate equally those who mothered them. Orphans should be given a sense of belonging because someone plays the role of mother. In the United Kingdom, Mother's Day is called Mothering Sunday, which is a day to honour mothers and other mother figures such as grandmothers, stepmothers and mothers-in-law. We should add to this list mothers of the church.

Being a biological mother is not owing to the females' greatness and goodness. It is not because of her skill or because she is better than another female who has no biological offspring. Having a baby is a gift from God; a gift that enables the mother to be a good steward. It is a similar gift to persons who are foster parents, those who adopt children, those who teach, protect and nurse children, and those mothers of the faith who encourage godliness.

Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. He is author of 'The Cross and the Machete', and 'Rebellion to Riot'. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.