You may know this story but before Mothers Day, it bears retelling.

We know little about Mary the mother of Jesus. She plays a minor role in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.

Over the centuries, scholars have sharpened our picture of what she endured.

As scholars reveal, Mary was raised from the age of 3 to serve in the temple.

She was as young as 12 or as old as 16. We don’t know for certain.

Joseph was perhaps in his 30s and may have been married before. When Mary was in her teens, the priests held a lottery to choose her husband. Joseph won.

When Mary discovered that she was pregnant, she feared Joseph would call off their marriage. He almost did.

An angel came to him in his sleep and told him to marry Mary, that she was to bear the Son of God. The angel must have convinced him. Joseph did as he was told.

The priests were a different story.

They called Joseph and Mary to the law court and sent him into the desert to atone for his sin. When he returned, they sent Mary into the desert. When she returned, the high priest dismissed the charges.

“If the Lord God has not revealed your sins, I will not judge you either,” he said.

As Christians know, Mary was close to giving birth when she and Joseph were ordered to Bethlehem to be counted for the census. No air, bus or rail travel were available. Due to Mary’s condition, she rode and Joseph walked. But it had to be a tough trip for a pregnant young woman.

It was not to be their first difficult trip.

When Herod was informed that a new King of the Jews had been born in Bethlehem, he sent assassins to do away with this rival for his throne. But an angel came to Joseph again and advised him to take his wife and child and flee into Egypt.

They did not return to Galilee until the angel told them it was finally safe.

Our next account is in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus had received intense religious instruction and had a clear sense of his calling. Mary and Joseph found their 12-year-old son impressing the priests in Jerusalem with his understanding of Jewish law.

She also appeared early in his ministry at a wedding in Cana. When the wine ran out, she encouraged him to perform his first miracle. Jesus turned more than 100 gallons of water into wine.

Mary’s last ordeal is at the cross on Calvary. We can only imagine what she is thinking and feeling, seeing her son dying an agonizing death on the cross.

After his death, the Acts says that she joined the disciples in an upper room for prayer. After that, Mary disappears.

Many biblical scholars believe she lived out her life with the disciples. But one account says Jesus appeared to his mother before he appeared to anyone else.

Like most mothers, Mary must have had moments when she wondered if her role in her son’s life was a curse, not a blessing.

That may be an important lesson. Blessing or curse, she did what she had to do.

Please email your favorite Bible story to me at JerryBellune@yahoo.com

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