Learning To Be Reliable From Jesus And His Mom
I want to deal with a sensitive and unusual topic: How Jesus treats women. As we strive to become like Jesus, we must learn from His actions and imitate Him.
The first woman we see Jesus interacting with was his Mom, Mary. Jesus loved his mom. He showed her his love by taking care of her needs and requests. He showed her compassion. He took being a son seriously and fulfilled His responsibilities to her. He did everything out of a heart of love.
In John 2, we get a glimpse at the relationship between Jesus and His Mom. The backdrop is a Jewish wedding ceremony in the town of Cana. Jesus was at the very beginning of His ministry. He was there with His mother and His disciples.
While they were at the wedding, news reached Mary that the wedding’s hosts ran out of wine. This was going to be a major embarrassment for the bride and groom. When Mary heard of the problem, she went to Jesus to solve it. Why?
Because over the years, Jesus proved to Mary that she could rely on Him. After Joseph died, Jesus, being the oldest, took over the family business and ran the carpenter’s shop to provide for the family. He helped raise His brothers and sisters until they were grown. So, when Mary saw a young couple about to be disgraced on their big day, she went to Jesus to solve the problem.
Jesus responded to His mom’s request tenderly. Although His words may sound like a disrespectful reproof to us, when I was studying this passage I found His answer was actually quite tender. It is clear that Jesus didn’t intend to refuse her request, but only to delay it. Her response shows that she was not offended, but she knew He would handle things. His response was actually something like, “Mom, don’t worry about it. This isn’t something to for us to worry about. The proper time for intervening hasn’t come yet. When it does, I will handle it.”
Isn’t that beautiful? Jesus didn’t handle her harshly and say, “Listen Lady, I’m here with my friends. What do you want?” He didn’t just hear her words, but He saw her heart that wanted to help the young couple. He didn’t act like she was a bother or a nuisance, but He listened to her and helped her. Once again, He proved to Mary that she could rely on Him.
Seeing how Jesus treatments women, I know I have a long way to go in this area. I admit this is a battle for me; because I grew up in an area where women were not treated with respect. They were seen as servants to men. Most of the men I knew were very selfish and expected women to wait on them. If a woman needed something from a man, it was seen as a major imposition. I learned from these men how to not respect or value a woman. Thus, I treated women disrespectfully just like them. Now my ideas, thoughts, and behavior patterns in my brain must be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I’ve learned that, as God’s sons, we need to work on showing respect to the women around us. We need to treat them gently and courteously. They need to know that their thoughts and opinions are important to us. They should feel comfortable approaching us, knowing they will be treated kindly, with dignity and respect
How do you treat women? Like Jesus or what you saw or experienced growing up? Analyze yourself? Talk to God about it. Ask forgiveness. Ask God to bring a godly man into your life to teach you how to treat women. Read Fred Stoeker’s Every Man’s books and learn. He is one of the godliest men I know.
God created women. We share the planet with them. We need to learn (and it is a learning process) how to treat them.