Easter From Mary

Easter from Mary

March 9, 2025

Luke 1:26-38

Read TEXT Summarize from 26-33 and then focus on 34-38.

It may seem strange to go here to start off Easter. But, this year as we enter into the Easter season, we will look at four people. Two who saw Easter right, two that saw Easter from a different perspective. All of them had an encounter with Easter but only two of them demonstrated an understanding of it’s reality.

This week we will study Mary. Specifically, how she saw and viewed the event that every soul ever born would be affected by. This one event in human history, she had a front row seat to. Her vantage point is important for us today.

Before we jump in, allow me to ask, have you ever been in a situation where someone has taken your words, your story or an event that involved you and used it for their own gain? Maybe it they took your words and manipulated it so that it would make themselves look better or accomplish their own agenda?

When the boys were little they quickly learned that when they got into fights, if they invoked dad’s words, they would be able to get their brothers to comply. I hate to say it, but it usually was the older ones employing this tactic on the younger one. It did not take long for the younger one to learn that he was getting played.

But, over time, when things like this happened, soon the deception would destroy truth. What I mean about this is that when I did tell the oldest to tell the younger ones to do something and because they had been deceived so many times, he would ignore his brothers, he would get in trouble when he didn’t comply. It was like he couldn’t win.

The problem with Mary is this. There seems like there are two extremes. For the Roman Catholic, they have deified her. They made her into something that she is not. They have taken something beautiful and twisted truth to the point that she is now nothing but a lie and a man-made idol.

But the protestant is not without guilt. In response to what the Roman Church has done, we swing hard the other direction. We do not want any part of the lie from Rome and so, we completely ignore her. Even when we bring her up at Christmas it is done with extreme caution.

This message today is an attempt to restore Mary to where she belongs. I know I cannot do that effectively in 30 minutes but there is something we must learn from her today in order to truly understand Easter. It is my goal that we sit and pear through the eyes of Mary looking at the event that changed man’s destiny.

In order to do that, let us look at the history of Mary. She was in the line of David as well as Joseph. If you read the genealogies written in Matthew and Luke, you will see that they do not match. There are two schools of though as to why. One, says that the Jews were not limited to listing only the first-born sons. Sometimes they would list more prominent lines (example, Derek vs Nate, Vs Zach). The other school of thought, (and I hold to this) that one genealogy is Mary’s not Joseph’s.

Here is why, God said that king David would always have a son to sit on his throne and then curses one of David’s sons forever saying he would never have a son on the throne.

Jeremiah 22:30

30 Thus says the Lord:

       “Write this man down as childless,

a man who shall not succeed in his days,

       for none of his offspring shall succeed

in sitting on the throne of David

and ruling again in Judah.” [1]

Yikes, that makes the first promise hard to fill right? No, not for God. You can answer that problem if you use Mary’s linage and use one of the other lines of David. Joseph was of one line of David and Mary was from another line of David.

The early history of Mary is not clear. Historically, we do not know a lot but as I will show later, it’s okay and I think it is intentionally left out of history. But this is what we do know. We first get to know Mary as a young girl (14-16 years old) meeting with a messenger from the Most High. Gabriel the messenger from God, comes to her and gives her the message. She was told that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Look back at our Luke 1:31

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son”

Notice that the angel did not ask Mary, “what are you doing for the next 9 months?” (vs 26). It was told to her. By the way, God does not ask when He gives direction. Here is a little application for us. When a child of God gets direction from God, He never asks your opinion. Some of us are still learning this lesson.

There is a description that Mary is given by Gabriel back in VS 28 “Greetings, O Favored One.” That word favored (charitoō). vb. to bestow favor on someone.To give someone a benefit out of favor and kindness.

Church see this please! Who gives the favor! Did Mary make this favor for herself? Was she special in of herself? NO! Who put the favor on her? By definition, the favor was given to her. God chose her for this event, she had nothing to do with that choosing. It was God showing favor on her.

Of all the girls chosen, why her? She was a very unlikely candidate! Why not choose Nicodemus’s daughter, Caiaphas’s daughter? They were well dressed and well educated. Why a peasant girl in a backwater town of Nazareth? This is how God works.

Why such a young girl? Our culture would rail against this, but we need to know that girls were betrothed at this age for many reasons. Mainly for their protection and provision. Girls, especially at this age were viewed as less valuable than sheep. They needed protection in a society that was harsh. Our “me too society” is a new thing. Women needed this structure, and it was not weird at this time. It was an act of mercy to provide for and protect these young girls.

With that said, let’s see her response. This is where we can start to learn about how she viewed Easter.

1. Mary was submissive

Vs 34 “How will this be, sense I am a virgin?”

If you compare her question to Zecharia’s question of the angel telling him he would have a son, it’s not that far off. Zacharia, the father of John the Baptist asks, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Do you remember how the angel responds? Because you question me, you will not be able to speak until the baby is born.

How did Mary not get the rebuke? It’s because of her heart. An innocent question of how the plan will play out. She simply asked how God plans to do it. From her innocence and submission she asks from a position of submission. Patiently, Gabriel gives her the answer.

In response, Mary gives us view of her heart. “Behold, I am the servant (dulas=slave) of the LORD; let it be to me according to your word.” Her response, I surrender every right or control of this plan. It’s all yours.

I would argue, this right here is the making of Jesus’s first and most intimate disciple. Mary, knowing that she would carry the savior of the world in her belly and submitting to the plan of salvation started right here. Did she count the cost when she said these powerful words? I bet she did and yet she still responded with “I am the servant of the LORD.”

What costs do you think she counted?

a. She would have been accused of adultery

b. She knew that it could cost her new marriage.

c. She knew that when the angel got done, there was not going to be any hiding it.

d. The law would call for her death.

Just to name a few. With all of that, she willingly and graciously submitted to the will of the LORD. But not halfway. Mary’s faith causes her submissive heart!

Again, I would argue the first disciple was called. We will talk more about this but, Mary counted the cost and still followed the plan. There are some in this room that are on the verge of counting costs to truly be all in following Jesus. Maybe you are here today wondering if living dangerously for Christ is worth it or not.

May I challenge you, God never calls people to only be ½ in disciples. Read the Word of God and you will find that God calls people with submissive hearts to be all in. Are you all in? Are you saying, “I am your servant Lord?”

Mary made a heart decision but it was not without a head knowledge. She knew her Bible. She knew her Lord.

2. Mary knew her God.

Turn over to 1:46-55. This section is called Mary’s Magnificat or in latin “magnificot onemo me donenum” or my soul magnifies the LORD. From verse 46-55 Mary gives one of the greatest outpourings of worship. It’s full of OT quotes, references and sitations. It’s obvious that her heart is saturated with the Word of God and contains repeated references to Hanah’s prayers, Psalms, and other prophets. The entire passage reads like a promise by promise from God!

Mary was educated! This is a huge deal because education was for the rich not the poor (Mary was not wealthy!). She was educated by someone and knew her Bible better then most of us. Remember that teen girls did not get educated. She was uniquely blessed with some sort of formal education and who better to teach the LORD than a girl who gushed the Scriptures?

I want to highlight two verses, 46 and 47. “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the LORD, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

My recognized right from the start that she was need of a savior. She was not sinless, or not needing salvation. She recognized from the beginning her need for Jesus even before His birth. This section is used by the Roman Catholics saying that she is divine all the while stepping over that one verse. Instead of suggesting her divinity, it does the opposite. It proves her humanity.

What makes Mary so unique and wonderful is, just like you and me, we recognize how unimaginable it is that God would send a savior! Based on this passage along with many others, Mary is never to be defied. She is never to be venerated. She, like you and me recognizing a need for salvation.

Allow me to press down on that just a second. The Bible says, for the wages of sin is death, not just eternal death but physical. She died. She is not walking among us now. If she was devine, her landscape in the Bible should be as much as Jesus’s landscape. Instead we only have four or five references and have no clue where she is post resurrection. We know that she died and we have no clue where her body is.

Do you think God wants us

d. Notice as well how little landscape she has in the NT.

i.We don't’ know where she died

ii.We don’t know where she is laid

iii.We don’t know what happens to her in the NT

d. And yet, she is blessed to cary the Son of the most high! She is blessed, but not worship worthy.

d. Mary was pious: It was not required to go to the temple at age 12 but she did.

I have to ask, why do we not know more about Mary? Why do we not know more about Joseph. Probably because God knew that Catholics or some other pagan religion would make a god out of it.

For example, Moses body? It is so that this sin does not come upon them. We want to see her rightly! And, we want to learn from her. Catholics pray to her, protestants completely ignore her. This is a warning to both. The WORD of God is telling us what is happening here and what is what God wants us to know.

3. Mary was the first and longest disciple

Luke 1:45 (Mary is the first follower of Christ!) She started following Christ before He was born.

a. Mary followed Him even before His ministry began. ( John 2)

How would it be raising this kid? Raising a perfect kid in a sinful household? It would have been interesting raising little james and judas along with Jesus. James did not become a believer until after His resurrection. So, again, how did that household function? When stuff is going wrong in the house, did she yell at James and say, “hey, you are talking to the Son of God there.”? It would have been a typical life.

Jesus grew in knowledge and wisdom (Luke 2:40,52)). He did not pop out all knowing. But was born without sin from the start. When she followed Him from a young age, I am sure that there were many questions and yet she never wavered in following Him.

b. She would have been a teacher to the LORD. She was a typical mother. And judging by her song, she would have been a great teacher.

b. Think about how you would learn if you were not hindered by sin.

b. Birth, John 2 (wine); move with Him to capernaum. she called Him out from teaching (Mark); at crucifixion, foot of the cross “Woman, behold your son.”; At the tomb anointing Him; She was one of the first to see HIm resurrected; and then she was in the room at the day of pentecost.

It is also theorized that much of Lukes’ account of the birth and announcements data came from her. She was there the entire time. John, Mary, and Mary Magdalene were at the foot of the cross. She was there from birth to death to resurrection.

To be clear, she never point anyone to herself, rather only pointed to Her Son!

4. Mary was not perfect.

We are going to look at three locations of failure:

a. Age 12 at the temple: “Why did you worry, did you not know I was going to be about my Father’s work”?

This was a submissive response yet showing Mary that His Father was the work that He was sent to perform. It was a shadow of what was to come.

b. John 2:1-5: “Woman”- not mom, not mother, rather a term that would represent a term of respect like “Ma’am”. It is a clear rebuke saying:

i.Ma’am, I am not longer at your command like a mother to child relationship.

ii.I am doing My Father’s work not your work

iii.The relationship has formally changed:

1. I am no longer your son, I am HIS Son.

b. Mark 3:31-34: “who is my mother…” I am no longer under the authority of my (earthly family). The culture would have called HIm out. But Jesus shows her and us that HE is about His Father’s work.

b. At the cross Jesus calls her “woman” again. The earthly ownership of “mom” is no more, the relationship is now Spiritual and not Earthly.

In the end, it goes back to her understand that she is in the need for salvation and she needs Easter as bad as us.

5. Easter is possible With God. (HP)

a. Mary’s faith caused her submission to His plan and Glory

i.She believed God and it was counted unto her as righteous.

ii.Pisteo- belief that is moved to action.

b. Mary’s Knowledge of who the Biblical Christ is solidified her walk:

i.She followed Him everywhere

c. Mary recognized her need for salvation in her flaws.

Simply: I was visited by an angel, I was told I was going to get pregnant while I was a virgin, I had the Spirit of God rest on me. An angel visited my husband and I knew that it was legit. I watched Him grow as the prophets told us would happen to the detail. I knew that He would be the payment for sins and I recognized that He was exactly who He was. I saw all His miracles and then I watched Him go to the cross. Then, when hanging on the cross, His last words of protection were granted to me.

How did I know that Easter is possible? Because, with all that He showed Himself to me after the resurrection and His Spirit rests on me in the upper room.

How does Mary know that Easter is possible? The day that the Spirit rests on her and it is fulfilled in her that she is a saved child of God.

[1]The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.