Tag: Mother of Jesus

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time, She, Volume 3

Mary, Mother of Jesus, Part 5

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from the She Study, delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, Volume 3/pp 37-38

Today’s Scripture: Luke 2:7-20; John 1:14; and 1 Samuel 12:24

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you.

1 Samuel 12:24

 “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

Friends, I hope you have found as much joy as I have in walking through Mary’s story. From the angel’s announcement that she had been chosen to carry and bear the Son of God into the world, we have seen her tender, receptive heart not only to the unexpected (and humanly impossible) announcement, but also to a possible threat to her engagement and relationship with Joseph, not to mention what the changes might do to her (and her familiy’s) reputation in the community. We have heard her willingness to accept and believe the message and surrender to the will of God, and we have watched as God not only kept Joseph from walking away but also gave her a much-needed embrace and words of encouragement from her cousin, Elizabeth.

“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And in time, everything the angel had told her came to pass. She gave birth to the only begotten Son of God, and He was named Jesus (Matthew 1:25). Jesus, God with us, as John 1:14 emphasizes, and as Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 7:14), A virgin would conceive and give birth to a son. People will call him “Immanuel,” which means “God with Us.” ~”Viewed in this light,” as gotquestions.org explains, “Isaiah’s prophecy is clear that Jesus is God, sent to earth to be with us, and to save mankind from our sins.” A savior born, the begotten Son of God, born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes,1 and laid in a manger; a perfect reminder that, as today’s study journal points out, “Regardless of whether or not there is room made for Him, the Lord will carry out His purpose.”

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

After Mary had given birth, swaddled her newborn son, and laid Him in the manger, she was visited by shepherds, who had been visited by an angel in the fields. The angel told them about the Savior, Christ the Lord, who had been born in Bethlehem, the city of David. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  …When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:10-12, 15-19)

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS, ALSO SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH US IF WE WILL SIMPLY YIELD OURSELVES TO THE LORD.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

  • Why would Mary ponder these things?
  • Take time today to ponder what He has done for you.

The More We Know

  1. There are some interesting theories about Luke’s detail of Jesus’ swaddling clothes. Some have postulated that the swaddling clothes were a foreshadowing—a prophetic reference—of Jesus’ burial cloths. The Greek word sparganoo is the root word used in the phrase “swaddling clothes,” and it means “to clothe in strips of cloth.” But this word sparganoo is never used in the New Testament to refer to burial cloth. In the descriptions in the Gospels of Jesus’ burial, we see variations on the phrase “wrapped in linen cloth,” and different Greek words are used for the binding. The swaddling clothes could prefigure Jesus’ burial (the Magis’ gift of myrrh in Matthew 2:11 is a clearer bit of foreshadowing), but the link can’t be proved linguistically. Gotquestions.org ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, He Sees He Knows He Cares

The power, the purpose, and the promise of God in action

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Suggested Reading: Luke 1:26-56; SOAP 1:48-49

because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.
For from now on all generations will call me blessed, because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

Luke 1:48-49

If you have ever doubted what God can and will do, or should you ever doubt His promises in days to come – you only need to consider this story. The story is true, based on the history of God’s people and the incredible means by which He delivered His son, untainted by sin, into a world filled and dying from it. For from the barren womb of Elizabeth, in her “old age” and the virgin womb of Mary in her youth – God brought forth sons, one the messenger to prepare the way for the other, who would be the Savior of the world! This is the power, the purpose, and the promise of God in action. Surely, “Nothing” is, or ever will be, “impossible with God!”

Knowing God’s power and purpose to save a sin sick world, and seeing that He is a promise keeper of the ancient words He spoke since the foundations of the world – how then should we live? I believe we should live with hope that what God says He will do – He will indeed do. We should not be surprised by, nor doubt, what God can do or what He will do – instead, like Mary, we should listen to and explore what God says, and we should be sensitive and surrendered to His Presence and the work He does in and around us. We should be quick to worship Him and focus all the glory and honor on Him as both Elizabeth and Mary did. We should look for opportunities to point out His goodness and the great things He has done. We should not be puffed up about our position with God but remember that we are His humble servants, and honored by the fact that He looks on us with favor, choosing to give us His Son and to use us for His glory – to which end we should faithfully live.

Let us not miss the lesson found in the beauty of God’s intimate and relational nature, as we look at the larger passage and realize that God is faithful to intertwine our lives with others – so that we might rejoice with one another or encourage and lift each other up. Consider Elizabeth, suddenly pregnant in her old age, decades older than any other expectant mother around her – and her husband was now mute. It seems possible that she would have been feeling alone in her shockingly and unexpected pregnancy as she, undoubtedly, dealt with the natural fears or excitements every birth brings, and in her case, likely more so. Then – consider Mary, the young virgin – who – though having never slept with a man – now carried a child within her womb; and not just a child, but one who would be the Son of God. Clearly, these women needed each other. They needed someone who could understand and appreciate their unique situation, they needed encouragement – and renewed strength to face their future. So God, in His love and perfect timing brought them together – strengthening and assuring them of His presence with them and with their children. We would be wise to remember that He knows our needs as well and thus to embrace the relationships He offers us with other believers, through the bond of Christ.

My Response to God’s Word

Father, how very great You are, placing a child in the womb of a virgin and an old woman. Only You could do such greatness and with such purpose. Again, I see Your perfect timing and I witness the affect Your Presence has on us when I am attentive and yielded to You Spirit. As You found favor in Your servant Mary, find favor in me I pray. Use me to carry Your love to the world and to encourage others. Thank You for the eternal blessing of Your Son through whom nothing is impossible with You. All glory and honor to You, most good and faithful God!