Mary’s Story

This month as we celebrate the coming of our King I want us to focus on the characters of Christmas. The true story of Jesus’ birth is compelling, inspiring, and eternal. And in the birth of Jesus we find characters whose stories not only capture our attention but also sound very familiar to ours. In the newsletter we briefly looked at the Shepherds and wise men. Next week we’ll look at Joseph’s story. And on the 21st we’ll conclude with Jesus’ story.

Mary’s story is one we have all heard to some degree. She was a very important part of Jesus’ life. She was even with Jesus at the cross. Mary was not only the mother of Christ she was a believer. Mary was probably the person on earth who saw the majority of Christ’s life: His birth, His growing up, His Ministry, His death, & His victory over the grave. Her life story is probably one many of us would love to sit and listen to. She saw things that were amazing on a regular basis. Mary’s Story is a story that can touch the heart and change a life.

Luke 1:26-37

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."

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." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

Let’s set the stage for this story. There was a sense of urgency that filled the country. A general expectancy was in the air concerning the long expected Messiah. Many Jews looked back to Old Testament Prophecy and in particular the book of Daniel concerning their present day and many of those people felt that the time was drawing near. For 400 years foreign troops had occupied Israel and the feeling was that this Messiah would deliver them from their oppressors. They were ready for the Messiah. They were ready for a change. And it was in this setting, this hotbed of expectancy that we find Mary’s Story.

Who was Mary?

As you looked back at Mary’s life, Mary seemed to have a great deal of limitations that might rule her out for being used by God. The first limitation was Mary’s age. Mary was very young at the time of this event. The second limitation was Mary’s affluence. Mary was from a very poor family and they had little standing. The third limitation was Mary’s anonymity. Mary was a woman who had no rights and no voice, and was probably unknown. It would seem that Mary would have little to offer the service of the most high God.

A young woman, just entering her teens, is confronted by heavenly messenger who says, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” It’s a strange scene to be sure. Doesn’t it seem to be a rather preposterous plan? Does it strike you as ludicrous that God’s plan of salvation should depend upon the willingness of a young woman living in an obscure village of a remote province? It’s not the plan anyone would have imagined. We know about Rome; we even know about Jerusalem; but what and where is Nazareth? We know about Augustus Caesar. We even know about old King David of ancient Israel. But who is this Mary?

Mary seems like the first person to be eliminated from a prospect list to be the mother of Christ. Mary’s linage is not the strongest.

Mary was an ordinary, as common as anyone of us. No great accomplishments, no great history. She is an everyday Nazarene.

Picking up V28 in our scripture it says that Mary was highly favored. Now some would believe that Mary’s status mentioned here had to do with Mary. But this merely means that Mary was a recipient of God’s gracious choice. Mary is described as obedient and faithful but she was chosen by God’s grace not by merit. Like all of us, Mary was indeed chosen by God.

This fact is all that really matters because when God chooses He also will provide all that is needed. Many may have believed that Mary was unable to do anything great for the Kingdom of God but God reveals time and time again that He works through the lives of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

God acts through ordinary human beings, like you and me ordinary human beings, that trust God enough to undertake extraordinary missions beyond their capabilities or imaginings. Most of the time, God comes to us in ordinary ways, through ordinary people. It is even true in the case we have this morning. Although God chooses the extraordinary means of sending the Archangel Gabriel, God still announces that the divine plan for our salvation is to come to us through the body of a peasant girl from Nazareth. Of course this plan will work only if she is willing to surrender to God’s will; only if she can find the faith she needs to trust God’s preposterous plan.

Gabriel’s Message

We see in verse 29 that Mary was afraid: “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” The simple fact is that angelic visits were very rare in those days and it was indeed a special event. There was some uncertainty as to why the angel had come to see her. This was an event of awesome proportion and one that would change Mary’s life forever. The reason for her fear was the simple fact that angels did not always bring good news and it could be a message of God’s judgment coming to her. But Gabriel came with a message of confidence. Gabriel immediately begins to calm Mary’s fears by his opening statement. "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” This was going to be a message of good news and Mary was chosen for a great purpose.

Gabriel came with a message of hope. Gabriel brought the message of the coming miracle birth that would bring hope to the entire world. God was going to redeem His people and bring them back to Him. Gabriel tells Mary to name the child Jesus. The name Jesus literally means “The Lord saves.” This miracle child was going to be the source of salvation for the entire world.

Gabriel came with a message of power. Gabriel goes on to tell Mary about the character of the child she will give birth to. Jesus will be great and mighty in this world and He will be known as the Son of God. God is keeping His promise to His people because Jesus is the Messiah. The Kingdom that He will establish will be eternal.

Mary’s Response Wow, if Mary had been a little confused by the Angel’s initial greeting think of how she felt now.

“Hey, don’t worry Mary, because God loves you, you are going to have a baby, and not just any baby, you’re going to have the Messiah!” That must have been reassuring.

I mentioned earlier that there was an air of expectancy in the Holy Land at that time concerning the coming of the Messiah, but I’m not particularly sure that Mary thought he would arrive via her.

Does it strike you as at all odd that Mary’s response was to ask the bewildered question: "How shall this be?" And she airs what she thinks might be a minor problem, in Luke 1:34. Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

The question on Mary’s mind was “how can this be?” Mary realizes that God can do anything but she is asking how it will take place. Mary literally states the simple fact that she is a virgin and everyone knows it is physically impossible for a virgin to give birth. So how can this happen?

Much has been made in theological circles about the validity of the Virgin Birth. In VS 27 Mary is introduced as a virgin. Now this isn’t the way you’d normally describe a person or either gender. Most people never even use the word.

But here it was crucial to the story. Three times in Luke’s first chapter Mary herself says she is a virgin. The way Mary spoke in these scriptures leaves no alternative translation. Mary was pure and chaste. There’s no debate. Two proofs are: the fact the Mary described herself on multiple occasions as a virgin as I just mentioned. And secondly, remember Luke was a doctor and everything in his training would lead him to doubt such a story. To record such a story would leave him open to criticism by his colleagues.

Yet according to the beginning of the book of Luke, Luke had investigated things so accurately that he was convinced of it’s truth. So much so he was determined to pen the most complete and accurate account of the virgin birth historically and scientifically. In fact Luke’s source for all of this was probably Mary because to who is a woman more frank and honest about the conception and birth of their child than a physician … a physician like Luke.

God’s Miracle

After Mary’s response of “This ain’t gonna happen cause I’m still a virgin.” “Oh” says Gabriel “Did I forget to mention, the child’s father will be the Spirit of God.” Can’t you just imagine the smile starting to creep over Mary’s face, “Right, get out of here.”

Then Gabriel describes the plan.

Gabriel states that the power of God will overshadow her. Literally, God is going to create life within her womb.

Then Gabriel defines the purpose.

The conception of the child will not be physical but rather supernatural. The power of God will create the child and this is completely beyond human understanding. The fact of this miracle birth will make Jesus the Son of God. Jesus is literally God in flesh and he is the miracle of all miracles.

So put yourself into Mary’s spot, just for a moment. Your life is pretty much perfect, you come from a loving family, you’re engaged to be married to a well respected man, and everything seems to be coming up roses. And then into this perfectly ordered world comes an Angel who says you’re about to become the mother of the Messiah, which is the upside because the downside is you’re engaged but not married. What would your reaction be? Mary’s was Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Roughly translated into 2003 teen Mary said, “OK.”

Mary pledges her loyalty to God. She pledges that she will serve Him as she has in the past. This task will reveal her ability and spirit to serve God. Mary states her commitment and vows to follow God and do His will. Mary will follow God, be a part of His plan, no matter what the personal cost may be.

If there is one thing to get out of Mary’s story it is this: Mary’s obedience to and trust in God. Her reputation would be ruined; he life would be dramatically changed. Nazareth wasn’t a big place so it would have been hard to for Mary to keep her delicate condition a secret. She could lose her fiancée, her family support system, and her future. But God has called, and she responded Here am I Lord.

How many of us understand that God is waiting for us to say "Let it be to me according to your word"? Like Mary, we cannot understand what is going on. Like her, we can only remember that we are members of a community of faithful people whose life story is the story of God’s action among us, on behalf of the whole world. Like Mary, we cannot foresee what our future will be if we accept God’s will. Like Mary we can only know that because we are members of the body of Christ, God has no other hands and hearts and minds in the world but ours. Like Mary, we can only know that if God’s will is to be accomplished in this world, we must play our part in this preposterous plan. The angel said, "Greetings. You are highly favored, the Lord is with you." For the next week, as we go about our workdays, taking care of Christmas plans and errands, as we go about our daily responsibilities, let us keep Gabriel’s greeting in our minds and hearts. Hear Gabriel greet you with these terrifying words of hope and salvation. God is waiting for the Holy Child of Bethlehem to be born in us, and he cannot be born in us unless we are prepared, like Mary, to give ourselves, our hearts, and souls and bodies, to him. The Holy Child cannot be born in us unless we, like Mary, find faith and courage and say “Let be in me”. "You are highly favored, the Lord is with you." How will you reply?