Why Mary? And What About Joseph?

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

What was so special about Mary that she would be chosen to carry the Son of God?

-She was from the line of David through his son Nathan. Isaiah 11:10 “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire (Sheppard's, Wise men, Herod), and his resting place shall be glorious.”

2 Samuel 7:11-14 “from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son...,”

— Mary was chosen because she was from the line of David through his son Nathan. This will fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament.

-She was the cousin of Elizabeth who was carrying John the Baptist. Luke 1:39-45 “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.””

-She was morally upright. She believed in God, and she lived a lifestyle that reflected that.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (God with us)

Mary was a virgin. Scripture specifically calls for the Messiah to be born of a virgin? Why do you think this is so? How can a woman become pregnant without a man’s help unless it is by an act of God? Who is going to deny the deity of Christ when He was brought into this world by means that only God can do?

*(Now lets think about this for a second. The world does not know who she is carrying, but it is very apparent that she is carrying. The world had not met Jesus yet, but they knew who Mary was. Do you think that they treated her with kindness? Would you not scorn a young, pregnant mother who was unwed and new better? You may be tempted to say no, but in reality you would. Even if it was only fora moment. Is that wrong of you? Not necessarily. You see we are to keep ourselves morally pure, and when we see someone is not then it should bring us to confront them just as we should be confronted if it was us who were out of line. But there is a difference between confronting and scorning.)*

So why was Mary chosen? She was morally whole. She followed the scriptures, she kept herself clean of the world and its impurities, and she was in the line of David. The combination of her bloodline and her moral came together to make her the perfect candidate for being the mother of Jesus.

There is one last reason for choosing Mary to be the child’s mother. She was marrying Joseph.

But what about Joseph?

How would you react if you found out your woman had become pregnant, and it was not your child? Would you run her name down in the streets? Would you take her before the courts? Back then, if you cheated on your spouse (Betrothed was nearly equal to being married at this time. It legally meant you were off the market and tied to your other half) then the punishment was death. Mary could not deny her pregnancy, so what would that mean for her?

Matthew 1:18-25 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

He was from the line of king David through king Solomon, David’s first surviving son with Bathsheba. This marital union would give Jesus a dual claim to the thrown. Both sides of the royal bloodline would be tied back into one with the birth of Jesus Christ having a mother from Nathan’s line, and a Father through Solomon’s line. From Abraham to king David there were 14 generations, and from David to the deportation of Jews by the Babylonians there were 14 generations, then from the deportation to Christ were 14 generations. So Jesus was 28 generations from David, and 42 generations from Abraham.

Joseph was also selected because he was a godly man who would not touch Mary until she gave birth to the child so that no one could bring in question the virgins legitimacy. Joseph was also faithful in listening to the angel and going through with the marriage. He could have walked away, but he stuck it through listening to the words of the angel. He took care of Mary, he safely guided her to Bethlehem (Fulfilling prophecy), he found her a place to get out of the elements and have her child, even though it was not a glamorous place. (This is clear evidence that you do not have to have lofty beginnings to be great)

Long ago God brought together a righteous man, and a righteous woman to be wed. Little did they know that what fate had in store for them. They were about to have the experience that no one ever had, and that no one ever will again. Mary was bringing the Savior of the world, into the world, and Joseph was going to hold her hand as she did so.

One God, one Mary, and one Joseph.

Two young people, one little supernatural baby, and on that night, salvation entered the world. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.