Luke 1:26-45 | Job 23:10-12
Mary’s story is fascinating.
Some questions for consideration:
Why was Mary the favored one? Why was she chosen?
Were there other women God chose first who said no or weren’t up for the task?
Did Luke talk to Mary? (It sure seems like a significant part of Luke’s gospel has insight deeply drawn from Mary’s perspective. Elizabeth, too.)
How old was she really?
Besides Jesus, is there anyone in the Bible whose righteousness before God can match Mary’s?
Is there anything in the character of Jesus that was shaped by the character of his mother and her raising?
It’s no wonder that many Christians have looked to Mary for example and inspiration for a couple thousand years.
Luke 1:26-45
When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. Nothing is impossible for God.”
Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
Job 23:10-12
Surely he knows my way;
when he tests me,
I will emerge as gold.
My feet have stayed right in his tracks.
I have kept his way and not left it,
kept the commandments from his lips and not departed,
valued the words from his mouth more than my food.
Prayer
God,
Humble me, Mary-like, to do your will today.
Ensure me, Mary-like, that you are with me through all things.
Empower me, Mary-like, with confidence in your way.
Gift me, Mary-like, with prophetic insight amidst this power-hungry world.
Move me, Mary-like, to determinations of your justice and righteousness.
If I aspire to anything, may my aspirations be impregnated by your Holy Spirit.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.