Mary

This morning, we continue our exploration of the family ties in Jesus’ ancestry. We’ve spent some time looking at some of the more distant relatives, and last week we looked at Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph. Today, we look at Mary.

Mary stands out to us, not only because she was a virgin when the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in her, but because the church throughout history has venerated her, from a simple recognition of her obedience to out right worship. As a human being, she certainly cannot be worshipped. But as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, she ought to be honoured alongside many others.

When we consider Mary, she stands as one who said “Yes” to God, at a very critical point in her life. And serves as a contrast to Eve, who said “No” to God at a similar point in her life.

Mary was from the city of Galilee, Nazareth. She was betrothed to Joseph.

Our passage opens with, “in the sixth month...” just to fill you in, that’s in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin. She was of the priestly line of Aaron, and her husband, Zechariah was of the division of Abijah. Both are described as being righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

Now, just as an aside, and as a shameless plug for the Beyond Sunday Podcast, this past week, Josh and I talked about whether or not a Christian can live a life of obedience. Given our understanding of human depravity, is it possible to live a blameless life?

The answer is yes, it is possible. Now, I’m going to nuance it a bit, and I’m going to say that a blameless life is not possible outside of Christ Jesus. But a person is considered righteous on the basis of faith, not on the basis of works. So, when we hear that Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Mary are somehow different from, say other people, like Jezebel or Ahaz or someone like that, it is because of their faith. They believed God and it was accredited to them as righteousness.

So, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary in Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy. Oh yeah, I should remind us all that Elizabeth was advanced in age, and had been barren her whole life. It was, humanly speaking, impossible for her to conceive.

But with God all things are possible.

So, back to our passage. An angel appears to Mary, and tells her that she will conceive a son. Mary asks, “How is this possible?”

We all know, don’t we, how babies happen. Virgins don’t get pregnant. So, Mary’s question is a good one, how will this happen?

The angel tells her that nothing is impossible with God. Her cousin, Elizabeth, post menopausal, unable to have children, barren, and reproached by the people—remember, being able to bear children was a sign of God’s blessing. The fact that she didn’t have a child, indicated that she, or her husband, or her parents were guilty of sin. But that wasn’t true. It was because of their righteousness that he prevented them from having children earlier! In Zechariah and Elizabeth, God is connecting that the promise given to Abraham is now being fulfilled in Jesus, in Mary’s child!

So, how did a virgin get pregnant? The Holy Spirit, using one of Mary’s eggs, provided within the womb, all that would ordinarily be provided by natural means, by supernatural means.

Now, I don’t want to belabour the point (no pun intended) but let us remember who God is. He spoke all the universe into existence. He formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into him. God is able to be conceived in a virgin.

Or, what shall we say is harder? A virgin becoming pregnant? An old woman becoming pregnant for the first time? Or how about this? That God is able to take sinful, rebellious people, and transform them into obedient, righteous children.

Jesus came to do the impossible, to save us from our sins. We are all guilty of sin, and we all deserve death. The eternal punishment we deserve makes it impossible for our salvation. But Jesus came, he lived the perfect life of obedience that none of us are able to live, and he offered that life as an atoning sacrifice. By faith, we believe in Jesus. By faith, we are considered righteous. Jesus made it possible for sinners, to be obedient, for the unrighteous to be righteous, by faith.

What is more amazing than that God grants new birth, spiritual birth, by faith to those whom he has chosen. Jesus makes it possible for people to be born again. This is what Nicodemus really wanted to know. He came to Jesus, secretly, confessed that he knew Jesus was the Son of God, and that he had the truth, he is the truth!

Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Notice the same kind of question, good question that Nicodemus asks, just like Mary, “How can this be since I am a virgin, I have never been with a man?” Jesus answered Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

What Jesus is saying is this, in order to be able to enter the kingdom of God, we must be transformed, reborn, made new. The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel put it this way, “God will remove our hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh.” Now, this imagery makes sense, doesn’t it? A heart of stone would be cold, calculating, hard, unchanging, unmoving, passionless, emotionless, dead, and heartless. But a heart of flesh, moves, cares, it is warm, considerate, soft, changing, moving, passionate, emotional, alive. It is living, it is functioning the way it ought.

This kind of transformation is impossible apart from God. But with God, it is possible! God is able to do all these things in us.

Now, perhaps you are listening to this, and you’re wondering, how do I know if I have been born again? How do I know if the Holy Spirit is within me? How do I know if I am born of the Spirit?

The first thing is this. You are listening. Keep listening. If you are hearing these words, pay attention. The Spirit is at work in you, in your mind, in your heart. He is speaking to you and saying, “Come. Believe. Trust. Receive. Become alive in Christ through my presence.”

That’s the first part. Receive.

Look again at our passage. Mary, pledged to be married to Joseph, a normal girl, a teenager, going about her life. Going to synagogue. Still living at home. Getting to know Joseph socially appropriate ways, as arranged by her parents and his. Suddenly has an angel appear to her.

Now that is an exceptional moment. But hear me right now. Is this moment, when the Holy Spirit is knocking on your heart through this message any less exceptional? This sermon was preached several days ago, or maybe you’re coming to it several weeks, months or even years after it is preached (if it stays on YouTube). Nevertheless, and of course, far less impressive and exciting than having an actual angel appear to you, nevertheless, this messenger, I Paul Van Stralen, am proclaiming God’s Word to you: receive the Holy Spirit! Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Respond, as Mary did.

It is okay if you are feeling greatly troubled right now. It is okay if you are afraid. It is okay if you are wondering how in the world you could be considered so highly favoured as to receive the Holy Spirit.

I’m telling you, you are. So, welcome the Holy Spirit. Don’t delay.

Receive the message. You have to do that much. Mary did. She believed the angel. She proclaimed, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Let her response be yours. Acknowledge God’s lordship over you. He created the universe, he created you, therefore he is your Lord, whether you receive him as such or not. Since I am a Canadian citizen, Queen Elizabeth is my queen, whether I want her to be or not. My wanting, my thinking, my wishing doesn’t make one difference in reality.

Then Mary said the most daring words she could have spoken, “let it be to me according to your word.”

In the moment before saying “yes,” Mary quickly counted the cost. She would be accused of adultery. Joseph could divorce her and publicly shame her. She could be exiled from her own family. She might have to endure all manner of ridicule and suffering, and no one would believe that what was conceived in her was really from the Holy Spirit. And yet, she still said yes.

Mary counted the cost and said yes.

How about you? If you’ve already said, “Yes” to Jesus, have you counted the cost? Have you taken a stand on him and his Word? Are you willing to do what it takes to remain firm? Are you willing to turn your back on sin? Are you willing to give up your wants, your desires, your dreams, and to seek God’s will for your life?

Yes, Mary did know what it would cost her, over her life. The scriptures tell us that she pondered all these things in her heart. And, by the strength of the Holy Spirit upon her, she endured. She suffered. She rejoiced, she lived, she loved, she gave her life to Jesus, and it was all worth it, every moment of every day. Even in the midst of the sorrow of seeing her firstborn die on the cross, she knew it was worth it. She knew that God was redeeming all things in her life, to make things right, to bring about that which is good.

The Holy Spirit came upon Mary in an instant, and transformed her life. From being not pregnant to pregnant. But the Holy Spirit sustained her and her husband, Joseph, who showed great loving concern when he chose to take her into his home immediately, taking upon himself the same disgrace, but he believed Mary, he believed the angel, he believed God.

Where are you today? Believe God. Believe the Holy Spirit is at work in you. All who are in Christ, all who are clothed with Christ, are made new. Yes, we still deal with sin, but sin no longer identifies us, it no longer defines us. Christ does. In Jesus we have new life, amen!