Last week we ended with the prophecy about Jesus and Mary. Mary was told that a "sword will pierce your own soul, too." There were many instances where Mary may have experienced this. The first happened about two years after the birth of Jesus. Wise men from the east came following a star and looking for the Christ child to worship him and bring him gifts. They asked King Herod and the Jewish leaders where he was. This raised a stir in Jerusalem and King Herod met secretly with the wise men and discovered when the star appeared. He also told them to search for the child and then come back to tell him where he is, so the king could also go and worship this child. They found Jesus and they brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and they left for their country another way.
After the wise men left, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family to Egypt immediately, because Herod was going to search for the child to kill him. So Joseph took Mary and Jesus and escaped to Egypt. Then Herod realized he had been tricked by the wise men, and ordered the killing of every boy two and under, in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Think of all the parents who would have lost a child. Mary's son was not one of them, but I'm sure she heard what happened. She could see the possibility of her prophecy coming true.
A second scare came when Jesus was twelve. The family went with their relatives and friends to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. When the feast was over, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Thinking Jesus was with the group, Mary and Joseph left for home. They had made a day's journey before they realized that Jesus was not with them. Imagine the fear and thoughts that went through Mary's head. She and Joseph went back to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Mary asked him why he treated his parents like this. Jesus replied, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?"
The prophecy came true at the cross. This is why Jesus was born in the first place. To die in our place, as the perfect sacrifice; once, for all. Mary witnessed his beaten body carrying his cross up the hill to be crucified with two other criminals. She watched in anguish as they nailed his hands and feet. She heard him say, "It is finished" as he gave up his spirit and died. This was the culmination of the sword piercing Mary's soul. But unlike us, Mary also witnessed her son resurrected from the dead, three days later. Her son is the Son of God who takes away our sins and puts us back into a right relationship with God, if we believe in Jesus. Where are you in your relationship with Jesus?