Mary, the Mother of Jesus

John MacArthur has a book called, Twelve Extraordinary Women, one of them is Mary. I haven't read all of it, but the parts I have are very good.

Mary is a woman who was highly favored by God more than any other woman in the Bible. She was chosen by God out of all of the women who have ever been born, to be the instrument that brought that brought the Messiah into the world. But while she is the most highly favored women, MacArthur points out that we must be careful not to elevate her too much. She was simply a woman. She is not the central focus of worship, her Son is.

Mary was a humble woman. She was an average girl, from a common family, in a poor town of Israel. She is pledged to be married to a carpenter. She is a descendant of David, but not from the royal line as Joseph was.

Mary is an example of faith, sincere worship, and trust in God. She was dependent upon Him. When the angle came to her she was probably a young teenager. An angel came to her and told her she would give birth to the Son of God. She asks how this can happen, physically it was impossible because she was a virgin, and the angle told her that nothing is impossible with God. This blessing came with hardships. Mary was an unwed girl, and everyone would have thought she had been unfaithful to Joseph. She could have faced stoning, and she would have been despised by the community. She knew all of this, but her response to the angel was, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

Mary humbly submitted to the will of God. She was a young woman, but had a mature faith. In Luke 1.46-55 we have what is known as The Magnificat, and Mary in it rejoices in God. She talks of Him as her Savior, one who has looked upon someone like her, and blessed her. She speaks of how He is mighty and has done great things, and that His name is holy. He gives mercy to those who fear Him, and shows His strength. He humbles the proud and the mighty, but He fills the hungry. He reminds Israel of His mercy. Mary saw God as the giver of every blessing, as the source of grace.

As Jesus grew she was there for Him. She loved Him as only a mother can. And even as their relationship changed from parent/child to Lord/servant, she stayed at His side, even at the cross she was present for her Son in His last hours. Mary is an example of a Godly woman, and a Godly mother. She was fully focused on the worship of God, even when it meant watching her first born take His rightful place and then suffer and die.

John MacArthur closes his chapter on Mary with this, "Mary never claimed to be, or preached to be, anything more than a humble handmaiden of the Lord...The lowly perspective reflected in Mary's Magnificat is the same simple spirit of humility that colored all her life and character. It is truly regrettable that religious superstition has, in effect, turned Mary into an idol. She is certainly a worthy woman to emulate, but Mary herself would undoubtedly be appalled to think anyone would pray to her, venerate images of her, or burn candles in homage to her. Her life and her testimony point us consistently to her Son. He was the object of her worship. He was the one she recognized as Lord. He was the one she trusted for everything. Mary's own example, seen in the pure light of scripture, teaches us to do the same."

Mary, the woman who gave physical life to Jesus through birth, serves as an example to all of us of faith, trust and worship. Let's emulate her life, not deify her and disgrace her memory.

Peace be with you