Did Mary always fully understand her Son?

[jcrichton]

Let’s look at the words of Elizabeth when the Blessed Mother came to visit her…“Blessed are you who believed that was was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Now just because you believe something doesn’t mean you fully understand. I believe in the Resurrection…but I don’t fully understand it (from a spiritual level I do but not so much a theological or scientific perspective.)

Now, multiple times in the Bible Jesus warns his apostles that he is going to be crucified, die and would rise on the third day. He also talks about “taking up your cross and following Him.” I would suspect Mary heard those words as well or they got back to her. I think of all the things Jesus said, that is probably why his family members said He was out of His mind. That would have been so stunning for anyone to hear, perhaps especially Mary…because she knew He was God and that His kingdom would have no end. So how do you get from Point A to Point B here? It has to be trust. We do not understand God–God’s ways are not our own.

Hi, Turtle!

I fully concur with your first and second paragraphs… and I agree with your take on the events around Jesus (paragraph 3)–I would also ask that we consider the events through the mind and eye of Jesus’ contemporary Jews… consider the travails of the man born blind… how he was drilled by the Pharisees; after failed attempts to get him to say what they wanted to hear they queried the man’s parents… these quickly disowned the responsibility to answer for their son, who was a grown adult man:

20 His parents answered them, and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21 But how he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: ask himself: he is of age, let him speak for himself. 22 These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves, that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore did his parents say: He is of age, ask himself.

(St. John 9:20-23)
…why would anyone expect Jesus’ relatives to stick their necks out for Him when they themselves did not believe in Him?

Jesus was not challenging earthly rule (the Roman empire) but He was challenging theological and religious tenets of Judaism… ‘he must be going out of his mind’ or something to that effect would be the quickest defense/charge to keep the attention on Jesus so that the blame of His actions would befall upon Him alone; the wording may have been different but the intent was the same: ‘take it up with Him… we’re just here to take Him away, this poor man must get back to His home, you know…’

Maran atha!

Angel