Mary - An Example of Motherhood
Luke 1:26-28
I. She was a Virgin Until She was Married.
A. Who was Mary?
1. The daughter of Eli of Judah, a peasant girl living in Nazareth which was a town located on a main trade route with the east.
2. She was a virgin until she married Joseph.
a. Matt 1:23, The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Im- manuel. is a quote from Is 7:14.
b. NRSV translates this passage - Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
c. Virgin (הָעַלְמָה) in Is 7:14 = a sexually mature female of marriageable age, who may or may not be sexually active. She was, then, between 12-18 years old.
d. In order for “the Word to become flesh” (Jn 1:14) Mary would have had to be a virgin.
e. The context of Lk 1:34, How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin”?, infers she was a virgin in our understanding of this word.
f. Her marriage had been arranged & she was already betrothed. So, she was legally bonded to Joseph as though she were already married to him.
B. Misconceptions of who she was.
1. She was not a perpetual virgin - she had other children (Matt 13:55-56; Mk 6:3).
2. She likely lived a full life & died of old age.
3. She was not perfect. Rom 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Only Lord Jesus did that! (Hebrews 4:15)
C. Mary was chosen by God, not to be worshipped or prayed to, but to be an example of the type of woman God would choose for this mission!
II. She was Quiet & Meditative.
A. Why is being quiet important? I Pet 3:1-4 - Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
B. How was Mary an example here?
1. After the visit of the shepherds to the manger. Lk 2:19 - But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
2. After finding 13 year old Jesus in the Temple. Lk 2:51 - Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
III. She was Humble.
A. She accepted being poor by the offering she presented.
1. Lev 12:6, 8 - When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. . . If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons. . .
2. Lk 2:22-24 - Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
B. She accepted rebuke, when she deserved it, at the marriage feast in Cana. (John 2:1-5)
C. She accepted rebuke, when she deserved it, when she came to get Jesus.
1. Lk 8:19-21 - Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, want- ing to see you.” He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
2. Why did she come? (My opinion)
a. The political climate was against Him now. Herod was out to get Him. (Lk 13:31)
b. She came with the family to persuade Him to come home & go under cover awhile.
IV. She was Godly & Courageous.
A. She was submissive to God’s will.
1. What were the possible consequences of this submission?
a. In the light of the Law of Moses, she could have been executed (Deut 22:23-24).
b. The Law did allow a man to put his wife away secretly (Joseph’s choice). Deut 24:1 - If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house . . .
2. In spite of these possibilities, she obeyed God! Lk 1:38 - “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
3. Then, she skipped town to visit Elizabeth. (Lk 1:39)
a. The distance between Nazareth & Elizabeth was 50-70 miles.
b. She did this on a donkey when she was 6 months pregnant!
B. She trusted Lord Jesus.
1. ILL: The Miracle at Cana (Jn 2:1-12).
2. Even after the rebuke she knew He would do something about it! Jn 2:5 - His mother said to the ser- vants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
C. She remained loyal to Him.
1. At the cross. Jn 19: 26-27 - When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved stand- ing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
a. She was told by the prophet Simeon this would happen. Lk 2:35 - a sword will pierce your own soul . . .
b. Imagine the courage it would take to stand there & watch!
2. After Pentecost she was found praying with the disciples & Jesus’ brothers (Act 1:14).
May you develop into the kind of woman
God chose to be the mother of His Son!
https://www.biblelifemessages.org