Hello Everyone,
I pray that your Holiday Season has been a blessing thus far. My family and I actually traveled over Thanksgiving. It was a fun experience for all. We ate too much, played games, watched football, and prayed; a great time for all.
I hope that you have enjoyed studying the women of the bible. We have discussed the most obvious women in the bible, now we will learn more about the sometimes forgotten women of the bible. We will start with the mother of our Lord and Savior, Mary. Since it is the season of the celebration of His birth, it is most appropriate to discuss Jesus' mother, Mary. There is no actual book of Mary in the bible, so we will use several different scriptures for the reference portion of this study. At the end, we will know a lot more about Mary, which will provide more insight on understanding Jesus. This study will only be for the next two weeks and then we will break for Christmas and New Years. So, let's dive right in.
Resource
Luke 1:26-38
26 Now in the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to
a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The
virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come
in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the
Lord is with you; blessed are you among
women!” 29 But when she saw him,[b] she was troubled at his saying, and
considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel
said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call
His name Jesus. 32 He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will
give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no
end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since
I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to
her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born
will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your
relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth
month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing
will be impossible.” 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.
Lesson
Mary is known for her position as Joseph's
wife, and most of all Jesus' mother. These rolls are most honored by God.
Mary's life prior to her pregnancy is not discussed, nor are any details
given about her life after giving birth to Christ. The most significant
points of Mary's existence were that she was a wife and a mother.
God specifically designed women for these
two purposes. In the Garden of Eden, God did not create woman first, He
created man first. We are designed to be the ultimate helper for man
(Genesis 2:18). While we all have a specific purpose to benefit the
Kingdom of God, there are specified rolls for man and woman.
Today's society views this as an
antiquated identity. We are constantly bombarded with images and messages
that suggest a more dominant role for women. God has entitled us with an
empowerment to walk in His most heavenly design of us. God's design of woman is
perfect, she is both strong and vulnerable, and powerful and tender (Shirer
2011).
God could have sent His son, Jesus,
through any type of form. He chose a woman, Mary, to bring forth this
miracle through the traditional forms of womanhood. So, to appreciate
Mary, we must honor that she is a chosen "woman" of God and honor the
distinctive rolls God has designed for man and woman.
Many commentaries believe that Mary was
thirteen when the angel of the Lord came to her during this passage in Luke.
The timeline of her engagement to Joseph is in question for many scholars.
Mary was an ordinary Hebrew teenage girl, betrothed to a suitable and
good man named Joseph (Wolgemuth 2013). The common consensus is that they
were already betrothed (engaged) prior to the angel's visit to Mary. Joseph
was supernaturally made aware of Mary's condition, and took her into his home
(Easton 1897). Other scholars believe that Joseph and Mary become
betrothed after Joseph was made aware of the miracle that was to occur.
Nevertheless, Mary endured much during this
time period; she was pregnant and not married (Luke 1:34). Historical
accounts specify that this is punishable by death. Mary knew this and
still was obedient to God's will for her life (Luke 1:38).
What level of faith, obedience, and
humility Mary had to possess in order to walk in her purpose. No matter
the exact age, we know that Mary was a teenager when this happened to her.
Some of us struggle with faith, obedience, and humility as adults.
God requires so little of us and yet we choose other things but Him
(Deuteronomy 30:11-20). Could you answer the call that God requested and
required of Mary? Could you operate in such a level of faith, obedience,
and humility?
Every year at Christmas we are consumed by
the commercialism and the expectations of gifts. We have genuinely lost
sight of the miracle of Christ and the journey of Mary. We should honor
and celebrate the birth of Christ and recognize the journey of Mary.
God has given us so many blueprints, it is
a shame that we battle so much with choosing Him. Jesus should be Lord
over every aspect of our lives. If we would have the faith, obedience,
and humility of Mary, we would practice less skepticism when He speaks to us.
Faith, obedience, and humility provide us the ear to hear from the Lord.
We are more open to His plans for us when we deny our flesh, surrender to
His will, and practice faith, obedience, and humility.
Application
During this Holiday Season, let’s operate
with a different perspective towards Mary and Jesus. Let us implement a
more biblical approach to the season of Christmas. Let's ask God for
discernment on how we can personally apply a new tradition of acknowledgment
for the birth of Christ. Think about Mary and her spirit of faith,
obedience, and humility. We can step outside of our comfort zones and focus on the
true purpose of Christ and Mary's journey as His mother.
I pray that you all will have a blessed
week!
Please stop by my website and check out my
new project:
Have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References
All Bible verses were retrieved from the
Bible. New King James Version. YouVersion. App Store 2013
Allen Th.D, Ronald B., House Th.D. J.D.,
H. Wayne, Radmacher Th.D., Earl D. (1999). New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee
Easton, Matthew George (1897).
Easton Bible Dictionary. Thomas
Nelson Publishing
Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bible is
All About. Regal Books
Publishing. Ventura, CA
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution
for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville,
Tennessee
Wolgemuth, Barbara, & Wolgemuth,
Robert (2013). Couples of the Bible. Zondervan
Publishing. Grands Rapid, MI
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