Mother’s Day is a holiday in honour of mothers. It is celebrated in countries throughout the world. The idea of Mother’s Day originated with Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia, whose mother had organized women’s groups to promote friendship and health. On May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate the first Mother’s Day. Over time the day was expanded to include others, such as grandmothers and aunts, and many others who played mothering roles.
My own mother was a kind and generous woman. Her name was Olive Agatha Graham. It was only later in life as I attended Seminary and studied Greek that I discovered the meaning of the word Agatha. The name is a derivative of the Greek word “agathos” which means “good” and “honorable.” That was my mother. She passed 37 years ago. Today, I honor her memory.
The Bible is full of famous women—queens, prophets, a judge, notable disciples of Jesus and associates of Paul. Some women have books of the Bible named after them. Others share the spotlight with their also-famous husbands or sons. You can probably name quite a few of these women.
But there are others you can’t name, because—well, the Bible doesn’t give them names. So, while there are many women in the Bible that are well-known and remembered for their roles and significance in God’s story, there are also several unnamed women whose stories have left us with valuable lessons and lasting impact.
In honor of Mothers’ Day, I want to give a shout-out to these anonymous heroines of the faith as well as two prominent women who are noteworthy, not so much for their words but for their actions during their lives. I’m looking at Eve, the mother of the human race, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Even though these two biblical women are prominent and well-known, Eve utters less than 45 words in the Bible – the last ones being “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Mary, the mother of Jesus utters only about 191 words – her last words in the Bible being – “Do whatever he tells you.” Even though their words were few, their lives speak volumes. The saying is true – “Actions speak much louder than words.”
Eve, the Mother of the Human Race
Eve was the results of a divine creation. She emerged as a complete, perfect woman. She was never a baby, a girl, or a daughter. The first female born into the world was Eve’s first daughter (After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters).
One day a serpent representing Satan tricked Eve into eating fruit, which she also gave to her husband Adam, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was something that God had expressly forbidden them to do. As a consequence, Eve and her husband Adam were punished by being sent away from the Garden of Eden.
That one act of disobedience propelled mankind down the slippery road of sin and disobedience known as the ‘Fall of Mankind.’ Eve had no knowledge of evil and therefore could not suspect the serpent’s motives. However, she did know she was required to obey God. Instead, she chose to obey an animal over which they had been given authority, rather than obeying God.
Eve was the first mother to be beset by grief – the death of her second son Abel – not by illness, but by being murdered at the hand of his brother Cain. The Bible does not tell us what Eve’s response to this loss was. But I’m sure her heart broke as any mother’s heart would today, when faced with such a horrendous tragedy.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Mary, the “most highly favored by God” is a beautiful example of living a life of faith, courage, obedience and trust. She was only a teenager living in Nazareth when the unimaginable happened – the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced she was chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah.
The gospel of Matthew tells us that when the angel appeared, Mary was already betrothed to a man named Joseph. Despite confusion, uncertainty and the repercussions that her pregnancy would have on her reputation and her relationship with her future husband, Mary accepted the role as mother of Jesus with a faith-filled “yes”. By submitting herself to God’s will, Mary is a model of obedience and trust showing us how to be a “servant of the Lord.” One of her first words were, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).
One day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and Mary was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. Unfortunately for the host, the wine ran out. Mary frantically said to Jesus, “They have no wine.” But Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary, who had been pondering many things in her heart, suspected that Jesus was about to perform His first miracle; said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:2-5).
Not unlike Eve, Mary would also experience the loss of her Son. She knew the searing pain of grief. But the death of this Son was intended to right the wrong and pay the penalty for Eve, Adam, Cain and for the rest of humankind. It is very fitting therefore, that the last recorded words of Mary would be; “Do whatever he tells you.” So when you do hear the beaconing voice of the Son of God, “Do whatever he tells you.”
