Marriage was a special time for young Jewish women back in Bible times. As they went about their day they would no doubt daydream about the wedding, married life and bearing children. Mary was a special case in that she would be the mother of God’s promised Messiah.
The Lord sent an angel to deliver a special message to Mary. Mary’s initial reaction was one of confusion ... what could the angel mean? Now as we discussed in a previous post, the appearance of angels was quite awe inspiring and frightening. Though taken aback, Mary listened to what she was told by the angel Gabriel and responded the way I’m sure God wishes we would ALL respond; with instant acceptance and willingness to fulfill that which is presented to them.
Luke 1:26-38 tells us of the conversation that took place, telling us that “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee” to give a message to Mary. Not having been intimate with a man, giving birth to any child seemed perplexing to her. When she posed the question of how she could give birth while being a virgin, verse 35 clears this question up by having the angel say: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Proving the devoutness of Mary she responded by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
All this placed Mary’s betrothed Joseph in an awkward position. Matthew’s gospel reveals to us that an angel came to Joseph to assist in his dilemma. Matthew 1:19-20 says: “Because Joseph, as her husband, was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”
Mary’s being chosen by God for this incredibly important event tells us that God’s best servants are often ordinary people who make themselves available to God. Mary’s character was revealed by her response to the unexpected. Have you made yourself available to be used by God?
Here’s a trivial fact: Mary was the only individual who was present at both Jesus’ birth and his death.
Up next is Jesus interaction with women in the New Testament. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His name & for His glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible
[1] Footnotes from The Life Application Study Bible; p. 2174.
No comments:
Post a Comment