Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20060101.htm

JESUS' DISCIPLING OF WOMEN: AN ADDENDUM TO HIS DISCIPLING OF PETER
Part III: Discipling Jesus' Earthly Mother: Gradually Prioritizing Her Spiritual Over Earthly Relationships
(Luke 2:41-51 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. Sometimes the party God leads us to disciple is a relative who is a woman, one who is usually very emotionally entwined with us on the human level! That human tie is so prominent in the mind of many women relatives that it can even block the spiritual truths and ties we seek to convey in discipling!
    2. Scripture reports how Jesus effectively discipled His own earthly mother Mary who would have been very connected to Jesus on the level of the human tie! A great lesson on effectively discipling female relatives is provided in our study of that process (as follows):
  2. Discipling Jesus' Earthly Mother: Gradually Prioritizing Her Spiritual Over Earthly Relationships.
    1. First, Jesus exampled the priority of His relation to God the Father over His human tie with Mary:
      1. Hebrew youths age 12 years were expected to visit the temple at least one year before their Bar Mitzvah at age thirteen, Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services as They Were at the Time of Christ , p. 216 (citing Yoma, 82a of the Mishnah); hence, Jesus heeded this rule to the full in Luke 2:41-46, staying behind at the temple beyond the required days to interact with the doctors of the law before becoming a "son of the commandment," Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Luke 2:42.
      2. When Mary and Joseph missed Jesus amid the relatives who had started to return with them to Galilee, they went back down to Jerusalem and found Jesus in the temple with these doctors, Luke 2:44-46.
      3. Mary complained about Jesus' absence from the traveling group and how it had worried her, but He explained He had to be involved with His heavenly Father's matters, Luke 2:48b-49.
      4. At the time, Mary and Joseph did not understand what Jesus meant by this saying; thus, for the sake of testimony with them, He submitted to their human headship and went with them to Nazareth, 2:50-51.
    2. Second, Jesus stated the priority of His relation with the Father over His human tie with Mary, Jn. 2:1-5:
      1. When Mary was involved in hosting a wedding at Cana and had run out of banquet wine at the feast, she came to Jesus, urging Him to help remedy the situation, John 2:1-3. She did not expect Him to perform a miracle, but to take steps as her responsible adult son to help solve the need she faced.
      2. Jesus replied that it was not His heavenly Father's time to reveal Himself as the Messiah by way of miracles, a statement Mary obviously did not then understand, John 2:4. Yet, she in faith told the servants to do whatever He commanded them to do to solve the situation, John 2:5.
      3. Jesus accordingly GRACIOUSLY went beyond the Father's calling to use His miraculous power to turn water to wine in private all to help his mother, Mary out of a socially difficult situation! (2:6-11)
    3. Third, Jesus taught the priority of His relation with the Father over His human tie with Mary:
      1. At one point in Jesus' earthly ministry, Mary and Jesus' earthly (half) brothers came to take custody of Him as they thought He was insane for putting His ministry above eating meals, Mark 3:21, 31 NIV.
      2. When they arrived to take Him into custody, Jesus taught that those who heeded and did the will and Word of God were more closely related to Him than where His earthly kinfolk, Mark 3:32-35.
    4. Fourth, Jesus directed the priority of His mother's relation with the Father over His human tie with her, John 19:25-27: as He was on the cross, Jesus told Mary to view His disciple John as her son and John to view her as his mother; thus, John's spiritual tie with Jesus led a new human tie for Mary!
    5. Fifth, Jesus equipped His mother to live in relation with the Father over His human tie with her, Ac. 1-2:
      1. Mary and Jesus' earthly brothers were among those filled with the Spirit at Pentecost, Acts 1:14; 2:1-4.
      2. So, in sending God the Holy Spirit to her, Jesus equipped His earthly mother, Mary to live in right relation to God by the indwelling, enabling and comforting ministry of the Spirit, John 14:16-18 NIV.
Lesson: By EXAMPLING, then STATING, then TEACHING, then DIRECTING and finally EQUIPPING her with the All-sufficiency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus GRADUALLY discipled His human mother to prioritize her relationship with God the Father over her HUMAN tie to Him.

Application: May we who disciple women relatives GRADUALLY show by example, word, teaching, directing and instruction on equipping by the Holy Spirit that they are to prioritize their relationship with the heavenly Father over the human ties they have with us! Then they will be discipled in Him!