Is There Anything Better Than Being a Proud Parent?

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27–28)

As Jesus was casting out demons and teaching, an unnamed woman witnessing these things must’ve felt a tinge of jealousy for Mary. “How deeply satisfying it must be to be the mother of a man like Jesus!” she mused. In fact, she uses the word “blessed” which connotes a deep sense of joy, contentment, and even happiness.

She has good biblical reasons for saying this. As we see in Proverbs:

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.

Proverbs 23:24-25

To have a righteous child brings great joy and rejoicing to a mom and dad. How great must be the joy of the mother who parented Jesus?

Because I am a parent now and proud of my young children, I understand a little better what this mother was saying. When my kids excel in academics, athletics, or the arts, I feel more than a slight tinge of joy. When I see them demonstrate godly character, my heart overflows! I rejoice to imagine my kids succeeding in life, living godly lives, and serving the Lord. For a Jewish mother, in the time of Christ, I’m sure it was hard to imagine anything more important. Children were the center of their mothers’ lives and in some ways a reflection of their worth. And when one of these kids was wise and doing well, what greater joy could a mother have? Who could be happier than the mother of a son like Jesus?

Jesus tells us: those who hear the word of God and keep it have more joy, happiness, and contentment than a parent whose kids are succeeding in all the right ways. Or to put it another way, to live in obedience to God’s word will give us more satisfaction than being the proud parent of Jesus Christ. Take a moment to consider that.

I don’t intend to downplay the importance of parenting. It is a high and holy calling to raise our kids to be disciples of Jesus. And there is a great sense of reward that comes from seeing them succeed in the world. But even if we raised a kid who became as wonderful as Jesus, the joy we would get from simply walking in obedience to God’s word is deeper than the joy of being the proudest parent.

Three thoughts for application:
1. Let’s not make our blessedness dependent on the successes of our children. It is easy for us to crush our kids under the weight of our expectations. The fewer children we have, the greater the weight of our hopes upon them. The joy and delight and satisfaction we’re looking for in life will not come from raising great kids; it will come from living in obedience to God’s word. 

2. If our kids are not doing well, our pain is real. But let’s hang onto this truth from Jesus’ own lips: even if we had raised Jesus himself, we would not be more blessed than if we simply keep his word. Whether our kids are doing well or not, let’s be the kind of blessed parents who hear God’s word and keep it.

3. If we feel we have blown it as parents, or actually have blown it as parents, part of hearing God’s word means hearing the good news that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Having been forgiven by him, we can also seek forgiveness from our children, and walk in the joy of new obedience.