Mary at the Crossroads

Luke 1:26-38

ÓCopyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, December 4, 2004

When a woman announces to a man that she is pregnant, it is a big deal.  We’ve seen the commercials of a husband and wife waiting anxiously for an at-home pregnancy test.  I remember waiting expectantly (pardon the pun) at the Doctor’s office.  Some people are rather creative in the way they tell their spouse.  They may buy them a gift, drop them a hint, or simply call them “dad”.  For others, the announcement of a pregnancy may be met with great anxiety and apprehension.  In these cases the timing of the pregnancy may be off.  The couple may not be married.  Perhaps the pregnancy is coming at a bad time.  No matter how you look at it, a pregnancy is not something to take lightly.

This morning we are going to look at the announcement to Mary that she was going to have a baby.  (Usually the mother is the first to know!).  This unmarried woman was going to face the challenge of a lifetime.

THE YOUNG WOMAN MARY

Christians have a tendency to go to one of two extremes with Mary.  On the one hand some almost make Mary into an idol.  On the other extreme are those who pretty much ignore Mary.  Neither is appropriate.  Mary should be honored as the mother of our Lord. We should honor her for her faith and her faithfulness.  However, she is human, not divine. 

 

Mary was Jewish woman (sometimes it helps to state the obvious), a descendent of David and she was from the tribe of Judah.  Some people see a problem here.  In verse 36 the angel of the Lord (Gabriel) tells Mary that her relative Elizabeth was going to have a baby also. If you are good with details you will remember that Elizabeth was from the priestly tribe of Levi.  Some will say, “It is impossible, for Mary to be related to Elizabeth since she is of the tribe of Judah and Elizabeth of the tribe of Levi.

 

That’s not true.  Consider if you will, two people in a family.  They are both white and of European origin.  Is it possible for them to be related to someone who is Chinese or African American?  Sure it is!  If a relative married someone who is Chinese or African American such a thing could happen.  Somewhere in the family tree a member of the tribe of Levi married someone from the tribe of Judah. 

 

Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph who was also from the line of David and the tribe of Judah.  The two of them seem to have been poor (based on their offering in the temple at the birth of Jesus).  Since Jewish girls married young it is likely that Mary was just a teenager.  Some have suggested she could have been as young as 13 years old!

 

A Jewish engagement was just as binding as a wedding.  What most likely happened was in the presence of witnesses Mary had been solemnly promised to Joseph.  They would have been considered legally bound to each other.  It was appropriate to call Joseph her “husband” and for Joseph to call Mary, “his wife”. The only way to end the engagement was to initiate divorce proceedings.  During the engagement period the couple would never have considered living together or engaging in illicit sexual activity.

 

This same Mary was at home one day when an angel appeared.  Mary at first was frightened.  Even though she was a woman of great character and faith she was still in the presence of a sinless being.  Such exposure would have made her (or us) painfully aware of our own sinfulness.

MARY’S ASSIGNMENT FROM GOD

The angel did not just stop by to “shoot the breeze” with Mary.  This angel had an assignment for Mary.  The angel told Mary several things.

You will have a son

31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

 

Mary was not only going to have a baby, but an extraordinary baby! Look at what she is told,

 

Most of us are delighted when the Doctor tells us that baby has ten fingers, ten toes and seems to be a healthy baby! Mary’s head was surely spinning as all this information was coming at her.

He will be born of unique and extraordinary circumstances

Mary asks a very reasonable question, ‘Since I am a Virgin, how is this going to happen?’  Mary is not asking because she doesn’t believe it is true (like Zechariah), She asks her question because she is confused; she doesn’t understand how this could be possible.  Mary doesn’t ask, “Why me?”  She doesn’t question God’s ability or the prophecy at all.  She simply doesn’t understand how this can happen to someone who isn’t even married?

The answer is startling, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” In other words, Mary is going to be pregnant without the seed of man.  Her pregnancy will be unique.  She will carry a child given to her by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is very specific about teaching that Mary was a Virgin when she became pregnant.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly . . . . When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. [Matthew 1:18-19,24-25]

The text does not tell us that Mary was perpetually a Virgin.  After the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph had a normal marriage relationship and the Scripture seems to indicate that they had other children.  Jesus, however, was not born of Joseph, but by the Holy Spirit.

Some people say the doctrine of the Virgin Birth is not a necessary tenet of the Christian faith.  I disagree. The Virgin birth made it possible for a human to be born with a sinless nature. 

Let's try an illustration. Suppose you had a deadly disease that was hereditary and passed along in the blood. Now suppose this same disease could only be treated by transfusions. When it came time for those transfusions, would you turn to your family for donor blood? . . .No . . . because that blood carries the same disease. You would need blood that is from an outside the family, from a unique source. The same is true in the realm of sin. We are born with a predisposition and inclination to sin. The only way to be cured is to have someone die in our place (thus paying for our sin). The problem is that everyone has the same disease. We need a substitute that is not "contaminated". This necessitates the Virgin Birth.

We need one who was without sin, (so He could take our sin upon Himself) and one who is of such great value that His life would be of equal or greater value of all who would believe. We needed both. For Jesus to be the Savior, He had to be sinless.  If Jesus was not sinless, he could not die in our place (He would have his own sin to pay for) if He was not God in human form then He could only be the substitute for one life of equal value.

The Virgin birth of Jesus was essential to the work of Christ.  It is a necessary tenet of true Christian understanding.

MARY’S HUMBLE RESPONSE

Think about what God is asking this young teenager to do?  He is asking her to give her body . . . literally for His service.  If she agrees, Mary is risking a great deal,

·        She is risking her engagement to Joseph

·        She is risking her reputation as a godly woman (others would see her as a harlot)

·        She is risking dishonor to her parents (they would be dishonored if the arranged marriage does not happen).  In addition her parents would lose any dowry that had been paid.

·        She could be risking any future plans because a stigma as an immoral woman would be difficult to shake.

·        She might even be risking her life.  Jewish law stated that a sexually unfaithful person could be put to death.

What I find startling is that there is no record that Mary stopped to think about the proposition.  She didn’t ask the Lord for some time to “pray about it”.  It would seem that Mary’s response was simply,  “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

 

Mary knew that as long as she was being faithful to the Lord, it didn’t matter what else happened to her.  As long as she was faithful, the Lord would care for her.  Her concern was not for her comfort or her reputation, it was for God’s glory.

 

I wish I had more of the faith of Mary.  I find myself analyzing the pros and cons of any endeavor.  I want to know the risks so I can decide whether it is a risk I am willing to take.  I’d like to say that my first thought is for the glory of God.  Most of the time my first question is, “What’s in it for me?” As I see this in my own heart and I compare my heart with the heart of Mary, I marvel at her faith.  I wonder sometimes what God could do in and through me if I served Him with the kind of trusting abandon that is characteristic of Mary.  I hope you are as encouraged and convicted as I am.  I hope Mary’s example pushed you to trust God more fully as you face life’s crossroads.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to important truth to be learned from this passage, there are also some practical lessons. First, God does not always call us to do what is easy. We have this unfortunate notion sometimes that following the Lord should make our life easier.  Jesus goes to great lengths to tell people that following Him is not easy.

Consider Mary.  She was asked to risk her physical health (remember, God was asking her to let a baby grow inside of her), her anticipated marriage, her reputation, her social standing, and the honor of her family.  He was asked Mary and Joseph to take on the daunting task of raising the Son of God.  And even after she agreed to all of this she was asked to stand and watch this Son of hers be rejected, beaten, and crucified.

Sometimes God asks us for hard things.  Sometimes in order to serve Him greatly we must be willing to sacrifice.  God may use us through an illness or some other hardship.  Some will be called to serve God through martyrdom, the ultimate sacrifice.  We might be called to sacrifice temporary personal pleasure in order to honor the Lord.  We may be called to sacrifice sleep, financial resources or even long held dreams.  Sometimes God’s assignments are difficult.

If Mary was here, do you think she would tell you that the sacrifice was worth it?  You bet she would.  She saw her Son resurrected from the grave.  Every sacrifice she made was repaid thousands of times over in the blessings she received from God. There is a satisfaction that comes with serving the Lord that cannot be described.  There is an indefinable peace, an other-worldly joy, and an unexplainable fullness that comes from serving God boldly.

Second, we have seen that the best way to face the crossroads in life is with trust rather than with fear.  What crossroad do you face this Christmas season?

·        Is God calling you to make a decision regarding your relationship with Him?  Is He is calling you to declare your faith?  Maybe He is calling you to act on your faith in some way.  Perhaps you know He wants you to get out of a sinful relationship or a bad partnership.  Maybe He is calling you to repent of your dishonest business practices. You know these decisions will be very hard, but you know it is the right thing to do.  Will you trust Him and do what he wants you to do?

·        Are you facing a transition time in your life?  Perhaps you have been living with your spouse all your life and now you are facing life on you by yourself due to divorce, death, or separation for some other reason.  Maybe the kids are now all in school for the first time and you find you have all kinds of free time.  Maybe your kids are gone because of college, marriage, or job placement.  These are times of transition and they can be scary.  Will you trust Him to provide for your needs and to fill your life will new opportunities?

·        Maybe you are facing a financial transition.  Maybe you are recently retired or laid off and your income has changed drastically.  Will you trust God for employment, for provision, and will you trust Him to help you adjust your needs and desires?

·        You may be facing career choices.  You are nearing the end of your high school or college life and you now need to make some choices about what you are going to do with the rest of your life.  You may be facing a job challenge or new responsibilities that seem like a mountain before you.  Will you seek God’s will for your life?  Will you trust Him when He tells you that if you trust Him with all your heart, He will direct your paths?

·        Maybe God is calling you to some extreme work or sacrifice.  Perhaps God is calling you to serve on the mission field.  Maybe He is calling you to give a large sum of money to a ministry or mission.  Maybe he is calling you to begin a bold new ministry to hurting people.  He may be calling you to work with kids, to work with sick people, or to work with the elderly.  Will you step out of your comfort zone and dare to trust God greatly?

·        Maybe you are facing a crisis in a relationship.  Maybe that relationship has become stale or difficult.  Maybe there are hurts that are deep or physical changes (due to disease) that are severe.  You are at a crossroads . . will you trust God to give you strength to be faithful?

Mary gives us an example that challenges us.

Finally, Since Jesus was no Ordinary Man, We Are Called to Make a Decision.  The birth of Jesus is not like looking at the baby pictures of your friends.  Jesus is not just someone to admire and go on your way.  As the virgin born Son of God, He calls us to a decision.  We must decide whether we will receive His gift of new life or whether we will reject it, either actively or passively by our inaction.

Friends, it is important that you not miss the decision of Christmas.  It has nothing to do with what you are going to buy for someone else.  It has everything to do with the gift that God has already provided for you.  Jesus came to earth, He died, and He rose again to be the Savior of all who would believe.  The question of Christmas is: will you be among those Jesus came to save?  Will you trust Him for forgiveness, transformation, and eternal life, or will you overlook Him so you can go on your merry way?

This Christmas make your faith sure.  If you have never done so, take a moment right now and bow your head and heart and say, “I receive you as my Savior and I ask you to help me follow you as my Lord.”  It’s not only the most important decision you can make this Christmas . . . it’s the most important decision of your life!

ÓCopyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, December 5, 2004