Who is Mary of Nazareth? Part 1

Who is Mary of Nazareth? Part 1


(I was asked to give the devotional talk at our Christmas Tea a year ago. I want to share the text of that devotional over the next several blogs.)

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers. Luke 1:46-55

These were the words of Mary of Nazareth as she praised her God: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Notice I said as she praised her God. Mary had a relationship with God that was personal and real. I would like to take a look at this young girl to determine why, during one of the most uncertain times of her life, as pregnant and unmarried, she was able to turn to God in praise and respond with the words you just read.

Mary is one of the many women in Scriptures who has a great deal to teach us. Yet, as a follower of Christ, raised in a protestant denomination, I feel she has been largely ignored. Often the only time we really think of her is during the Christmas and Easter holidays. At Christmas, she is the mother of the promised savior. We think of her near her due date riding on the back of a donkey, giving birth in a stable, and being visited by shepherds. At Easter, she is the mother who watches in horror as her son is beaten and crucified.

But who was this Mary of Nazareth? Can we find insight into why God chose her, above all the other young Jewish women, to be the mother of His Son? And more importantly, can we apply what made her God’s chosen one to our lives today? I think we can by looking at the very familiar Christmas story in Luke 1 starting with verse 26.

Luke 1:26-28: In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

In the opening lines of Mary’s story we discover a few important details:

1. “She was a virgin, pledged to be married”—She was engaged or ‘betrothed.” Betrothal was more like our marriage than engagement. Although there was no physical intimacy, the relationship was legally binding, and an actual divorce would be necessary to break the agreement. It was usually arranged by the parents. The fact I really want to impress on you is that betrothal agreements were usually made soon after the onset of adolescence, so Mary was probably only 13-14 years old.

2. She was visited by an angel with a message. Not just any angel, but Gabriel—the bearer of God’s-news. Before he shared his news, he called her highly favored. Think of that for a moment....he calls her highly favored and she hasn’t done anything yet...she’s not even pregnant! Realize this, she was highly favored, not because she was the mother of the Son of God, but because of who she was...a follower of the one true God. The other piece of information Gabriel gives Mary is that God is with her. The realization of that fact—that God is with her—would carry her through the unknown and unexpected events which would define and surround her life.

Reading on:

Luke 1:29-33: Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Mary was obviously afraid. She may have been trembling, shaking, she may have taken a few steps back, or she may have even fallen to the ground—but whatever her response, her fear was apparent to Gabriel, because he repeats himself—“Don’t be afraid, you have found favor with God.” Why was she troubled? Why was she talking to herself—the Greek word there looks very much like the word dialogue—about this messenger and his message? Mary lived in the Inter-Testament time when God had temporarily stopped talking. Zechariah 7:11-12 tells us that the hearts of God’s people became hard as flint and they would not listen to God’s prophets. Amos 2:11-12 tells us that God had commanded his prophets to stop prophesying. So God had stopped speaking...for about 400 years. I have little doubt that Mary wasn’t expecting an angelic encounter that day. The visit and the news were totally unexpected, and she was greatly troubled. Imagine yourself in her position—a very young teenager, alone—suddenly confronted by an angel who’s telling you not to be afraid and that you’re going to have a child. Greatly troubled—I’m sure if it was me, I would have been scared to death! Furthermore, this child was not going to be just any ordinary child, but the Son of the Most High!! All young Jewish women wanted to be the mother of the Messiah, but I’m not sure if they anticipated how and when they would receive the news. Here Mary stood—hearing for the first time the news that would not only change her life, but lives in the ages to come. God’s plan of redemption would come through—humanly speaking—the life of a young 13 or 14 year old girl.

We hear those words now and think of her—much like the serene scenes we see on the front of Christmas cards. But with the sounds of those words Mary lost her reputation, her dreams, the respect of her family and community and the trust of her future husband. Those were powerfully strong words—life changing words. I doubt if she had even begun to realize the full implication of those words for her. Little did she know of the cost of being the earthly mother of the Messiah....

(To be continued.)