What Does the Bible Say about Mothers?

A Mother’s Day Quiz

1. Mother’s Day in the United States was proclaimed to be “the second Sunday in May as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country” by which President:

 (a) George Washington

 (b) Abraham Lincoln

 (c) Woodrow Wilson

 (d) Franklin Roosevelt

 (e) Ronald Reagan

2. The U. S. House Resolution designating Mother’s Day as the second Sunday in May was introduced by a representative from which state:

 (a) Alabama

 (b) California

 (c) Georgia

 (d) New York

 (e) Texas

3. The official legislation and proclamation establishing Mother’s Day requests that mothers be honored by:

 (a) Wearing white carnations

 (b) Giving them red roses

 (c) Serving them a meal

 (d) Getting them a card

 (e) Flying the U.S. flag

What Does the Bible Say about Mothers?

1. It pleases God when we and God-fearing mothers. 

²⁸  Her children rise up and call her blessed;
      her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹  “Many women have done excellently,
      but you surpass them all.”
³⁰  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
      but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹  Give her of the fruit of her hands,
      and let her works praise her in the gates.
      (Proverbs 31:28-31, ESV)

2. Mothers, fathers, and are essential in God’s plan for family formation.

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
      and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
      because she was taken out of Man.”

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:18-25, ESV) 

The Success Sequence

1) Go to school

2) Get a job

3) Get married

4) Have children 

3. Mothers and fathers should be and .

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12, ESV; cf. Deuteronomy 5:16)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:1-3, ESV)

²²  Listen to your father who gave you life,
      and do not despise your mother when she is old.
      (Proverbs 23:22, ESV)

4. God intends for both mothers and fathers to have a significant role in their children.

⁸  Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
      and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
      (Proverbs 1:8, ESV)

²⁰  My son, keep your father’s commandment,
      and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
      (Proverbs 6:20, ESV)

5. God expects us to love even more than we love our mothers.

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39, ESV)

⁴⁶ While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. ⁴⁸ But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50, ESV)