and she quietly
waited for the divine voice. The holy friendship was not marred.

There is another long period in which no mention is made of Mary.
Probably she lived a secluded life. But one day at Capernaum, in the
midst of his popularity, when Jesus was preaching to a great crowd, she
and his brothers appeared on the outside of the throng, and sent a
request that they might speak with him. It seems almost certain that
the mother's errand was to try to get him away from his exhausting
work; he was imperilling his health and his safety. Jesus refused to
be interrupted. But it was really only an assertion that nothing must
come between him and his duty. The Father's business always comes
first. Human ties are second to the bond which binds us to God. No
dishonor was done by Jesus to his mother in refusing to be drawn away
by her loving interest from his work. The holiest human friendship
must never keep us from doing the will of God. Other mothers in their
love for their children have made the same mistake that the mother of
Jesus made,--have tried to withhold or withdraw their children from
service which seemed too hard or too costly. The voice of tenderest
love must be quenched when it would keep us from doing God's will.

The next mention of the mother of Jesus is in the story of the cross.
Ah, holy mother-love, constant and faithful to the end! At length
Simeon's prophecy is fulfilled,--a sword is piercing the mother's soul
also. "Jesus was crucified on the cross; Mary was crucified at the
foot of the cross."

Note only one feature of the scene,--the mother-love there is in it.
The story of clinging mother-love is a wonderful one. A mother never
forsakes her child. Mary is not the only mother who has followed a son
to a cross. Here we have the culmination of this mother's friendship
for her son. She is watching beside his cross. O friendship constant,
faithful, undying, and true!

But what of the friendship of the dying son for his mother? In his own
anguish does he notice her? Yes; one of the seven words spoken while
he hung on the cross told of changeless love in his heart for her.
Mary was a woman of more than fifty, "with years before her too many
for remembering, too few for forgetting." The world would be desolate
for her when her son was gone. So he made provision for her in the
shelter of a love in which he knew she would be safe. As he saw her
led away by the beloved disciple to