The Submission Of Mary Series

Alba 12-4-2022

THE SUBMISSION OF MARY

Luke 1:26-38

Did you know that Virgin Mary gave birth to a 7 pound 11 ounce baby Jesus on Christmas Day, December 25, 2008, in Peru. That is what a Reuters news agency reported. It said, “Virgin Mary, a 20-year-old Peruvian woman, gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas day and named him Jesus.

“The baby’s father, Adolfo Jorge Huamani, 24, is a carpenter. Religious Peruvians compared him to Joseph the Carpenter in the Bible.

“The mother, Virgen Maria Huarcaya, delivered the 7.7 pound (3.5 kg) boy, Jesus Emanuel, in the early hours of Christmas at the central maternity hospital in Lima, the capital.

“'A few days ago we had decided to name my son after a professional soccer player,' the father said. 'But thanks to a happy coincidence this is how things ended up.'”

According to reports, the boy wasn't placed in a manger. But the child who was placed in a manger, now more than two thousand years ago, changed everything.

Each Christmas helps us to remember the events that brought our Lord and Savior to this earth. Because of one young Hebrew girl who was willing to submit to God's will for her, we have a way for our sins to be forgiven.

The girl's name is Mary, and the story is told in Luke 1:26-38.

“26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'

“29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'

“34 Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'

“35 And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.'

“38 Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.”

Who was this Mary? Well when Mary was born, the golden age of Israel’s proud history was past. No king of David’s family had ruled in Jerusalem for over 500 years.

But the Jews were still waiting for the Messiah, the ruler promised throughout the pages of the Scriptures, promised through the prophets. The one from David’s family who would sit on David’s throne and rule forever.

Mary would have been a young girl, engaged but not yet married. We don’t know what her parents did, but chances are her father was some sort of laborer. Most men in Nazareth worked for the people in the nearby larger city of Sepphoris. Most women married young if possible and worked at home, raising their children.

Mary was probably younger than we would expect. If their parents were able to arrange a marriage, most girls married around age 14 or 15. The custom was that a girl would be betrothed for about a year and then the marriage would take place. Betrothal was a legal arrangement, not a simple engagement as we know it today.

Living in or near the town of Nazareth was not a thing to brag about. Nazareth is mentioned time and time again in the New Testament, and Jesus is referred to numerous times as “Jesus of Nazareth”.

But it seems to have been just this small village, with little or nothing to call attention to itself, until a young couple became parents to the One who would change the world. Even Jesus’ contemporaries weren’t that impressed with the community.

There is an interesting conversation in the Gospel of John recorded in John 1:45-46.

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”