Mary, Did You Know?

     The title is not referring to the song we hear at Christmas, although I think it is beautiful and has, as I write this, burrowed itself deep into my brain. What I wonder about Mary is if she knew her children would come to faith. She knew Jesus was the Savior of the world and her personal Savior. But Mary had other children that she loved. They each had to choose to accept Jesus as their Savior just as we do now. We know from Mark 6:3 that Jesus had four brothers--James, Joseph, Jude and Simon and an unknown, unnamed number of sisters. We also know from John 7:5 that during Jesus' earthly ministry, even his own brothers did not believe in Him. They were not even there to support Mary at the crucifixion, or Jesus would have given the care of his mother to one of them instead of his disciple, John. (John 19:26). Since James and Jude wrote books of the New Testament, and James was an early leader in the Jerusalem church, we know they believed. But Joseph and Simon are not mentioned. I wondered if they ever came to faith. And then I read Acts 1:14, "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." Stuck casually in the list of those who gathered in prayer to await the coming of the Holy Spirit is the answer to my question and, I'm sure, Mary's prayers--her sons believed.
     I think that if Mary had her way, her sons would have believed while Jesus was still on earth. It must have broken her heart to see them mocking, instead of supporting, Him. Even in the unsaved world, there is an expectation that brothers will stick together. She must have wondered, when the miracles and her own faith could not convince them, if anything would. I could not imagine the God who had chosen Mary to bear His Son would let her bear the pain of not knowing all her children would be with her in heaven. I knew that fear for my own prodigal until God showed me He was pursuing my son in our unforgettable experience on the road to Rimrock, in the post I call "Stone Pillar". That settled the question for me, God cannot fail to capture those He pursues.
     As my newborn granddaughter proves, physical birth can now be scheduled and induced, but spiritual birth happens only in God's timing. Not Mary's. Not mine. The when is not for me to know.