Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is the most famous woman in the new testament. The mother of the savior of humanity is a symbol of purity, humility and absolute trust in God. Her whole life is a display of sacrifice with the intention of obeying God despite the consequences. Although she is mainly revered for her chastity, the life of Mary the virgin mother of Jesus has many more lessons for the followers of Christ.
Thesis statement
As a humble servant, Mary obtained unmerited favor from God almighty. Looking through her life, Mary is a demonstration of the different themes of Christianity. Her obedience and trust in her heavenly father enabled her to be used by God himself to bore his only Son, Jesus Christ the messiah.
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God Speaks to Mary
Mary was a woman of outstanding character and nobility. She had kept herself pure for marriage, and she was engaged to Joseph and awaiting marriage. However, she was chosen to carry a child although she had not known any man. " But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin? The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the most high God will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." ( Luke 1:30-35, NIV). Though Mary was a virgin, Jesus was created in her womb just as God the father filled the earth through his creation. The creation of the universe and the conception of Jesus Christ by a virgin are both significant spiritual mysteries and themes that define the Christian faith (Athans, 2013)
Mary's life is a fulfillment of prophecy
The birth of the Messiah is first prophesied by Isaiah in the old testament. The same prophecy is repeated by the angel as he gives Mary the message that she will be the mother of the Messiah. It is also confirmed by Mary's cousin Elizabeth when Mary goes to visit her. Finally, when the prophecy is fulfilled, Mary gives all the glory to God for bestowing favor to her. This is because the Messiah Mary is carrying communicates with the prophet that Elizabeth is carrying. "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”( Luke 1:41-45). Despite the fact that Mary has a husband and other children who fill her life, her Biblical significance is not only on her parentage of Jesus. It is also in her devotion to Christianity and her obedience and patience in the fulfillment of prophecy( McBrien, 2015).
Mary is a typical Christian with similar highs and lows in her Christian walk
Mary goes through the same doubts and confusion that Christians experience every day. When the angel tells her of her role in the life of the Messiah, she doesn't initially believe it because it is unheard of in human nature. Eventually, she overcomes her doubt and accepts the path that God has chosen for her. When Jesus is 12 years old, he embraces his divinity and goes to seek the presence of God his heavenly father in the temple. Mary his mother does not see this as a spiritual being but as a mother. She worries and scolds him, and she misses this fulfillment of prophecy in the life of Jesus ( Lloyd, 2013) “Why were you searching for me? He asked. Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?But they did not understand what he was saying to them." (Luke 2:49-50, NIV). Though Mary is highly favored and the chosen one from God, she is still human and still struggles in living and walking in the Christian faith. This failure on her part symbolizes the fall of humanity through sin and doubt.
Jesus uses Mary as a bench mark to redemption
As Jesus grew and thrived, Mary lost focus on his role as the Messiah and focused on his role as her son. She, therefore, approaches him as his mother and brings his brothers along. His rejection shows that redemption equalizes all before God and it only calls for belief and reverence to his word. “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”(Luke 8:21)
References
Athans, M. C. (2013). In quest of the Jewish Mary: The mother of Jesus in history, theology, and spirituality. Orbis Books.
Lloyd, J. (2013). The women who followed Jesus: Part 1. Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought and Practice, 20 (2), 4.
McBrien, R. P. (2015). Lives of the saints: from Mary and St. Francis of Assisi to John XXIII and Mother Teresa. HarperCollins.
