This one incident in which Mary is mentioned between the time of the Marriage at Cana and Holy Week, happened during the second year of her Son's ministry. We do not know whether or not she had been near Him during this time. According to the opinion of some, she was one of the little band of women who followed Him about, to minister to His needs and those of His Apostles. But whether she followed Him actually or not, we know that her spirit was ever with Him, and that she followed Him with her prayers, and interest, and sympathy, _knowing_ Him more as He manifested Himself more by His healing and miracles, and therefore _loving_ Him and _imitating_ Him more, and _therefore_, growing in grace, of which she was ever full. Such, we are quite sure, is a true picture of Mary, though this one instance at Capharnaum is the only occasion on which we are able to make an actual picture of her. Her Son had probably come to Capharnaum for a rest after one of His missionary rounds; it may be that He had come to have a little time of refreshment with her. And she and His brethren--His relatives--went to meet Him, desiring to speak to Him. We are not told what it was that they were so anxious to tell Him. When they arrived He was already addressing a crowd which was _sitting_ about Him, and which was so great that His Mother and His brethren could not get near Him; and so "they _stood_ without"--on the outskirts--and thus attracted the notice of someone who attracted _His_ notice; someone, in fact, who interrupted Him in the middle of His discourse, by telling Him that His Mother and His brethren wanted Him. Such is the simple incident, and by it Mary affords her Son the opportunity of giving two most important lessons to His Apostles, and also to those who would, during all time, have any kind of apostolic work to do. _Point II._--A LESSON ON INTERRUPTIONS He is preaching, and He is interrupted. What does He do? Shows, as He had shown so clearly before, when He was only twelve years old, that His "Father's business" must come first--that He is perfectly indifferent to all natural ties when that is concerned, and that His followers have got to be the same. He is preaching to the people--that is His work, and not even for a desire of His Mother will He interrupt it. He preaches by example what He had already preached by word: "He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he that taketh not up his cross and followeth Me is not worthy of Me." (St Matt. x. 37.)