Who Was Mary?

Focus Passage: Luke 1 and 2 

Who was Mary? Sadly, Lutherans tend to ignore her as much as Catholics venerate her. We do know from early church legend that her parents’ names were Joachim and Anna. Luke also tells us in Luke 3 that she is a direct descendant of David and thus is from the house of Judah. Yet, what should we do with her? We don’t want to pray to her like the Catholics, but I think we can learn a lot from her about what it means to live as Christians. She was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus and like Abraham, David and Paul; her life can teach us a lot about living for the Lord.

Highly favored Luke 1:28 We begin with God’s description of her. She is highly favored. Out of all the women who have ever lived, she was chosen
to give birth to the Messiah. She would be a special recipient of God’s grace. The Messiah would come for everyone, but He would come to her in a special way. Think of how she would get to know Jesus in the way that only a mother can. She would hold Him and play with the young Jesus. She would tease Him and love Him in a way that no one else would experience. You are favored by God. Trust God like Mary does when God comes to you with a task. You are special as you live out your calling.

Submissive Luke 1:38 She has one of the hardest tasks in all of scripture and God’s description of it here still overwhelms us. We still don’t fully know how the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary will endure the pain and ridicule that she will have when she is found pregnant outside of marriage. Yet her response is total submission. She is willing to be the Lord’s servant no matter what that means. She will sacrifice her life so that the Lord’s love can go out. Submission is hard for it all comes down to trust. God is always looking for servants who will follow Him blindly knowing that He will walk with them every step of the way.

Enduring Luke 2:4 Mary and Joseph had a right to be upset at making the 80 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It would not be easy for a woman late in pregnancy to walk that distance. Yet the government was forcing every person to make the long trip just to pay their taxes. It was a pain, but you never hear of Mary or Joseph complaining. Being the parent of Jesus would not be easy, but God would help. God takes us out of our comfort zones when we serve him. No one says that serving God will be easy, but we need to be obedient and follow the Lord even when it is hard or painful. God has a plan and he wants to use us. If we are to be useful, we need to obediently follow His will in spite of the challenges.

Pondering Luke 2:19 Think of all that this young girl of 14 or so had been through and what she had learned of God’s plan. I picture her holding the baby Jesus and trying to put all the pieces together. She held him a little tighter wondering what she was now part of. There had to be a bit of amazement in all the things that were said about her child. Yet, she never panics or backs away. She treasures all these things and perhaps thanks the Lord that she is a part of it. When the presents are unwrapped and the meal is over, take some time to ponder what the Lord is telling you in scripture for your life.

Mary deserves more than we Lutherans often give her. Here is a woman of confident faith. At the age of 13, God asks her to take part in His great plan of salvation. She will protect the child, nurture the child and love the child all His life. She deserves the honor she gets. Her life shows the value of faith. It is not just a matter of whether we get to heaven or not. It is a matter of how we will live our lives. Because she trusts the Lord, Mary experienced things that none of us can even begin to imagine. What would it be like to have Jesus sit on your lap? Such are the vistas for those who have faith. God will allow them to do and experience things that others can’t even dream of. The sky is even too small to limit our God. Everything is possible for him and for the people that He entrusts with great things.