MOTHER'S DAY
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS LIST
Mother's Day is celebrated to honour the mother of the family. Mothers have a great influence in the Church and in society. The following special mothers from the Holy Bible teach us valuable lessons from their own lives.
20 SPECIAL MOTHERS FROM THE HOLY BIBLE - PART II
Please click this link for Part - I of this lesson
11. Ruth - Mother of Obed
& Ancestor of Jesus Christ
Ruth
was a woman from a country called Moab. She married Mahlon, one of the two sons
of Elimelech, an Israelite from a town called Bethlehem. Elimelech’s wife was
Naomi. Elimelech and Naomi had settled in Moab because of a famine in his
country. Elimelech had another son called Kilian. Kilian’s wife was Orpah. Within
few years Elimelech died, and then the two sons also died. Shortly, Naomi heard
that the famine in Bethlehem was over. She decided to return to Bethlehem. Naomi
urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their families in Moab. Orpah agreed
and went back to her Moabite family. Ruth chose to stay with Naomi, expressing
her commitment to Naomi and devotion to Naomi’s God, the God of Israel.
Naomi
and Ruth returned to Bethlehem. It was the barley harvest season. Ruth decided
to go into the fields to pick up leftover grains that are left behind during
the harvest. The field that Ruth went to work belonged to a man named Boaz who
was a relative of her father-in-law Elimelech. When Boaz heard that it was
Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi who was gleaning the leftover grain, he spoke
kindly with her. He told her that she could work safely and peacefully in his
fields and get a drink from his water jars when she was thirsty. Boaz was a
kinsman redeemer of Naomi. In ancient Israel, there was this practice called as
kinsman redeemer, where a person would redeem his relative who was in trouble,
danger, or need by willingly regaining the possession of something or someone
by paying their redemption price. Boaz went before the city elders to
purchase a land sold by Naomi. As a kinsman redeemer Boaz married Ruth also.
Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed. Ruth’s grandson was Jesse, the father of King
David whose genealogy would come to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Thus
Ruth, a foreigner and a Moabite was richly rewarded by the Lord under whose
wings she had come to take refuge.
Bible
Reference: The Book of Ruth
12. Unnamed
mother - in the days of King Solomon
This
is the story of an unnamed young mother who lived during the days of King
Solomon. The young mother lived with another woman in the same house and both
of them had a baby within a short time of each other. One night while the women
were sleeping, the other woman rolled over on top of her baby by mistake and
the baby died. The woman felt terrible. She wanted to have a baby desperately,
so she quietly switched the babies. She left the dead baby beside the young
mother in the bed and took the baby that was alive. When the young mother woke
in the morning to feed her baby, she saw that the baby was dead and when she
checked the baby, she knew that it was not her baby. But the other woman
refused to accept that the dead baby was hers. They yelled and fought, however,
there was no end to the dispute. So, they decided to go to King Solomon to help
them find the true mother of these babies.
King
Solomon patiently listened to both the women, but he did not give any reply to
them. He ordered his soldiers to bring him a sword.
They brought a sword and King Solomon ordered the soldier to divide the living
baby in two and give the two women each a half of the living baby. The young
mother who was the true mother of the living baby was shocked, she did not want
the baby to die, she pleaded with the king not to kill the baby, but to give it
to the other woman itself. But the other woman was unconcerned. She calmly told
the king to cut the baby into two halves and to hand over one half to each of
them and that would be a fair decision. Now King Solomon knew which one of
these was the true mother and which was not. King Solomon told his soldiers to
give the living baby to the young mother, because she was the true mother. The
love of a mother for her child is pure and selfless, she cannot bear the
thought of the child being hurt. In this story, the young mother’s pure love, affection
and care for her child, protected the child and helped the mother to get her
baby back from an unconcerned woman.
Bible
Reference: I Kings 3:16 - 28
13. Unnamed mother - A widow
from Zarephath
There
are many mothers in the Holy Bible whose names are never mentioned, but their
actions are carefully recorded. Once there was a severe famine in Israel during
the times of Prophet Elijah. Prophet Elijah was staying near a brook called
Kerith and he was fed miraculously by God. But soon the brook dried. God
instructed Prophet Elijah to go to a place called Zarephath. God also told
him that a widow would supply him with food. When Elijah arrived, he saw a woman
gathering sticks, and he asked her for some water and a piece of bread. She
told Elijah that she didn’t have any bread–only a handful of flour in a jar,
and very less oil in a jug. She wanted to prepare a final meal with her son
before they would eventually starve to death. But Prophet Elijah told her to
prepare a small piece of bread for him. He told her that that, there would be
enough flour and oil for them till the famine is over. The widow did as Prophet
Elijah asked. She took the flour and oil and made a small piece of bread and
brought it to Prophet Elijah.
The next day when she went to check
the jar for any leftover flour to make a meal, she found that miraculously
there was enough flour and oil to make food. The poor widow and her son were
thrilled. This kept happening, every day the jar kept filling until the famine
was over. The poor mother had enough to feed her son; her faith and obedience
saved them from dying of starvation. Elijah stayed in the upper room of the
widow’s house. Sometimes later, the woman’s son died of an illness. The mother
was unsure why this happened, she even wondered whether God was judging her for
her previous sins. But Prophet Elijah pleaded with God to restore the boy’s
life and the child was brought back to life. This is an extraordinary story of
God’s providence where God chose this mother from Zarephath to provide for
God’s servant Elijah and in turn she and her son were also delivered from
starvation and sure death.
Bible
Reference: I Kings 17: 7 – 24
14. Unnamed mother –
Shunammite Woman
There was
a respectable woman who lived in a place called Shunem. She is unnamed in the
Holy Bible and is referred to as the Shunammite woman. One day Prophet Elisha
happened to visit Shunem. He met this notable Shunammite woman, and she
persuaded him to eat some food at her home. Whenever Prophet Elisha passed
through that town, he would turn in there. Shunammite knew that Elisha was a
holy man of God. She requested her husband to build a room for him so that he might
stay there whenever he passed by. Prophet Elisha wanted to return her kindness
with some favour. The Shunammite replied that she was living happily and
satisfied among her own people. But Elisha’s servant Gehazi told him that the
woman had no children, and her husband was also old. Prophet Elisha called the
woman and told her that in due season, about that time next year, she would
embrace a son. It happened just as Prophet Elisha told her; the woman had
a son in due time. The child grew. One day, the little boy went out to his
father, to the farm. While he was there, suddenly, he cried to his father
saying, "My head, my head!" The father told a servant to carry him to
his mother. The child was brought home, but he lay on his mother’s knees till
noon and died. The mother went up and laid the boy on the bed of Prophet Elisha,
shut the door behind, and went out.
She went
to meet Prophet Elijah at mount Carmel. As soon as she saw Prophet Elijah, she
caught him by the feet. Prophet Elisha realized that she is deeply distress. Elisha
told Gehazi to take his staff, go to her house and to lay it on the face of the
child. Gehazi did as was told, but there was no response from the child. After
a while, Elisha and the mother of the child arrived as well. When Prophet Elisha
entered the room, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. He went in and shut
the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and lay
on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his
hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child; and the child’s
body became warm. Prophet Elisha returned and walked back and forth in the
house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him. The child’s body
became warm, the child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. The child was brought
back from death and Elisha gave the boy to his mother. The mother went in, fell
at the Prophet’s feet and she picked up her son. The Shunammite woman extended
hospitality voluntarily to the holy man of God and in return she received a
blessing she did not even ask for. As a mother she went through a hopeless
situation when her child died, but she did not give up. She trusted in God and
went to meet the man of God and brought back her son from the grips of death.
Bible
Reference: II Kings 4:8 - 37
15. Unnamed mother - A
Prophet's wife
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There
was a certain woman who lived during the days of Prophet Elisha, whose husband
was also in the company of prophets. Her husband had died, and she had to bring
up her two young sons alone. During certain situation the prophet had taken a
debt but had died without repaying it. During those days, when someone had a
debt they could not repay, the individual or their children were forced to work
as slaves so that the debt could be recovered from their wages. The prophet’s
wife could not repay the debt her husband had taken, and she did not own any
possession with considerable value that could be sold. The only thing she owned
that had any value was some oil, but very little of it was left. She would have
nothing after it is spent. The lender wanted to take her two sons to work for
him to repay the debt. The mother could not imagine parting with her sons and
sending them to be slaves, so she decided to go and meet Prophet Elisha to ask
for help.
Prophet
Elisha listened to the woman and asked her whether she owned anything, that she
could use in this time of need. The woman replied that she owned nothing except
a little oil. Prophet Elisha told her to borrow all the empty jars from her
neighbours that she could possibly get, close her doors, and begin pouring the
oil from her jar into the borrowed jars. Prophet Elisha’s suggestion might have
sounded impossible and ridiculous, but the poor woman did not question the man
of God. She went back home, and her two sons borrowed as many jars they could
get from their neighbours. The widow began to pour oil from her jar into the borrowed
jars.
Miraculously,
the oil kept on pouring! One by one, she filled each jar, until there were no
empty jars left. In the olden days, in ancient Israel, oil was a precious item
in international trade. Oil was used as a religious offering (Leviticus 2:4) and as a balm to heal wounds. Oil was also the
base for making perfumes and fragrant ointments. The widow was delighted seeing
the overflowing oil. The widow went to meet Prophet Elisha and told him what
had happened. Prophet Elisha instructed her to sell the oil and pay off her
husband’s debts. The woman and her sons were then able to live on the money
that was left over. God miraculously provided for the needs of the poor mother
who was desperate to keep her children safe and trusted in God to meet her
needs.
Bible
Reference: II Kings 4: 1 - 7
16. Jehosheba –
Aunt like a mother
Jehosheba
was the daughter of King Jehoram. Princess Jehosheba was married to the high
priest, Jehoiada. Jehosheba was a half-sister to King Ahaziah, the King of
Judah. King Ahaziah’s mother was Athaliah. King Ahaziah died after ruling
for only one year. Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah, was evil. She
wanted to take the opportunity to become queen and rule over Israel after her
son died. She sought to have the entire royal family killed, which included her
own children and grandchildren. This would essentially end the royal line
of King David. This is the line through which the Messiah would
come. Jehosheba found out that her nephews are going to be killed
including baby Joash. Baby Joash was the son of King Ahaziah. Jehosheba wanted
to protect them. But she could only manage to bring Joash out of the palace stealthily
without anyone’s knowledge. She hid him in the Temple of God where her husband
served as the Chief priest.
Little
Joash was the only member of the royal family who was saved from death. Jehosheba
took on the motherly role and along with her husband Jehoiada brought him up
for seven years. Jehosheba and Jehoiada instructed Joash in the ways of the
Lord and taught him about his royal legacy and royal duties. When Joash was
seven years old, Jehoiada knew the time was right. He brought Joash out and
crowned Joash in front of all of the people of Israel and presented him with a
copy of the covenant. As one of the Davidic line of kings, Joash is an
ancestor of Jesus Christ. Courageous Jehosheba played an important role in
saving Joash from the evil queen, Athaliah and preserving the royal line of
David. She took on the mother’s role also and brought up Joash for seven years.
Bible Reference: II Kings
11
17. Elizabeth - Mother of John
the Baptist
Elizabeth
was the wife of Zechariah, a priest in the Temple of God at Jerusalem and a relative
of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth belonged to the priestly tribe
and was a descendant of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were described as "righteous
in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly."
Angel Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah ministering in the
Temple and told him that Elizabeth would soon have a child. Zechariah found it
hard to believe the angel’s message and because of his doubt was made mute.
Elizabeth soon conceived a child and was visited by Mary, the expectant mother
of Jesus. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped with
joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth recognised Mary’s
divine assignment and blessed her. Elizabeth gave birth to a son whom they
named John, as the Angel Gabriel had commanded, and Zechariah’s speech
returned. Elizabeth is one of the miracle mothers in the Bible who had a
child in her old age. Elizabeth was privileged to be the mother of John the
Baptist, a prophet and forerunner of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Bible
Reference: Luke 1:5 - 80
18. Salome - Mother of James
& John
Salome, a follower of Jesus was
the wife of Zebedee (Matthew 27:56). Salome was a mother who gave a huge
contribution to our Christian faith. She is also referred to as the “righteous
Salome,” to differentiate her from the other evil Salome, the daughter of
Herodias whose dance led to the death of John the Baptist. Righteous Salome
brought forth and brought up two great apostles of Jesus Christ, the apostles
James and John. We have only three recorded accounts of her life in the Holy
Bible. The first account is recorded in the Book of Matthew when she asked
Jesus to let her sons sit on his right and left side in the coming kingdom (Matthew 20:20-24; 27:56). The second incident recorded
is at the crucifixion. According to Mark 15:40-41, Salome was present at
the crucifixion with the ladies who followed and ministered to Jesus Christ.
The third time Salome is mentioned is in the Book of Mark, while going to the
tomb of Jesus Christ along with Mary, Jesus’s mother, and Mary Magdalene. They
intended to anoint his body with spices. However, when they arrived, they found
the stone was rolled away and Jesus had risen (Mark 16:1–8). Salome was among
the women who were some of the first witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. From
the bits and pieces of information scattered in the gospel narrative about her,
we can understand that Salome is a great example of a godly mother who raised
her children in the Lord and then encouraged them to do God’s plan for their
life.
Bible
Reference: Matthew 20:20-24; 27:56, Mark 15: 40, 41; 16:1-8
19. Lois & Eunice - Mother
and Grandmother of Timothy
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Lois and Eunice were
the grandmother and mother of Timothy, whom Apostle Paul considered his own son. In the second
letter written by Apostle Paul to Timothy, he remembers and mentions the responsibility
and devotion of these women in raising Timothy with such unwavering fervent
faith. Apostle Paul wrote, “when I call to remembrance
the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois
and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). Eunice was a Jewish
believer married to a Greek man (Acts 16:1),
Lois was either Eunice’s mother or her mother-in-law. Timothy’s godly
upbringing is referenced again in 2 Timothy 3:14–15: “But you
must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of,
knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you
have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Even
though Lois and Eunice are mentioned by name only once in the Holy Bible, they
are examples of the powerful influence a mother or grandmother can have on a child’s
life. The life of Lois and Eunice reminds Christian mothers that their godly
influence has an eternal bearing on the lives of their children and
grandchildren.
Bible
Reference: II Timothy 1:5; 3:
14,15
20. Mary - Mother of Jesus
Christ our Lord
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Mary,
the mother of Jesus Christ is the most honoured mother in the entire human
history. She was the vessel chosen to be the human mother of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God when he incarnated in this world in the human form. Mary was human
in every way, living in similar circumstances to all the other women. Yet, she
was chosen by God for the most important task a human being has ever been
chosen for throughout all of earth’s history. Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that
she was favoured by God to be the mother of the Messiah. Mary was the humblest
woman and a vessel of grace. God considered her humility and did great things
for her; Mary knew that from then on, all generations would call her blessed
(Luke 1:46 -49). It is no surprise that the Son of God who did not consider equality
with God as something to cling to and who humbled himself to the point of death
was brought forth by Mary. Even though Mary received the most outstanding
privilege ever to have accorded to any woman, she suffered enormous shame, pain
and heartache; still never doubted God’s will for her life.
When
Mary gave birth to Jesus there was no place for them to stay. They had to stay
in a stable. Mary wrapped baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and placed him in an
animal feeding trough. Even though angels were sent to announce the birth of
her divine son, no special provisions were made for her to bring him into this
world. But she did not murmur or complain. She accepted honour and humiliation
with equal submission. When Jesus was born, satan instigated jealousy and
insecurity in the heart of Emperor Herod to stop God’s eternal salvation plan.
Herod gave an order to kill all the boy babies in Bethlehem under two years
old. Mary and Joseph were warned by an angel and fled to Egypt to protect
baby Jesus. Those were days of grief and sorrow because the birth of her son led
to the mourning of many mothers who lost their babies to Herod’s wicked plan.
Joseph and Mary had to live as strangers in a foreign country. When Jesus
Christ started his public ministry, he became famous throughout the land, Mary
neither coveted a position for herself among the disciples nor tried to make a
name for herself using her son’s fame. Mary silently remained in the
background. Mary was present when Jesus Christ performed his first miracle in
the wedding at Cana. During the final days of Jesus’ life on this earth, she
saw her Son carrying his cross outside the city gate. She saw him being ridiculed,
ill-treated, nailed to the cross and hung on it as a criminal to slowly die in
agony. When all of Jesus’ disciples ran away in fear for their lives, Mary along
with the other women who served Jesus stood near the cross showing her courage,
and motherly love.
There
is no indication in the Holy Bible that Mary had any special revelation about Jesus
Christ’s atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. She only knew that she
had been told that a sword would pierce her heart also. It was while she stood
near the cross that Jesus carried out his last duty towards her as a son. He committed
her into the hands of his closest friend John to care for her. After Jesus
Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven, Mary was with the other
disciples united in prayer and fasting, waiting for the “power from on high”
which Jesus had promised (Acts 1:13,14). This is the last time she is mentioned
in the Holy Bible. Mary is the ultimate example of biblical humility. Mary’s humility,
submission, obedience, faith, patience, endurance and motherly love are
qualities for every Christian mother to emulate.
Bible Reference: Matthew 1st & 2nd Chapter; Luke 1st & 2nd Chapter; John 2:1 – 5; 19:25 – 27; Acts 1:13, 14
Please click this link for Part - I of this lesson
Go ahead and use these lessons to encourage and celebrate the mothers in your Church and community!
Any day is a good day to celebrate godly and devoted mothers!\
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