Mary: Blessed and Highly Favored
Two Christmas Characters: One Divine Calling • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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So this morning we talked about Joseph the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus
Tonight I want us to look at Mary the mother of Jesus.
It could be well argued that no other woman, conqueror, philosopher, or artist has shaped global art, and culture as has Mary, the mother of Jesus. And yet, the irony of it is, Mary is, in fact, a fairly minor character in the New Testament, appearing only in the nativity narrative of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and anonymously elsewhere in John and even less in the epistles.
(The Essential Lexham Dictionary of Church History (Virgin Mary))
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery Mary the Mother of Jesus
Layer upon layer of imagery has overlaid the sparse NT facts about the historical Mary. In the Roman Catholic world her influence is all-pervasive. Mary has become an object of veneration, revered for her spotless virginity and perfection. As such, she has inspired some of the finest artistic achievements in the Western world.
There has been trouble with people worshipping Mary or even considering her as having a part in redemption. The Catholic church has battled this for decades called Co-Redemptrix.
Within contemporary Catholic theology, the co-redemptrix concept holds that Mary uniquely participated in redemption through her obedient acceptance of motherhood in the Incarnation and her suffering alongside Christ’s passion, understood as co-offering Christ to the Father as a redemptive sacrifice.1 Catholic theologians advocating for this position typically emphasize that Mary’s status does not equate her with Christ, but rather suggest that redemption was accomplished by Christ through his free participation with Mary.
The co-redemptrix concept contradicts 1 Timothy 2:5, which declares Jesus as “the one mediator between God and mankind.”3 In her Magnificat, Mary herself identifies God as “my Savior,” implying her own need for salvation—like all humanity, Mary required a Redeemer
I was thankful to see...
Recently, this past November the new pope -Pope Leo (through the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) issued a doctrinal note, , officially confirming that the title "Co-Redemptrix" (or Co-Redeemer) should be applied to Mary, emphasizing that only Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, though acknowledging Mary's unique role as Mother and cooperator in God's plan, a move to prevent confusion and keep focus on Christ's sole saving work.
While not the first encounter with her name in the New Testament - it is the one of the most famous Luke 1:26-38
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
There with those simple straightforward, unmistakably clear words is the beginning of the glorious, beautiful, true account of God becoming flesh, the incarnation.
There is Nothing man-made about this, nothing more wonderful, more marvelous, more compelling, more miraculous than this as God begins to tell the drama of salvation in the announcement of the birth of the Christ.
All to a young virgin girl named Mary.
Mary is called Favored - Blessed
Mary was not chosen because she was sinless, but because she was submissive. Favor is not earned—it is received.
On Mary’s age...
An old book dated to the 4th century called, History of Joseph the Carpenter an apocryphal book (meaning it is not scripture or accepted as inspired text) states that Mary at this time was twelve years old.
This could be possible - but it is more likely she was between thirteen to sixteen years old.
This book also claims that Joseph was a 90 year old widower with a grown-up family. The Biblical picture, however, seems to indicate that Joseph was a young man entering marriage for the first time.
Notice that when the angel comes to visit her after their espousal.
Typically when a young woman reached marriageable age, she could be promised in marriage to a young man with the wedding itself taking place one or two years later.
While we are not sure of the timing between Mary & Joseph’s espousal and their marriage somewhere in the middle she receives an unexpected announcement from Gabriel about mystery of the Incarnation.
There is an interesting insight by Ignatius the second Bishop of Antioch after Peter - who in his martyrdom for the cause of Christ was thrown to the wild beasts at Rome made the comment -
“Mary’s virginity escaped the notice of the ruler of this age [satan] it escaped his notice because of Joseph, and because of their wedding, and because Mary was thought to have a husband. If she had not be betrothed or not had (as people thought) a husband, her virginity could never have been concealed from the “ruler of this age” [satan]. Immediately, a silent thought would have occurred to the devil: “How can this woman, who has not slept with a man, be pregnant? This conception must be divine....But the Savior had so arranged his plan that the devil did not know that he had taken on a body When he was conceived, he escaped the devil’s notice.
While we cannot be certain of Ignatius’ speculation, what Scripture makes clear is this: God worked quietly, humbly, and deliberately—so quietly that even the enemy did not immediately perceive what God was doing.
Mary’s intentional, quiet, surrender is both commendable and should be emulated in our lives
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. ...
Notice her posture of radical trust and unconditional surrender - God’s word was enough, her grasp on God and his word led to absolute self-surrender to the divine purpose
Maybe God is asking you to do something that is hard?
What is God asking you to carry that you did not plan?
What calling have you resisted because it came without explanation?
This surrender though it will no doubt lead to ostracization and suffering - leads her to such a place of worship and praise that later she will sing God’s praises so beautifully it is forever memorialized in Scripture.
Surrender does not lead Mary into silence—it leads her into song.
We know it as Mary’s Song or the Magnificat taking that name from the opening words of the Latin translation for, “My soul magnifies the Lord”
It echoes Old Testament poetry especially the Psalms
It was set to music by J.S. Bach we talked some about him this morning.
Structurally it unfolds in four movements that seem to track Mary’s internal journey from personal joy to a prophetic vision of what God was going to do.
Mary expresses joy at being chosen to bear the Messiah Luke 1:46-48
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Mary magnifies the Lord not because she would hold Him in her arms- but that God would hold her.
2. Mary glorifies God’s power, holiness, and mercy Luke 1:49-50
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him From generation to generation.
3. Mary sees the Great Reversal -God transforming the world through the Messiah, humbling the proud while exalting the humble, and feeding the hungry while leaving the rich empty Luke 1:51-53
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, And exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away.
4. Mary celebrates God’s faithfulness to the promise made to Abraham Luke 1:54-55
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, In remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, To Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
Mary rejoices not primarily in motherhood
But in “God my Savior” (Luke 1:47
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
That should be our joy this season as well as the motivation of our surrender.
