#Special. The Mother of Mother Mary.

The Bible does not mention me directly. Or indirectly. Yet, you know with certainty that I existed. How? Because you know my daughter, Mary, mother of Jesus.

THE MOTHER OF MOTHER MARY

Everybody has a mother, except for Adam and Eve. I am a Jewish mother, and I have Jewish mother dreams. That my child finds the perfect husband and that my grandchildren are special. Is there anything better than that?

There are other early writings about me, but the Bible is silent. Think of me as a typical Jewish wife and mother. More family-oriented than the Roman mothers of my time. But, I guess wives and mothers from anywhere at any time have much in common, especially when it comes to loving our children. And grandchildren.

My husband and I are both from the tribe of Judah. When Joshua conquered the Promised Land, the tribe of Judah possessed the hill country south and west of Jerusalem, the coastal plain, and the desert to Egypt.

Since the return of the Jews from Babylon over four centuries ago, many Jewish people have been mobile and don’t live strictly in ancestral lands. My husband and I are examples of that. We live in Nazareth, in the area originally granted to the tribe of Zebulun.

In modern times, the population of Nazareth is somewhat less than 100,000, with the majority being Arabic. In my time, Nazareth has less than 500 residents, virtually all Jewish. Small enough that you know almost everybody but large enough to have a synagogue and town water well.

Like virtually all towns in Israel, we can look around us and see the locations of many Old Testament stories. Nazareth, perched on a hillside, we can see many miles in some directions.

To the west is Mount Carmel, where Elijah was victorious over the false prophets of Queen Jezebel and King Ahab. Not far to the south is Megiddo (meh-ghee’-doe), the famous city that housed the chariots of King Solomon. A little further south is the Spring of Harod (hah-rod’), where Gideon launched his victorious campaign over the Midianite hordes. It sits below Mount Gilboa, where King Saul was defeated and killed by the Philistines.

Directly below us is a spur of the trade route named Way of the Sea. We see the brightly colored camels and traders shuttling wares back and forth from Egypt to Damascus. Isaiah spoke of our little location, “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future, he will honor the Way to the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.”

The trade route runs in a valley, the Jezreel Valley. There are many stories in the Bible involving the Jezreel Valley, but my favorite is the story of Deborah, the judge, and prophetess. Deborah wanted Barak to lead the battle against Sisera, who oppressed the Israelites. Barak was reluctant; he wanted Deborah to lead. Deborah told him a woman would get the credit for winning the battle.

I love to tell that story to my daughter, Mary. Our only daughter. Mary is the light of our lives. From her birth, my husband and I have inundated her with Scripture. She loves the Lord more than anyone I have ever known. She is completely obedient to us as parents and to the Lord.

My husband and I have so completely protected her that I have been a little concerned about her future for about fifteen years. Mary is the definition of a good girl. We trust her completely, but in a small town like Nazareth, even the slightest stumble can ruin a girl’s reputation and keep her from getting a good husband.

Very soon, we will no longer be concerned about that. Mary is recently betrothed to be married to Joseph. Joseph! Truly a Godsend to us. In a village of only a few hundred, you can’t expect to find a man who is so God-fearing and gentle. He is a skilled craftsman and makes a decent living.

Betrothed. That word is important to us in Nazareth. Betrothal is a solemn contract between two families, not just two individuals. It is an agreement that two individuals will get married. At the time of the contract, the future groom pays the bride’s parents a price. The contract is so binding that if the wedding is called off, the couple has to obtain a divorce.

I'm honored to say that in the history of our village, no betrothal has been broken before marriage. A testament to how we revere betrothal. The only thing that could cause that to happen is if the woman were to get pregnant. But the broken betrothal would be the least of their worries. We are ultra-conservative here in our little village. Because of committing fornication and adultery, the woman would be in danger of being stoned to death.

That cannot possibly happen. Not in our case. Mary is never left alone with Joseph. We see to it that! Or any other man prior to her wedding, for that matter. In a small village, in a small house, it’s not hard for her father and me to accomplish that.

Another reason is that the marriage of our Mary and Joseph is extra special. Joseph is a descendant of David. Luke, the New Testament writer, makes that clear. Although it is not absolute, many scholars believe in Matthew. Either way, their children will be counted as being descendants of King David.

If their firstborn child is a son, he will qualify as the Messiah we Jews are waiting for! Probably won’t be. Hasn’t happened yet after hundreds of years of waiting. But it's exciting to even be in that category, don't you think? Not exactly probable, but entirely possible, I like to say.

Speaking of possible, or shall I say, impossible. Some months ago, Elizabeth and Zechariah were visited by the angel Gabriel. They are relatives on my side. Gabriel said they would have a child. A son they are supposed to name John! That's not even a family name! But that's not all. They are so far past child-bearing ages that no one believed their story. Sure enough, Elizabeth is pregnant! I guess we will find out if they have a son in a few more months. And if they do, I bet you can guess what they will name him.

I dream that Elizabeth does have a son named John. John will become a great prophet. He will be the messenger that is to come before the Messiah. Maybe even a symbolic Elijah that is to come.

I dream that Mary and Joseph will have a baby within the first year of their marriage. That baby will be a son who grows up as a great military leader…maybe like Judas Maccabee. He will be the savior who delivers the Jews from our Roman overlords.

I dream that I will live long enough to see that happen. I will watch my grandson be the leader of the nation of Israel, just like his distant relative, King David.

For a Jewish mother in my time, there is nothing that could be better. Is there?

It is my hope that all of you mothers and grandmothers will remain diligent in assisting in raising children for my grandson’s Kingdom.