From the soccer fields of Guyana to the pulpit and publishing world, Pastor Paul Cannings has lived a life driven by passion, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to making God’s Word accessible to all. As an accomplished author and spiritual leader, his journey reflects the diverse experiences that have shaped his ministry and writing career.
Growing up in Guyana, South America, Cannings’ early years were richly woven with family, church, and athletic pursuits. His talent for soccer earned him numerous accolades, including all-district, all-conference, and all-star awards during his college years. He even came close to achieving his childhood dream of playing for Guyana’s National Soccer Team before his departure from the country.
Though his youthful aspirations initially pointed toward becoming a scientist or medical doctor, God had different plans for his life. Today, Pastor Cannings channels his analytical mind and compassionate heart into breaking down biblical concepts for others to understand. His writing ministry was born from observing people’s genuine passion for Scripture while struggling to fully grasp its meaning.
“Understanding that people have different learning traits that help them understand information better inspired me to make God’s Word meaningful and user-friendly as a transforming agent in people’s lives,” Cannings explains. His approach to writing is deeply influenced by Scripture itself, with a focus on making biblical principles applicable to daily life.
Currently, Pastor Cannings is working on an exciting new project titled “Answered Prayers,” addressing the common struggles people face in their prayer lives and the question of whether their prayers are truly heard and answered. This is just one of five book projects in his pipeline, with another upcoming work focusing on overcoming life’s challenging circumstances.
His latest work explores the impact of women in biblical history, inspired by observing the influence of his wife on their children and grandchildren, as well as reflecting on his own mother’s profound impact on his life. “It is not about how much control or power we may believe we have because of how the world defines women,” he shares. “It is about how women choose to allow God to use them, guided by His Word, to make a difference.”
Family remains central to Pastor Cannings’ life. When asked about his dream dinner party guests, he chose his wife and sons, stating that “outside of God, my family is my next precious priority.” This family-first approach extends to his leisure time, which he enjoys spending with his grandchildren when not writing or reading.
Each day begins with what he considers the best part of his day – morning alone time with God. This spiritual discipline undoubtedly fuels his ministry and writing, which continue to touch lives across generations. His work is characterized by three words that define his approach to both ministry and life: driven, passionate, and compassionate.
At Defiance Press and Publishing, we are honored to partner with Pastor Cannings in bringing his insightful works to readers worldwide. His unique background, from his Caribbean roots (evidenced by his love for Caribbean food and curry chicken) to his athletic achievements and deep spiritual calling, brings a fresh perspective to modern Christian literature.
His ongoing mission to make Scripture accessible and transformative resonates perfectly with our commitment to publishing impactful Christian content. Whether he’s writing about women in the Bible, answered prayers, or overcoming life’s challenges, Pastor Cannings continues to create works that not only educate but transform lives through the power of God’s Word.
Excerpt from Leaders in Heels
Mary – Chapter 1
The Transforming Power of Motherhood
Today, we live in a world that views motherhood as providing the best for one’s children based on what the culture has to offer. The duties of a mother run the gamut from dressing kids up cute and getting their hair done just right to providing a comfortable home and the best that education has to offer. It also includes
(but is not limited to) buying them video games and other technological trinkets, not to mention frenetic activities such as soccer, swimming, and tennis. Others believe their children will mature if placed in the best academic, social, or church environments. What we are trying to do is put our children on the world’s assembly line, hoping it yields impressive end-products. Yet, what sometimes emerges at the end of that assembly line are children who have no heart for God, who hate each other, and who have no morals. We have a generation that boasts of producing the best, yet we have the greatest crime rates, and much of that crime is committed by the youth. Add to that the increasing high school dropout rate and the increased number of sexual diseases in this generation. Something is wrong. We have yet to ask, “God, what is parenting that honors you?” We are yet to remember that “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother” (Proverbs 10:1).
I find it amazing that when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, God did not tell Mary how to mother Him. Nowhere in the Bible did God give Mary instructions defining motherhood. He did not tell Mary, “Now that I have given you Jesus Christ, this is how you must raise Him.” He just entrusted Mary and Joseph with His Son because of their commitment to do things God’s way (Luke 1:38; Matthew 1:19, 24-25).
Mary was unique in that she was called to nurture and raise Christ. It was a decision God made without Mary’s permission, yet the gift of a child is the same for any mother. “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3). “But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint” (1 Timothy 2:15). So, the only difference between Mary and any mother is that Mary’s child was begotten by the Holy Spirit and is Christ.
To garner a more complete picture of Mary as a mother, we will examine the following passages: Luke 2:21-23, 39, Matthew 12:46, 13:53, and John 19:25-27. Indeed, what we glean from those passages are some of the most glorious aspects of mothering. The passages highlight three of Mary’s character traits: 1) her commitment to God, 2) her persistence in keeping the family together, and 3) her faithful loyalty to Jesus from His birth to His death at Calvary.
Mary’s Commitment to God
Mary had the most simplistic, quiet, and confidential way of taking on the greatest task she was given, and she was faithful in fulfilling what was required of her. She was a devout Jew, called upon by God to bear His Son, Jesus. Mary responded in fear at first but later willingly accepted the humiliation that she would encounter, finally understanding that people would view her calling as a glorious one (Luke 1:18-55).
In Luke 1:38, it is clear that Mary, who was age fourteen to sixteen at the time, was deeply committed to God. In verse 38, Mary says, “Behold, the Lord’s bondservant; may it be done to me according to your word.” She says that after she stops being afraid and after understanding that she was going to be embarrassed and humiliated by having a baby out of wedlock. The word “bondservant” indicates that Mary was committed to God to the point of death. It also suggests Mary was saying she would serve God at the level of a slave for life.
In other words, she was not looking for any payment or reward. She was not expecting God to make her rich, popular, or great for having His son. Indeed, her social status did not change. Mary was just glad to be God’s slave as she served God’s agenda. Eve said something similar after giving birth to Cain: “Now the man had relations with his wife Eve and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, ‘I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord’” (Genesis 4:1).
Mary understood Jewish law. She knew that being pregnant out of wedlock could mean that she would not be allowed to marry Joseph and even risk being stoned to death. She could have also been cast aside by her family since her pregnancy suggested she had been unfaithful to Joseph, her betrothed. Such a scenario surely created humiliation for her family (and this may have happened since we never hear anything to the contrary from Mary’s mother and father). Despite all, Mary was committed to God to be the mother of His Son, no matter the cost. She was all in.
Another trait Mary possessed was humility. In Matthew 1, her humility drove her faithfulness. Matthew 1:18 says, “When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.” According to Matthew 1:19, Joseph discovered that Mary was already three months pregnant. Think of the embarrassment, the humiliation! I don’t know anyone who would jump up and say, “Praise the Lord!” in such a situation. Yet, Mary told Joseph what took place and did not make any demands. God had decided to make her pregnant, and she was focused. Again, one never hears a word about Mary’s parents being involved in any of this. It did not matter to Mary since this was God’s plan for her life. A true bondslave.
Many mothers have had their children outside of marriage. Lots of promises were initially made, but in the end, the mother was left with all the responsibility. We must remember that every child is a gift from God—not some, but every child (Psalm 127:3). I know such a predicament can be humiliating, but it is definitely not the end. Even Mary was also a single mother for a certain period (remember the passage I provided earlier in 1 Timothy 2:15).
Despite the humiliation these circumstances must have imposed on both Joseph and Mary and despite all the adjustments they had to make, their faithfulness to God produced positive results for their entire family. In this way, raising children is first allowing the Lord to grow us. Subsequently, his spiritual influence, which is evident in our commitment to discipleship, so shapes our character that our children see more of Christ in us. The children see “Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:23-24) operating in their home. This allows the Holy Spirit to shape not just us but our children. They are nurtured by the fruit of the Spirit they see radiating through us (Galatians 5:22-25)—and not by the flesh that leads to unresolved arguments, selfish decisions, abusive language, and sometimes, unfortunately, divorce, which in turn creates angry children.
Now, consider Hagar. She did not ask Abraham and Sarah to make her a surrogate mother. Nowhere in the scriptures did it say that she fell in love with Abraham and wanted to be with him. Abraham and Sarah made the decision, and Hagar had no choice in the matter. Despite her circumstances, God allowed Hagar to become pregnant. Further, Hagar did not ask Ishmael to bully Isaac. He was the older brother, and that is what older brothers do sometimes. Moreover, it was God who allowed Abraham to release Hagar. By putting only bread and water on her shoulders, Abraham made it clear that was all the child support she was going to get (Genesis 21:14).
Hagar found herself alone in the wilderness (Genesis 21:1-20). She could not go home to her parents. She had a mixed-race child by a sheep herder. Yet, Hagar loved her son, “for she said, ‘Do not let me see the boy die’“ (Genesis 21:16). God was faithful. “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is” (Genesis 21:17-18). With the Lord’s help, Hagar faithfully and humbly raised her child, and he became a leader of a nation, lived a long life (Genesis 25:17), and came back and buried his father (Genesis 25:9). Furthermore, it was the Ishmaelites who rescued Joseph from the well and took him to Egypt.
As I was sitting in my study one day, my wife and one of my sisters were having a chat in the room. My sister stood there for a minute, looked at me and my wife, and said,
The reason I love my mother is that mothering became her life, it became everything— her person, her character, her thinking, her focus, her daily living. Nothing ever took its place, and the reason I’m so dedicated to my mother is because there is nobody in this world who could have done for me what she has done. Even when I became pregnant outside of marriage, everyone denied me but my mother. There is nobody that could ever take her place in my life.
It is not what goes wrong that should guide our decisions. It is God’s promises and our willingness to trust Him that should direct us so that the past remains the past as God shapes a greater future. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Please do not forget the most important words—“those who love God”—because “those who love God” keep His commandments (John 14:15).
The world is the world. It is evil, run by Satan (1 John 5:19). Satan is not friendly; he just appears that way, like bait on a hook (John 10:10). So, life is not always going to be fair. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange things were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). The question then is this: What will we do when life does not work the way we want it to? Are we going to keep the faith (which is the only fight we have as per 1 Timothy 6:12)? Or are we going to allow the circumstances to control our response instead of taking our directions from Christ? When we, like Mary, decide to allow God to direct us, it does not mean life is easy. It simply means that the results are better, and His yoke turns out to be easier to bear (Matthew 11:28-30).
Mary’s Dedication to Family
Mary remained focused because of the word of God. I am sure that her commitment to the Word influenced how her husband executed what the law required of them in raising Jesus. In Luke 2:21-22 and 39, Joseph and Mary obeyed the law, circumcising Christ on the eighth day. They also obeyed the Word of God in naming Him Jesus, exactly as God had instructed by way of the angel.
Mary performed the purification rituals after forty days and went down to the temple, presenting her offering, “A pair of turtledoves and two pigeons,” in complete obedience to the law (Luke 2:22-24). These verses in Luke 2 refer to Exodus 13:2 and 12, and Leviticus 12:8. Jesus’s parents fulfilled the laws of Moses properly and piously. The particular sacrifice they offered indicates that they were poor as explained in Leviticus 12:8. (Recall David said in Psalm 37:25 that he “had not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging for bread.”) Following the custom, Mary would lay hands on the pigeons before a priest would take them to the southwest corner of the altar, wringing one bird’s neck as a sin offering and burning the other as a burnt offering.
Though it was a three-day walk to the temple, they arrived at the exact time the law required because God told her when to go and what to do, and she did exactly as He said. She was so faithful to the Word that she did whatever the Word said. Her faithfulness was not dependent on circumstances but on her commitment to God as a bondslave.
It is important to note that faithfulness to God produces results that the world can never provide. It even impacts unbelieving family members: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14). So, what matters most is that a couple is faithful to what God has called them to do. This faithfulness not only blesses them in heaven but also on earth. Think of passages such as Psalm 112 or 128. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2).
To comply with the law, Mary and Joseph took Jesus, then aged twelve, to the temple in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover:
The age of twelve would have been one year before Jesus officially became an adult Israelite and accepted responsibility for fulfilling the law (its analogy to Roman coming-of-age rituals supports other evidence for an official entrance to adulthood around this age). At age 12, every Jewish boy was called ‘a son of the law,’ being then put under a course of instruction and trained in fasting and attendance of public worship, besides learning a trade.
Families usually traveled long distances in caravans, which afforded protection from robbers, who were commonly encountered on pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Traveling with a caravan in which neighbors from their town would watch the community children together, Mary and Joseph might have assumed that the near-adult Jesus was with companions, especially if by now they had younger children with them. If we assume a pace of twenty miles per day (though perhaps slower, depending on transportation and the children), Nazareth would be a little over a three-day journey along the shortest route.
Luke 2:41-52 states that after traveling for a full day from Jerusalem to Nazareth, Joseph and Mary noticed Jesus was not with them in the caravan. After feverishly looking everywhere for Him, Mary’s passion prompted her to leave the caravan (where she and Joseph were safe) and return to Jerusalem. This probably meant the rest of the children had to return with them. Can you imagine how mad Jesus’s siblings were? Perhaps they were thinking, “She never spanks Jesus, and she always thinks that He is right.” Add to that the fact that they had spent another three days in Jerusalem looking for Him before finally discovering Him engaged in discourse with teachers in the temple.
Some teachers during that period reportedly conducted their classes in the temple courts; the famous Hillel and Shammai may have been two such teachers. Asking questions was used both in teaching and in learning, but it was important for learners to ask intelligent questions, as Jesus did. One scholar argues that Mary and Joseph must have set out for home before the close of the feast:
We read in the Talmud that the members of the Temple-Sanhedrin, who, on ordinary days, sat as a court of appeal from the close of the morning to the time of the evening sacrifice, were wont, upon Sabbaths and feast-days, to come out upon the terrace of the temple, and there to teach. In such popular instruction the utmost latitude of questioning would be given. It is in this audience, which sat upon the ground, surrounding, and mingling with the doctors, and hence, during, not after, the feast, that we must seek the child Jesus.
Despite the fact that all who heard Jesus speak “were amazed at His understanding and His answers,” Mary still had words for him: “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” (Luke 2:47-49). It should be noted that fidelity to and respect for one’s family was so heavily emphasized in that culture that such words must have struck their hearers quite forcefully. Many Jewish interpreters regarded the command to honor one’s father and mother as the most important of laws. Thus, Jesus “…went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51).
It would appear that at some point after this incident and before the crucifixion, Joseph died, leaving Mary a single parent and widow (most men died at the age of about forty-five in those times). Nevertheless, Mary worked to keep her family together, continually demonstrating her dedication to obey God in all matters related to Jesus and the family. Indeed, Mary’s concern for Jesus continued into his adulthood.
You may be thinking that raising Jesus had to be easy because He was fully God and fully man. I beg to differ. Do you know how complicated that was? How would you like the task of raising the God-Man? How would you like to have the task of raising a child who knew more than you (Luke 2:52)? And even though Mary believed in her son as the Messiah, Jesus’s half-siblings did not, so the blended family was divided (Acts 1:14; John 7:5). Can you imagine some of the tension that might have colored their interactions? For instance, one of her children could have said, “How come you never discipline Jesus?” Still, Mary’s dedication to her family was demonstrated by the way she kept them together. She did this knowing that her son would soon be her Savior
(Matthew 27:55-56; Luke 2:19, 34-35, and 51) even though the rest of her children did not understand (1 Corinthians 15:7).
In Mark 3:20, Jesus comes back home a super star. Everybody knows about His powers, His miracles, and His teachings. People crowd around Him. Yet some recognize Him as merely the carpenter’s son from a poor family (Luke 4:22). They knew Him from the time he was a young boy in their village. In those days, most villages were small, and most people knew one another. Some may have even been part of the caravans that traveled to and from the temple for Passover. So, here was Jesus, coming back home as somebody special (or so they might have surmised), which made them despise Him (Matthew 13:57). Mary was thrown into the midst of this conflict because of her love for her son.
Overall, the crowd that had gathered in Jesus’s hometown was a hostile one. According to Mark 3:20-35, the crowd did not believe in Jesus, saying he was of Satan. They were pressing in on Jesus, so much so that He could not even get away to get something to eat. Soon, Mary and several of her other sons (Jesus’ half-brothers) arrived. The scripture says, “…when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, ‘He has lost His senses’”(Mark 3:21).
The crowd, no doubt, wanted to remove Him from the village, but they could not find a good reason. Thus, the urgency for Him to respond to His family’s call: “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You” (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-32). Mary and her sons were trying to rescue Jesus. Mary was most likely glad her Son had returned home, and she was trying to take charge, just like at the wedding feast (John 2:1-6).
Remember, at the wedding feast, Jesus Christ was with His disciples when Mary told Him to make more wine. Jesus Christ addressed her as “Woman”—in other words “Ma’am” or “Madam” in their culture. Jesus was telling Mary, His earthly mother, that she could not decide when His ministry should begin. When she exercised her authority as it related to His ministry, she was “Madam.”
For the same reason, Jesus said to the crowd that had informed Him of his family’s arrival, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50; Mark 3:31-35). I wonder how these words would have resonated with Mary.
Thinking of one’s co-religionists as brothers and sisters was common. Respecting older people as mothers and fathers was also widespread, but allowing the ties in the religious community to take precedence over one’s family ties was unheard of in Judaism. It was as though He regarded his new family as more important than his natural one. (Like other Jewish teachers, Jesus commonly employed hyperbole, or rhetorical exaggeration.)
However, He was not rejecting his earthly family altogether. He was simply stating his priorities because they wanted to declare him mentally incompetent and rescue Him from the dangers He was sure to face from religious authorities if He continued on that path (Mark 3:21).
Jesus did not allow Mary or His brothers to take over. He remained focused on His mission, but Mary refused to do nothing on seeing her son in danger. Again, it appears that Joseph had passed on by that time, so it was obvious that Mary was doing what she perceived as her job, which was taking care of her family. Her sons followed her and were ready to take Jesus home, just as Mary had instructed. Remember that all of this was done in the midst of scribes accusing Him, crowds pressing Him so hard He could not eat, and Jesus confronting and challenging them for making false accusations.
Mary had to manage all of that as a single woman as she saw the tension simmering in not just her own home, but also in all those who sought to kill her first-born son. Mary accepted her call, remaining faithful no matter how humiliating the circumstances. She faithfully executed her responsibilities—as did my mother in raising me and my siblings.
I remember growing up and being involved with my mom’s early morning devotions. Every morning at six, my mother put the Word into our minds. Every morning, eight children sat on the bed in the girls’ bedroom. (Our house only had three bedrooms: one for our parents and one each for the four girls and the four boys). Her husband arose at five to catch a train for work, and she packed his bag for lunch. Yet, she still woke up eight kids and trained them in the Word of God. And she would always say, “There is nothing in life. Nobody owes you nothing, and nobody has to do anything for you. Your job in life is to stick with the Word.”
I never forgot that in college. Though for the first time I could do what I wanted, I somehow found myself not wanting to miss my devotion time because my mother, for all those years, had made sure I had my personal devotions. Every night, she would make sure to remove my comic books (no matter how well I thought I had hidden them) and teach me how to conduct personal devotion at night. She also made sure I was exposed to biblical teaching outside the home.
There was a program for kids aged twelve called Inquirers Class. “You’re going to it,” my mom said. She never asked me if I wanted to go; she simply said, “Son, you are twelve. It’s time to go to Inquirers Class.” And then she would get up and walk me to church. Similarly, Mary probably said, “Jesus, you ready? We’re going to the feast.” That is faithfulness. Parents today might ask their kids whether they want to go to church, the same children whom David describes as “born in sin and shaped in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). We are not just providers. The school does not supervise character development or teach how to be a good father or mother. The world is run by Satan (1 John 5:19). There is no way the world’s assembly line can produce men and women of character, much less of godly character.
Our school was no more than a ten-minute walk from our house, and I would run home after playing soccer because my mother’s food was better than the cafeteria fare. I had no problems eating. I’ll never forget coming up the backsteps for lunch and hearing my mom praying to God for me. It changed my life. She did not remember that prayer she had uttered out loud.
“God, I don’t know about this one, Paul. I whip him. I go to the schoolhouse after him, but he just loves to play. God, will you get this boy to be serious about you?” Short but succinct, that prayer had stopped me on the backsteps.
The world always tries to make us self-sufficient and proud. It teaches us, especially if we are educated, that our achievements are what define us and our families. The world projects that philosophy, and people make a lot of money following that maxim. Yet, God says that in order to avoid conforming to the ways of the world, we must renew the mind so that the world’s way of thinking does not influence us (Romans 12:2).
The world does not want God’s structure to be our passion. Only God can raise His own creation. I do not care about how sophisticated you are, nor about the level of education you may have attained. No college class can teach a woman how to be a mother. No class in junior high or high school teaches a woman how to be a mother. The best person to shape a character is Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Timothy became a great man of God because of his mother and grandmother, who allowed God to shape their and Timothy’s lives, despite him having an unsaved father (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15). In other words, his mother’s spiritual influence sanctified the home (1 Corinthians 7:14).
Ladies, you cannot raise a child when you cannot see around the corner; you cannot raise a child when you cannot see the child’s future. We must give ourselves to God so that our example leads our children to Christ. One day, my son asked me, “Daddy, what do you want me to be?” I replied as follows:
What I want you to become has nothing to do with your degree. It is irrelevant. What I want you to be is a man who would love your wife. I want you to be the man who would raise your children. What I want you to be is a good provider. What I want you to be is a man of morals, and the only way to learn that while you are single is to commit to grow in Christ so that He can shape your life, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to become like Christ.
It is being like Christ that makes a marriage (Ephesians 5:25 and 32). I also told my son that I wanted him to be a person who respects his parents in order to learn what it takes to have a child respect him. When young people grow up to develop Christ-like character, homes are more peaceful and stable, politicians are humbler and more upright, and the executives of companies are more efficient. That is what impacts the health of our communities, cities, states, and countries.
Creating a peaceful home requires faithfulness to His Word, a complete commitment to surrender to it by trusting Him, and a dedication to making our families work, regardless of how far it stretches us. No matter how much education we have, the world cannot teach us how to parent so that we cultivate wholesome characteristics in our children. The only person who can shape a life is Christ because He is life and came to give us abundant life and to establish a friendship with us (John 10:10; 15:13). This is why I truly believe that the best way to raise a child is to first allow Christ to mature us for His glory and blessing. Once we are committed to do so, our children can become disciples because we can teach them to observe what God is commanding them to do (Matthew 28:19-20). We must allow Christ to define and redefine us so that the world does not shape our identities or our purpose.
Mary: Faithfully Loyal to the End
The crucifixion of Jesus was a dangerous time. Yet, imagine Mary who was present at the fateful spot, in the midst of darkness and of vicious soldiers nailing Christ to the cross, dead people coming back to life, and an earthquake, to top it off! Still, she stood there without her other sons present beside her. Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ’s humanity, faithfully served God and sincerely believed that her Son was the true Messiah. Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit, but He was still her son, and therefore a member of her family. Mary was determined to take care of him, to remain loyal to her Son even to the point of His death (John 19:25-27). She never left his side.
In the past, dying fathers often exhorted sons to take care of surviving mothers (which they normally would do). So, a primary responsibility in Jewish custom, which included honoring one’s father and mother, was providing for them in their old age (1 Sam. 22:3). Jesus’s mother was probably a widow in her mid- to late-forties and lived in a society where women rarely earned much income. She was therefore especially dependent on her eldest son for support. Jesus, being the oldest in the family, did not want to leave His mother unattended. He knew the love John had for Him, so He trusted the man who stayed with Him to help His mother (John 19:25-27).
Jesus honored Mary at the cross, not because of her education or status in society. He honored her because of her faithfulness in obeying God and her love for her family. Even though Jesus was fully man and fully God, He remembered his faithful mother at the cross and made sure she and his brothers were included in the New Testament church in Acts 1:14. None of Jesus’s half-siblings believed He was the Christ at this time, but they did believe in Him after His death, burial, and resurrection, according to John 7:5, I Corinthians 15:7, Acts 1:14, and Acts 15:13.
Mary stayed on the course all the way to the cross. Her humility allowed her to never become too embarrassed to follow, never become too much of a mother to accept her son as her Savior, and never become too proud to allow her nephew to care for her as Christ so ordered. She became a great woman because she found ways to release herself to the will of God. Her complete dependence on God demonstrated her humility.
In Mary’s day, she was poor and of no acclaim in the eyes of the world. She did not gain any considerable societal status. However, eternally, she will be great in the kingdom of God. Likewise, in the eyes of the world, the Laodiceans were viewed as rich and achieving much, but in God’s eyes, they were “wretched and miserable, and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17).
Even though Mary was faced with the task of raising the God-Man, she did it faithfully and with dignity. This process caused her to be blessed. Perhaps these lines from the scriptures best summarize Mary, the mother of our Lord’s humanity: “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:24-26).
Also, let’s consider the following excerpt:
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him (John 12:23-26).
It is not about who a person may be when the call to be a mother is presented to them (Psalm 127:3); it is more about how they allow the Lord to use them that makes them great (Proverbs 31:28). No mother knows who they have birthed until the child grows up. So how they raise the child is everything because the child can become great but still lack character. The child can become a person of significance but have no heart for God. “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother” (Proverbs 15:20). It is difficult to start as a child that is born in sin, shaped in iniquity (Psalm 51:5), and has foolishness in their hearts (Proverbs 22:15) and then go on to become a person of great character, but it is this process that, in God’s opinion, provides eternal blessings to a mother: “But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint” (1 Timothy 2:15). After Solomon made many descriptive remarks about the woman from Proverbs 31, he ends the chapter in this manner: “Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:29-30).
