The powerful faith and admirable qualities of mothers featured in the Bible often remind us of loving mothers that we have known.
If we look at Scripture for developed stories about mothers and their relationships with their children, we might be disappointed at first. Women’s voices and perspectives are frequently absent or greatly curtailed in places we might expect to find them.
In summaries of faith history found in the Hebrew Scriptures, women are seldom even named (for example, Joshua 24:2-13; Psalm 105). During the span of seven chapters in Sirach (44—50), we are reminded of a stream of patriarchs, kings and prophets, but not one mother is named. Individuals who have searched out their own family trees might anticipate an inclusion of the mothers’ names in the two genealogies found in the New Testament. Luke’s version, however, mentions only the fathers (3:23-38). Matthew weaves four mothers into his list of 42 fathers (1:2-16).
On the other hand, we do have the commandment “Honor your father and your mother” (Deuteronomy 5:16). And Proverbs alludes to the fact that the mother has a role in giving instruction, such as “reject not your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 6:20).
It is primarily in the biblical narratives, however, that we find important glimpses of the experiences of mothers. There are numerous stories of barren women who then rejoice to find themselves pregnant: Sarah (Genesis 21:1-7), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 30:1-24), Samson’s mother (Judges 13), Hannah (1 Samuel 1) and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25).
There are accounts of mothers who grieve the death of a child: the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:18-37), the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17) and Mary (John 19:25-30).
Some mothers in the Bible are queens: Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, even sits on a throne at her son’s right hand (1 Kings 2:19). Each of these stories reveals a unique perspective on biblical mothers.
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Jochebed: A Courageous and Inventive Mother
Mother-daughter relationships are seldom mentioned in Scripture and never the focus of the story. The most developed narrative of this sort is the story of Jochebed (named in Exodus 6:20), the mother of Miriam, Moses and Aaron.
In the first chapter of Exodus, the author explains that the new Egyptian king had decreed that all Israelite boys should be killed at birth. Moses, however, lives because of the courage of several women (2:1-10). The midwives, Shiprah and Puah, refuse to cooperate with the royal mandate. Thus, when Jochebed gives birth to a healthy son, Moses, she is able to hide him. When keeping him hidden is no longer possible, she conceives of a plan that might save his life: She leaves her child in a basket in the reeds by the river.
Jochebed’s daughter, Miriam, steps in and watches what will happen to her little brother. When Moses is found by the pharaoh’s compassionate daughter, Miriam daringly comes forward and suggests that she can find an Israelite woman to nurse the child. It is Miriam who returns Moses to his mother, Jochebed, to nurse.
Thus, the story of Moses, the central figure in leading the Israelites from slavery, begins with his own rescue at the hands of midwives, his mother and his sister. Jochebed is remembered as a mother of great love, courage and creativity.
The Jochebeds of our own day might include mothers who go to great lengths to research treatments for a child with a rare illness. They might be the tenacious women who refuse to accept that their children cannot learn and who find creative ways or programs that will support the unique spirit of a special daughter or son. Our contemporary Jochebeds include women worldwide who courageously search for the openings that will allow their children to break free of the vicious cycles of poverty and war.
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Naomi: A Loyal and Devoted Mother-in-Law
The Book of Ruth is the only book in the Hebrew Scriptures that focuses on the relationship between two women, Ruth and Naomi. In this story, Naomi is not the mother, but the mother-in-law, of Ruth.
The narrative begins with the summary of Naomi’s journey to the land of Moab with her husband and sons at the time of a famine in their homeland of Judah. The two sons marry Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah.
When not only her husband but her sons also die, Naomi determines to return to Bethlehem. The narrative emphasizes how alone and bereft she feels. Although she encourages her widowed daughters-in-law to remain with their own people, Ruth promises to stay with Naomi. The two grieving widows travel the difficult road to Bethlehem together.
While the narrative highlights Ruth’s fidelity, this is also the story of Naomi’s devotion to Ruth. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, it is Ruth who first takes the initiative to see to their needs. She decides to go to the fields and glean what grain she can, the customary right of widows and the poor in Judah.
This is the point in the story where Naomi seems to awaken from her grief enough to realize the bond that has developed between herself and Ruth. From here on, Naomi calls Ruth “my daughter” and assumes responsibility for her welfare. She advises Ruth about her safety and is concerned about her future well-being: “My daughter, I must seek a home for you that will please you” (3:1). It is Naomi who ultimately conceives of a plan that leads to Ruth’s marriage to Boaz.
Taken as a whole, this narrative accentuates the mutual trust and fidelity between two women who become mother and daughter to one another. In our day, mother-in-law jokes are standard fare. But this biblical narrative reminds us that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law—women of different generations, backgrounds and perhaps cultures—can indeed forge lasting bonds of loyalty and affection.
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Mary and Elizabeth
Mothers Who Support One Another In the New Testament, it is Luke who develops the narratives of the most prominent mothers: Mary and Elizabeth. In both stories, the author highlights the role of the Spirit of God.
Both women respond to the unexpected grace that is offered them. Clearly, they are amazed, and no doubt somewhat disconcerted, about the call to motherhood at this point in their lives.
One of the most beautiful scenes in this Gospel is the Visitation (celebrated on May 31), when two pregnant women come together to support one another in this confusing and graced moment in life. Elizabeth recognizes Mary’s great trust: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (1:45).
Mary’s presence with Elizabeth indicates that she sees Elizabeth in a similar light. She could just as easily have responded, “And blessed are you who believed what was spoken to Zechariah about you and your child.” The two women help one another recognize and trust in the grace of God. Together, they lay claim to God’s blessing. I have always imagined that they also wondered aloud together about how their lives would never be the same, what their children would be like and how they would raise them.
Recently, after leading a women’s retreat in a parish setting, I commented to one of the participants that it was evident there were strong bonds of prayer and support in the group. She responded that some of them had been together since they were young women.
They had a group in their parish that met regularly as a support for new mothers. There they could share the joys and frustrations of being parents. There they could pray with and for one another that they, too, could recognize grace as it was present in their pregnancies and in their families. These women had made the Visitation story their own.
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Lois and Eunice: Mothers With Living Faith
There is one passage in particular that I have often wished could be read on Mother’s Day. It is the beginning of the Second Letter to Timothy. This letter, probably written in the early second century by a disciple of Paul, is written in Paul’s name. The author uses the memory of Paul and his traveling companion, Timothy, as an example for later Christians.
In the first verses of this letter, the author writes as Paul to Timothy, encouraging him to be strong in his faith. In the customary thanksgiving portion of the letter we hear, “I am grateful to God…as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you” (3-5).
Nowhere in Scripture is there any further mention of these two biblical mothers, but the implications of this passage are powerful. The writer suggests what so many of us know to be true—that the powerful example of a mother’s faith, not only spoken, but lived, is immeasurable.
I have had the privilege on more than one occasion to sit with a group of women sharing about this very passage—mothers and grandmothers, mothers-in-law and stepmothers. When I asked them to take some time with their own experience, they shared priceless memories of their own mothers—especially times when they knew that it was faith that carried their mothers through hard times.
Likewise, these women told stories of their children and grandchildren—their Baptisms and First Communions, what they tried to teach them about their faith, what they hoped they were learning about God. They related moments of great joy when they saw their adult children active in their churches or growing in their own spirituality, perhaps handing on to their own children prayers and practices that they had learned at home.
These women also shared the pain of wondering whether their faith really took root in those children who seemed to discount it or set it aside. They spoke of surprising moments of grace when some of those very children or grandchildren found their way back to God. Their offspring explained that the memory of their mother’s or grandmother’s words or example continued to speak in their hearts.
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God as Mother
Biblical understandings of motherhood can also be discovered in various images of God. The prophets frequently used metaphors concerning mothers in order to portray God’s love and fidelity: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).
Many of us probably remember running to our mothers after tumbles and scrapes. It seems fitting, then, that Isaiah speaks of God as mother when illustrating God’s desire to comfort us: “As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you…” (66:13).
Frequently I hear women who are concerned about their adult children say, “You’re always a mother, no matter how old your children are.” Apparently, this has not changed since biblical times. In Isaiah 46:3-4, God is described as a mother who has carried Israel from infancy. The passage goes on to depict God’s loving care as continuing far beyond the beginning of life: “Even to your old age I am the same, even when your hair is gray I will bear you….”
The Scriptures also include images of God that reflect some of the difficult things mothers experience. When Hosea desires to call Israel to conversion, he portrays God as a parent whose teaching and tender care have gone unnoticed: “When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son….[I]t was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms;…I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer” (11:1-4).
Did you ever look at an old family portrait and notice, for the first time, people who are there but are somewhat hidden by others? There is something in us that wants to invite them forward. Reading Scripture can be like this. The authors often focus more on the fathers and sons in our faith history, but there are also glimpses of mothers that emphasize a variety of characteristics.
In such women as Jochebed, Naomi, Mary and Elizabeth, Lois and Eunice, we see fidelity, courage, wisdom, creativity, tender care and deep faith. It is worth our time to read the Scriptures anew, asking ourselves what we can glean from inviting the mothers forward.
