Today I will attend my son’s nativity play, he is 6 years of age, and he is rather excited to be involved. I heard from him that all the little girls and boys were wondering excitedly who would get the part of Mart, Joseph, the innkeeper, or the angel. The excitement was brewing about who would get special parts in the nativity story.
But it reminded me of the truth. The same excitement and anticipation were true in the lives of the Jews and those running up to the true nativity. In Genesis, we read God's response to the sin of Adam and Eve, and there, we see that a plan of restoration is declared. Enmity is placed between the woman and the serpent (Satan), and from her offspring would come the Messiah. He would crush the head of the serpent and would make space to redeem humanity once and for all (Genesis 3). All through time, every Jewish woman was told of this story in oral tradition, and every Jewish woman and girl wondered excitedly who would be the chosen one. Whose womb would be opened to carry the one and only Messiah?
Who Was Mary?
It is only when we open the pages in the gospels that we see the woman selected for this special and incredible moment, a girl named Mary. It is thought she would have been around 13 years of age when an angel visited her. This angelic visit was a profound moment that would change Mary’s life forever. Mary was betrothed to Joseph and living in Nazareth, Galilee when an angel of the Lord named Gabriel approached her. The angel's opening words tell us everything we need to understand about why God chose Mary. He said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” This tells us instantly that Mary was a favored human, she was a person who God's hand was upon, and she was chosen by God Himself to fulfill a very important Holy act.
Understandably, Mary is troubled by the words and wonders to herself what the message could be, and so the angel goes on to tell her a son would be conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she would be pregnant, despite being unwed and a virgin. You can imagine this would have caused Mary to wonder how all of this would take place. But unlike the story we read of Zechariah, who responds in disbelief, Mary replies with faith in her heart, trusting it to be possible but wondering the details of how this would happen. I love how Mary responds to the angel despite all she would face: “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.” Aside from being a person who God Favoured, Mary being a virgin was one of the most important attributes about her. As Isaiah says in Chapter,7 verse 14,
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”
This foretelling or prophecy is an important piece fulfilled when Jesus is born of Mary.
The Miracle of Mary's Conception
To be pregnant outside of marriage in Bible times was a disgrace to the family you came from. It was completely unacceptable. This left Joseph with a decision to make: did he trust this was the act of the Holy God? Or did he believe Mary was unfaithful to him? To be pregnant to another man while betrothed was adultery, and Mary could have been divorced because of this, leaving her alone to fight and fend for herself in a culture that looked down on women that would not have been easy. Thankfully, Joseph is also visited by an angel, and in response, he takes Mary into his home. Due to his and Mary’s willingness to trust God, they are protected.
Mary teaches us a valuable life lesson here: we can hear God's words, and sometimes the result is that we are confused by them. But if we still have faith in our hearts to believe He can do the impossible, we can take those questions to God and trust Him to answer us, just as is said in Jeremiah 33:3. Having questions is not a sin before God. He is almighty, and He can handle our questions, whether they are easy or hard.
The Bible reveals Mary to us as a woman of faith and strength. A woman is willing to follow God wherever he leads and to do so despite the shame, the pain, the gossip, and the hurt that could come. She trusted God would protect her. In the story of the bible, we see Mary go to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was about 100 miles away, and it seems she went alone. There in Ein Karem, they spend time together as they protect their children, John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth and Jesus in the womb of Mary. It must have been such a special little bubble for them to share these holy and amazing experiences with each other, when very few others would have understood them.
Once Mary is home, during the reign of Ceasar Agustus, a census is called. This meant that Joseph had to take his new wife to his hometown to be registered. So, they left Nazareth and headed to Judea, Bethlehem, the City of David. At this point, Mary is at minimum 4 or 5 months pregnant after spending 3 months with Elizabeth. So off they go on a donkey to travel the 80-mile journey, which took between 4 days and a week just to be registered. This is no small feat for anyone,e let alone a heavily pregnant 13-year-old.
The Mother of the Savior
While they are in Bethlehem, the time comes for Jesus to be born, and when he is born, she wraps him in swaddling clothes and lays him safely in a manger. So many things then take place, shepherds come and visit Jesus worshipping Him with a story of angelic visitation, the wise men come all the way from the East, likely Persia, with their caravans of people and in possession of poignant gifts to worship Jesus. I can’t imagine what this must have been like for the new parents. Luke 2:19 states: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I’m sure we all know that to store anything takes intentionality. Mary intentionally stored these moments up. We will never know why, but the important thing is that she did. One day, these memories would hold her faith when she had every reason to doubt it as her son, her wee boy, hung on the cross as a man, declaring, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Jesus would not be Mary's only son as scripture records Jesus had brothers and sisters, and the boys were named James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, but his sisters, like most women, remain nameless (Mark 6:3). I always think it must have been unusual to have seven children but to know one of them was the actual Son of God. I often wonder how Mary wrapped her head around this truth. This feels more like a quick Skift in the life of Mary than a deep dive, there is so much more that could be covered, but in this article, we are focussing on the nativity, the first Christmas as such and so we will leave it there.
Why Does Mary's Faith Continue to Inspire Us Today?
Mary teaches us a lot about who we should be, even from this small dive into her life. She shows us a woman who will follow God even into unknown waters, a woman with faith to believe in the impossible, a woman willing to trust. I wonder, this Christmas, as we look at the life of the mother of Jesus, the woman chosen to carry and mother the Messiah, maybe we could ask ourselves if we would be willing to follow God into unknown, dangerous, and impossible places. Would we be people of faith like Mary or doubt like Zechariah?
I trust that you would say you are a faith-filled person, but should that not be the case, our God is so loving that even if we have walked away, even if we are partying in distant lands sand squandering our lives, He is still awaiting our return like the father in the parable of the prodigal. He is still watching the horizon to see your silhouette so that he can run to you, pouring forgiveness, grace and mercy at you, I hope you will return this Christmas and give your life back to Him, the giver of life, and the fount of love and grace!
Who Were the Characters of Christmas?
What the Wise Men Teach Us about Worship and Generosity
What Zechariah’s Story Teaches Us about God’s Perfect Timing
Why Elizabeth’s Story Is a Powerful Reminder of God’s Faithfulness
How King Herod’s Evil Plot Reveals a Deeper Spiritual Battle
Why the Shepherds’ Story Proves God Welcomes the Outcasts
What Mary Knew and Why It Matters to Your Faith This Christmas
Photo Credit: SWN Design
