Was Mary a Possessive Mother?

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rockytopva

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40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. - Luke 2
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grumix8

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We cannot know that perhaps she was or wasn't but the importance is she was A mother and of the saviour.
 

Rita

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I have never considered that Mary was possessive ,if she was surely she would have been watching where he was going all the time and would not have been in a position of leaving him behind. As to whether or not she should have allowed him more freedom because of who he was , well that’s a difficult one because we only have this account of his childhood and have no context about how he had acted prior to this moment. Also the fact that he adhered to his parents after this moment suggests that there were boundaries that still applied to him.
 

Aunty Jane

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I believe it helps to first of all consider what it meant for Jesus to be born "sinless"....it would mean a perfection of mind, body and spirit that all humans were suppose to have, but were lost when Adam and his wife disobeyed their Sovereign and stole his property.

It would have made Jesus a model child. His intelligence and conduct would have reflected his origins, even though I don't think he would have been treated any differently than his younger siblings. For all intents and purposes he was raised in a typical Jewish family where the firstborn son was trained in the trade of his father. Yet Jesus' skills would have outshone his father's in every way.

He may have realized that he was different to his siblings, but apparently his former life in heaven was not fully revealed to him until after his baptism when God's spirit became operative upon him. It says that "the heavens were opened" to him and he would have remembered his former life with his heavenly Father.

Jesus would never have been sick a day in his life, having an optimally functioning immune system, and perfect digestion. If at 12 years of age he was trusted to travel with his relatives as part of a family entourage, it was obviously something that was commonly done....realizing that Jesus was not among the family group after a day's travel, Mary and Joseph turned back to Jerusalem....but it took three days to find him.
How strange that he did not consider that his parents would be searching for him....especially knowing his origins and the important role he was to play in the future....his parents were sick with worry.

Mary and Joseph both knew that this son was no ordinary child, but that they had been given the privilege and responsibility of raising God's precious son. They raised him well, and even though his mother was apparently a widow when he began his ministry, as he was dying, he turned the care of his mother over to the apostle John, because his siblings were not as yet, believers. Her spiritual welfare was obviously more important to him than just her physical well being.

It is fascinating to consider the details as the scriptures inform us.
 
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