My Work In Progress –
Messiah’s Mother
Messiah’s Mother (Working Title) – Mary’s Painful Journey from Mother to Disciple
My current work in progress narrates Mary’s painful journey from mothering Yeshua, Jesus, to becoming his ardent disciple.
She had to be brave and passionate about her faith and her people:
the sort of woman who would be an inspiration to us all.
Forty days after Yeshua’s birth, Mary was told:
“Your son will cause a sword to pierce your soul.“
His ministry would begin and end with his distancing himself from her, calling her ‘geveret’ – woman, madam, lady –
- On the occasion of his first miracle, turning water to wine at a wedding in Cana,
- At its close, on the cross.
Never once does he call her Imma, Mum.
MARY’S STORY
Mary experiences the piercing pain of separation as Yeshua (Jesus) leaves their Nazareth home to begin his ministry. Through the years, they have been close, discussing his plans together as they sat under the pomegranate tree. Now he is gone.
At a wedding at Cana, Galilee – the celebration that marks his first miracle – he addresses her as ‘woman’ . Now there is distance.
“Who is my mother?” he asks his followers. “Here are my mother and brothers and sisters.” His loving relationship is no longer just for Mary but for everyone. She has lost the feeling of being special to him. And it hurts.
Nowhere in the Gospels does he call her ‘Mother’. Even at the end, as he hangs dying on a cross, though he lovingly provides for her future, he calls her, ‘woman’.
The pain she feels was foretold. Soon after his birth, an aged priest at the Jerusalem Temple recognized the infant Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah. He warned Mary that a sword would pierce her soul.
Messiah’s Mother charts Mary’s courageous efforts to come to terms with the implications of who her son is. Though her journey is unique, it is one that every mother who has ever suffered separation from her grown-up child will understand.
Author Bobbie Ann Cole’s account draws on materials from the Gospels and the Book of Acts.
Who am I to Write This?
How am I qualified to write this book? Quite frankly, nobody is. Here is what I bring:
• I have a Jewish background
• I have lived in Israel
• I know my Bible well
• I am an experienced author with 2 Amazon #1 bestselling memoirs and a novel that was shortlisted for the Eyelands Book of the Year 2019 Award to my name, all featuring Israel.
• I have had a passion for this very human but frequently deified figurehead of a woman who is Mary of Nazareth since way before I became a Christian
• I am a mother of grown-up sons. I have experienced that cutting of the cord first-hand