I. Introduction.
A. When we think of Mary of Nazareth one thing, obviously,
comes to mind. Of all the women in the world, of hers or
any generation, she was the “. . .highly favored one, . . .”,
chosen to bring the Messiah into the world and to raise Him
for His unique mission. She was not a saintly superhuman,
but one who was given grace, and an extraordinary
privilege, by God.
1. We must, however, inject a word of caution here,
against elevating Mary, the mother of Jesus, too
much. She was just a woman.
2. In the “song of Mary,” the “Magnificat,” of
Luke 1:46-55, verse 48 says: “For He [God] has
regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for
behold, henceforth all generations will call me
blessed.” The point of her blessedness is not that
we should think of her as one we can appeal for
blessings, but, rather, that she, herself, was
supremely blessed by God. Mary is never
portrayed in scripture as a source, or dispenser,
of grace, but only as the recipient of God’s
blessings.
a. It is her Son who is the fountain of grace:
“His name shall endure forever; His name
shall continue as long as the sun. And men
shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call
Him blessed.” (Psalm 72:17).
b. He is the long-awaited, and anticipated, seed
of Abraham of whom the covenant promise
spoke: “’In your seed all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed, . . .’”
(Genesis 22:18).
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B. Mary, herself, was a humble individual who maintained a
consistently low profile, as reflected in the gospel accounts
of Jesus’ life. Scripture expressly contradicts some of the
principal legends about her.
1. For example, the idea that she remained a virgin
after Jesus was born; that she had no other children.
But, the Bible says Jesus had half-brothers and
half-sisters, born to Mary and her husband, Joseph.
(Mark 6:3: “’Is this not the carpenter, the Son of
Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and
Simon? And are not His sisters here with
us?’. . .”).
2. Matthew 1:25 tell us that Joseph refrained from
intimacy with Mary only “. . . till she had brought
forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name
Jesus.”
3. Mary’s supposed sinlessness is equally without a
scriptural basis. In fact, the opening stanza of
Mary’s “Magnificat” speaks of God as her
“Savior,” implying, from Mary herself, the need
for redemption.
4. Far from portraying Mary as a saintly individual,
the Bible shows her to be just an average girl, of
common background and means, who lived in a
poor village in Galilee and was betrothed to a
working-class fiancé who earned his living as a
carpenter. To pass Mary on a street in Nazareth
probably meant not noticing her at all.
C. But, this plain, unassuming, girl did have some illustrious
ancestors.
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1. “Luke” gives us her genealogy in detail
(Luke 3:23-38), just as “Matthew” listed Joseph’s
ancestry.
2. Both Joseph and Mary were descendants of David.
Mary’s branch of David’s family tree can be traced
through the king’s son, Nathan (Luke 3:31).
Joseph’s lineage is of the royal line, through
Solomon (Matthew 1:6). Christ inherited David’s
throne through His stepfather, His birthright as a
firstborn Son. But Jesus’ blood relationship to
David came through Mary, who was part of a
more inconsequential branch of David’s family.
3. From Matthew’s genealogy, we can say that every
one of the women we’ve discussed in previous
lessons (Eve; Sarah; Rahab; Ruth), with the one
exception of Hannah, were all ancestors of Mary.
Like Hannah, Mary showed great faith in God,
trusting Him and depending upon Him. And, like
Hannah, she became a model of motherhood and
self-sacrifice. They both gave up their sons for a
much greater purpose and good.
4. Now, Mary finds herself thrust into the role of
mother of the redeemer of Israel, and of the entire
world.
II. The Announcement That Changed Mary’s Life.
A. Our first encounter with Mary, in Luke’s gospel, is on the
occasion of the appearance of an archangel to her.
Without fanfare, quite suddenly, the archangel comes to
disclose God’s wonderful plan for Mary’s life (re-read
verses 26-27, Luke 1).
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1. The name “Mary” is the Greek-originated form
of the Hebrew “Miriam.” It may be derived from
the Hebrew word for “bitter” (as Ruth’s mother-in-
law, Naomi, called herself “Mara” in reference to
the bitterness of her life’s trials; Ruth 1:20).
2. Her hometown was hardly a distinguished place.
Nazareth was located in the hilly land of Galilee,
and was not really noted for much of anything.
In fact, some looked upon it with disdain
(John 1:46: “And Nathanael said to him
[Philip], ‘Can any good come out of Nazareth?’”).
B. Other sketchy details about Mary’s background are
provided in different scriptures.
1. She had a sister, according to John 19:25 (“Now
they stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and
His mother’s sister, . . .”).
2. Mary was also related to Elizabeth, the wife of the
priest Zacharias, and the mother of John the Baptist.
It is presumed they were cousins, but the biblical
text is not clear about their relationship. Elizabeth
might also have been Mary’s aunt, given the
differences in their ages (Elizabeth being “. . .well
advanced in years . . .” (Luke 1:18), while Mary
was very young when the birth of Jesus was
announced to her.
3. Mary was probably much younger than her
betrothed Joseph. It was a time when marriages
were arranged by the bridegroom, or his parents,
with a girl’s father.
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4. The Bible is very clear on the point that Mary was
a virgin when Jesus was miraculously conceived.
The Greek word used twice in Luke 1:27 does not allow for any other translation other than “virgin.”
C. The privilege of giving birth to the Hebrew Messiah did not
come without a cost. Being betrothed, and now pregnant,
carried a stigma in Mary’s culture. Even though she was
chaste, people were naturally going to think otherwise.
Even Joseph, at first, assumed the worst. The woman fully
committed to marry him was carrying a child, and Joseph
knew absolutely he was not the father.
1. Being a righteous man, and loving Mary, Joseph
was not inclined to make a public example of Mary
but, at first, he saw no real option but divorce
(Read Matthew 1:18-19).
2. As an announcement from God changed Mary’s
life, so it changed Joseph’s course as well.
D. There’s no evidence that Mary brooded over the effects her
pregnancy would have on her reputation. She submitted to
God’s will: “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of
the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’. . .”);
Luke 1:38). Then, Mary expressed her joy for God’s plan.
E. Mary left the hill country of Galilee to go and visit
Elizabeth. Here, she was not fleeing the shame of her
pregnancy. She just had to share her good news with
someone. It was natural to go to someone she knew, and
was related to, and share her condition – under very
similar circumstances. These two women could rejoice
together in God’s goodness for each of them.
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1. It’s abundantly clear that young Mary was well –
acquainted with God’s Word. Her worshipful
response to God, and Him alone, came from her
heart. Hers was not a prayer of one who claimed
to be without sin, but a glad rejoicing of one who
knew God intimately as her “Savior.”
III. Conclusion.
A. Mary could celebrate the fact that God’s mercy is upon
those who fear (reverence) Him. She knew, now, firsthand,
how God exalts the lowly, and fills the hungry with good
things. She, a humble sinner who was favored by a
merciful God, was truly blessed and filled.
B. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, Mary appears only three
times. What really was her relationship with this special
Son? When do we see Mary in the scriptures after Jesus
is grown and leaves Nazareth behind as a more-permanent
home? We’ll take up these, and other, questions in a
second part to this lesson.
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