Mary, the Mother of Jesus 09/12/2021

Picture courtesy of The Chosen - permission granted.

There are some churches where Mary is revered and honoured as 'the Mother of God.' In the church I attended in my younger years, there was not much reference to Mary. Her vital role in the birth of the Saviour of the world was underplayed. Perhaps, a balanced appreciation of this remarkable lady is a more helpful approach. It must have been a real shock for a young peasant girl to be told that she is going to become pregnant and give birth to the Son of God. She is aware of her situation - she is betrothed to a man named Joseph which means that she was pledged to be married to him. We must understand the cultural context of first century Jewish society. This betrothal was a far more binding commitment than the practice of being engaged to be married in today's culture. The lax attitude to sex before marriage was not part of the Jewish culture in the first century. The Bible states specifically that Mary was a virgin and had not had sexual relations with any man - including Joseph. An angel appears to Mary and this makes her disturbed and confused because she wonders why an angel is paying her a visit. Then Gabriel, the angel, makes a staggering announcement to her,

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. [Luke 1: 31-32 NLT] Mary questions how this could ever happen because she is a virgin. Then the Angel is explicit and explains that this is a supernatural conception:

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. [Luke 1:35 NLT]

This statement emphasises the miracle of the virgin birth, which has been doubted and challenged among some 20th and 21st century theologians.

It is remarkable that Mary accepts this explanation from the angel without question. Zechariah, the father of John Baptist was struck dumb because of his unbelief but Mary demonstrates complete faith in God.

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. [Luke 1:38 NLT]

I am deeply impressed with the genuine, simple faith of this young girl. I am not saying that she is sinless or elevating her to a prominence that is not warranted in the New Testament. Mary acknowledges her need of divine salvation in her song of praise known as the Magnificat as she talks about her spirit rejoicing in God her Saviour (Luke 1: 46). This song shows that Mary is very aware of God's grace towards her. She acknowledges her humble social status - she describes herself as a 'lowly servant girl.' She identifies with the ordinary people and says that God provides for those who are hungry while ignoring the rich. She makes some wonderful statements about her God.

• The Mighty One is holy

• God's mighty arm has done tremendous things

• He is a God of justice and he reverses 'fortune.'

• He has been a helper to the nation of Israel

• He is a God who keeps His promises (the promise to her ancestor, Abraham)

Mary was tainted with the stigma of bearing a child out of wedlock in an age when that mattered. There is evidence that his enemies taunted Jesus of being 'born of fornication' (John 8:41) or being an illegitimate child. It must not have been easy for Mary to explain that she was pregnant to Joseph and he was considering divorcing her which meant annulling the betrothal commitment he had made to her. It took the intervention of an angel to convince him to marry Mary and to support her in bringing in the child Jesus into the world.

Maybe it would be good to read through Mary's song of praise. These are the words of a remarkable young woman who was used by God as part of the divine plan of salvation. Her total surrender to God meant that her womb was the vehicle by which the sinless Son of God became human. He existed prior to Bethlehem - he is the eternal Son of God but he came into our sinful world via the virgin's womb.

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

[Luke 1: 46-55 ESV]

Picture courtesy of The Chosen - permission granted.