The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
Mary
by Greg Chandler
It is amazing how often God has used ordinary people for extraordinary purposes. The Bible is replete with accounts of men and women who never attained prominence because of wealth, talent, or social ranking being used by God to accomplish great things. Mary would certainly stand in this number.
Many years before Mary’s birth, the prophet Isaiah recorded an intriguing prophecy: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Surely if Mary had heard this passage read in her childhood, she would never have considered herself as the prophesied virgin; however, it was through her the prophecy was fulfilled.
The Gospel of Luke explains how God sent the angel Gabriel to explain to Mary what would soon happen. He stated, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (1:31-32a). Though frightened by the angel and his words, Mary willingly complied, stating, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (vs. 38). This young virgin woman would give birth to the Son of God.
Luke records the words of Mary (often called “The Magnificat”) in which she praised God for the work He would accomplish through this Son. In this, also spoke of how she would be remembered: “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48b). Still, she knew that all of this was for the glory of God and, as a willing servant, she gave glory to God for allowing her to be a part of this monumental event.
It has been over 2,000 years since Mary gave birth to Jesus, watched Him grow to manhood, witnessed His first miracle, stood at His cross of execution, heard the news He was resurrected and prayed along with His apostles (Acts 1:14). Though the Bible says nothing else about Mary after Acts 1, religions have developed many ideas about her. Some have taught that Mary never sinned, though the Bible teaches that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Some state that Mary remained a “perpetual virgin,” though the Bible teaches that she had other sons and daughters (Mark 6:3). Some even believe that she holds a special place in Heaven to make intercession, though the Bible never hints at such an idea. Sadly, some have sought to unacceptably exalt this fine woman.
Despite biblically incorrect ideas about Mary, she still stands as a stellar example of one who willingly served the God of Heaven. This decision brought her much pain as she watched her Son ridiculed and ultimately nailed to the cross; however, God allowed her to see this Son’s exaltation as Savior of the world and her Savior as well.