Second, I never said or even intimated that JESUS did not feel a normal affection for His mother. However, it does appear that He takes pains to not allow that relationship to interfere in His ministry.
Well, it wasn't you, but another NC here did indeed point out that, according to Scripture, we have no evidence of affectionate communication from Jesus to his mother.
What is one supposed to make of that?
Secondly, Jesus did indeed let His mother interfere with His ministry. At her insistence, He did His first miracle at Cana.
It would be akin to a priest officiating in a Catholic service where his mother was in attendance. Would it be proper for him to show preference to his mother in such a public service ?
What do you mean by "preference?" Could he reserve the front pew for her? Maybe point her out during the sermon? Come out and kiss her during the sing of peace? Give her communion personally?
Yep. To all those things. Being a priest doesn't mean you have to give up your Mama.
I'm sure that in their more private moments together, JESUS and His mother shared in a way that was more like mother and son. However, even then, the relationship must have been tinged with the understanding by Mary that her son was someone greater than she, and that He had a singular mission to accomplish, a mission which must have filled her heart with a growing dread (in regard to the enemies He was making) as it progressed day by day.
Certainly Mary was blessed to be the mother of JESUS, but like many great blessings from God ... with them comes great responsibility. Early in JESUS' life, Mary was warned that a sword would also pierce her heart ... such a knowledge in regards to one's child would be difficult to bear, but Mary bore it and bore it well.
Preach on!
She never got in the way of His ministry ... she was with Him from the beginning to the end. She stood by bravely as He suffered and died on the cross, something I'm sure that she, as a mother, couldn't possibly have understood.
You're starting to drift.
I cannot imagine her emotions as it began to sink in that He may have raised Himself from the dead. Certainly she had seen Lazarus rise, but who could she turn to for such a miracle ? I'm certain that even this was difficult for her ... she didn't dare to hope that He lived. When she saw Him, ... her heart must have stopped. It was true after all ... all that was prophesied was true ... her son was also ... her God. Finally she watched as He ascended in the clouds to His Father, ... and she returned with the other disciples to Jerusalem to live for Him.
You see, we tend to believe that Jesus would have informed His Mother, that she would have understood what was to happen.
Such was the case where something which was truly used by God to bless His people, ultimately became a snare and a cause for disobedience on the part of His people. We do well to take care to not allow the same to happen in the case of Mary, the mother of our Lord.
So, I believe that what we see in the Bible regarding Mary is a balanced position. Certainly she was blessed and was a great blessing to every one of us. But, we want to see her as she truly was/is, not lesser, nor greater, for God is a God of truth, and, as His children, we should desire His truth.
We all agee, or course. The only question is what this "balance" is.
SD
Secondly, Jesus did indeed let His mother interfere with His ministry. At her insistence, He did His first miracle at Cana.
I don't know that I would call this interference. Certainly it didn't interfere with His ministry (He was simply attending a wedding).
What do you mean by "preference?" Could he reserve the front pew for her? Maybe point her out during the sermon? Come out and kiss her during the sing of peace? Give her communion personally?
Apparently JESUS did not feel inclined to so indulge.
You see, we tend to believe that Jesus would have informed His Mother, that she would have understood what was to happen.
JESUS also informed His disciples. They also, did not understand.