Next Sunday is Mother’s Day. Many will receive cards. Mother's Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the United States, with 113 million cards exchanged annually, many given as a last-minute after thought, written by someone who didn’t know your mom. I hope you do a better job honoring your mother—Big Mamma, Mee Maw, Ma Dear, or whatever you call the real mother in your life—than a family I heard about did. They had a big dinner for their “Big Momma” and afterward mom started to clean up. The father said to her, "Don't bother with those dishes, dear. Today is Mother's Day. You can always do them tomorrow.” What?
That’s no way treat those who are unforgettable mothers like my mother Margie who gave her blood, sweat, and tears. I’ll never forget blood sacrifice. When I was in grade school, I loved being on program. If my teachers needed a speaker, I volunteered all the time to the exasperation of my mom who said to me, “You don’t have to be in everything.” You see, for me to be on program meant someone had to get me dressed and walk me back to school—a good thirty-minute walk. So, what did I do the next time there was a program, I sheepishly informed her, “Mom, I have to be back at school by 4 p.m.” Her face went pale, blood began to run from her nose. “Boy, what I tell you about …” She didn’t finish the sentence. She gave me shake of her head and a teary smile. She then rose to her feet, got me dressed and walked be to school. Little did I know she suffered from high blood pressure. It would later contribute to her premature death. But that hot September day, she did what real mothers do—sacrifice.
That was never more evident than to the man considered the wisest man who ever lived—King Solomon. His wisdom was tested when he had to decide who was the real mother in 1st Kings 3:16-27. 1st King 3:16-27—God’s Mother’s Day card today. We will see what a real mother may not be and what a real mother must be to be called “Big Momma. Will the real “Big Momma” please stand up?
First, the real mother that qualifies to be called “Big Momma” may not fit the world’s perception of a model mom. The backdrop story to our text is this: Two women came to King Solomon, both claiming to be the real mother of the same child after one of their two children was found dead. These two contending mothers did not fit the model of motherhood. Look at verse 16.
“…Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
They both were practitioners of the oldest profession. The point is: Not every mother will fit the Harriet of Ozzie and Harriet; or the June Cleaver of Leave It to Beaver. These two women standing before Solomon were prostitutes. Let me remind you, so was Rahab of Jericho who helped the Israelites win their first victory in the Promise Land. She was also in the family lineage of Jesus in Matthew1. You might not have fit the world’s model of motherhood. But that doesn’t mean you are disqualified from having qualities that should be recognized and emulated.
The real mother may also not be in a traditional, ideal family model. Necessity required a communal living arrangement for these two women. Look at verse 17: “…this woman and I live in the same house. “
Both women lived together. Perhaps it was out of necessary to make ends meet. We don’t know. Many mothers live in group homes, public housing, have had stints in homeless shelters, or are living in non-traditional single-parent arrangements. Where and how you live do not determine what kind of mother you are. So, a real mother may not be what we think she should be. She may not have the best career or living arrangement. You may not fit into the world’s model either. But misfit does not mean unfit. So, what does qualify momma to be called “Big Momma?
The real mother that qualifies to be called “Big Momma” must have some qualities that distinguish her as the one who gives her children a chance for a life. First, the real mother knows her children according to verse 21:
“But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.”
The real mother knows her child: their cries, the fears, talents, and temperament.
Real mothers are also willing to speak up for her child when their child is at risk. When Solomon sought to solve this dilemma of “who’s the real mother” by threatening to cut the baby in half with a sword, the real mother’s instincts took over. Look at verse 26a: “The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king… Real mothers speak up out of the instinct of love. They speak up, out of love, at school board meetings when school policy is about politics rather than promoting the child’s potential. Risky times are speak-up time. I saw a blue jay giving a cat holy hell because he got too close to her nest. That instinct in that momma bird is in “Big Mommas”.
Finally, the real mother is willing to make the toughest sacrifices for her child to have a life. Look at verse 26b:
“Give her the baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two.”
Momma is willing to make the big sacrifice, so her children live and not die. The result of the outspoken mother’s sacrifice: she got her child back. We all have the capacity to be mothers. Be a “Big Mama.” Rock the world. My mother rocked mine. She took the love of publics peaking, being on program and nurtured it with blood, sweat and tears, so that would lead to several careers in public speaking to include becoming a newscaster in my hometown. She didn’t live to see it. But, maybe she saw it before I did. Thank you, Margie.
Happy Mother’s Day.
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