Purpose and Love: Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Note: This appeared in the December 2005 edition of The Christian Homeschooling Youth’s Gazette.

In most non-Catholic and non-Orthodox circles, Mary the mother of Jesus is often overlooked as a necessary, but relatively minor figure in the history of the Gospels. In my opinion, this is a grave error. While I do not hold with the Catholic and Orthodox ideas concerning her state in relation to sin and her relationship with Joseph after the birth of Jesus – much more their veneration of her – Protestant and Evangelical Christianity have come to the point where they no longer recognize the mother of the Christ as an important figure. I will argue that, aside from God Himself, she was probably the most influential figure in His life. She had endured persecution for His sake, had raised Him, with Joseph, as a pious Son of Israel and was His earliest follower. Jesus apparently cared enough for her that He granted her requests (the wedding miracle in Cana – John 2:1-11) and ensured that she would be cared for (committing her wellbeing to John – John 19:25-27) when He could no longer do so.

In order to have a clear image of who this woman was, let us turn to how the Gospels of Matthew and Luke introduce her:

“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.” -Matthew 2:18

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 the house of Jacob 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 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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.” -Luke 1:26-38

From these passages, we learn key things about the indentity of Mary. First of all, she was pledged to be married. Without considering the theological and prophetic importance of this fact, the societal impacts will be examined. At this time, women, regardless of their nationality or tribal identity married at a young age. The men themselves were often young, as well. Betrothal, the pledging of the bride, could take place when the girl was but an infant, but was often established when the girl was eleven or twelve years old, and she could be married when she reached the age of thirteen. For this reason, and others, the majority of conservative Biblical scholarship – regardless of denomination or doctrinal beliefs – believe that Mary was around the age of thirteen or fourteen when the angel Gabriel announced that she would become the mother of Jesus. So, we have the fact of her youth.

Second, we have Gabriel’s greeting “Greetings you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” It would be astounding enough to be in the very presence of an angel, but to be greeted in such a way would be utterly terrifying – especially for a woman of Mary’s age. And that is exactly what Luke tells us – that she “was greatly troubled.” The internal aspects of Luke’s record in this early history of the Gospel’s indicates that he must have talked to someone very close to Mary, or to Mary herself, concerning this event. Young, barely eligible for marriage, and highly favored of God are three characteristics that we can glean just from the first few sentences. Yet, that is only the beginning, and it hardly matches the fear that she must have had at his announcement: “You will be with child and give birth to a son…”

Step back for a moment and consider this picture: a young teenage girl, of a righteous family that is well-known for its piety and observance of the Law of Moses is found to be with child. Not only that, she is betrothed and the man whom she is going to marry is not the father. According to the girl, there was no father, but that she was “with child through the Holy Spirit.” Consider that, based on appearances alone, Mary would have been stoned as an adulteress. But there were a few factors that prevented this and their names are Joseph and Elizabeth. We know from the Gospels that Joseph planned to “divorce her quietly” so that no attention would be drawn to it. When an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid of taking her as his wife, he was obedient to God and acted as the legal father of Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth, too, provided Mary with the assistance she needed. Known to be a relative of Mary, Elizabeth was dealing with her own miracle during that time as she was also with child – a child that was later to be known as John the Baptist. After Gabriel’s visit, Mary went to the house of Elizabeth and stayed with her a few months, and left just before John was to be born. This, more than anything, probably saved her life because it allowed her to escape the eyes of her neighbors and people that knew her in Nazareth. Encouragment, too, was what Elizabeth offered: “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:45).

Afterward, she returned to Nazareth and married Joseph. Following that time is the series of events with which everyone is familiar: the census of Caesar, the journey to Bethlehem, the birth of the Christ in a cave (which was used as a stable in sheep-herding towns like Bethlehem) and the visit of the shepherds. After His birth, they started a new life in Bethlehem. Some time later, Magi came from the east, first to Jerusalem, and then to Bethlehem and worshipped Him, bringing kingly gifts – gold, incense, and myrrh. And through all this, what was Mary’s response? “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) Here is a woman of God – devoted to His Law, faithful to His commands, and loving to His Son.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, the wife of Joseph, and the daughter of the House of David, was given a task to raise the Only Begotten Son of God. To this end, she had a purpose beyond that of many people, past or present. She was a servant of the Most High and was obedient to that purpose. She bore His Son and she loved Him from His birth, to His death, to His resurrection, and from there, unto her own death. Her’s was the love of a mother to her Son, and the love of a believer to her Savior – a rich combination that required someone who loved God and obeyed His commands. And in those things, she was successful.