And so our journey begins . . .
Mary: An Example of Holiness
When we speak of mothers many motions are brought to the forefront. For some of us we lost our mothers early. For some of us our mothers have been long gone. Some of us did not have a mother who cared for us as she should have. Some of us never knew our mothers. Some of us have had wonderful mothers. Some of us are mothers whose lives are pushed to the extreme by the demands of children. Some of us carry great sadness because we have never been able to be a mother. Some of us do not wish to be a mother. Some of us have been close friends with our mothers. And some of us have been enemies with our mothers. So, here we are this big giant mix of expectations, memories, hopes, struggles, losses and joys.
The unspoken expectation may be that we should all rightly know what a good mother should be. We all look at the lovely Mother's Day cards trying to match our internal image of a mother with the colors and words that we see on that little artful piece of folded paper with its envelope.
How do we know what a good mother is? Where do we find examples and guidelines? I remember a friend who was two weeks away from giving birth to her first child. On top of that the family had to move – or rather, her exhausted husband had to move them! He had packed all the books and she could not find her reading supply on motherhood. She was getting a bit panicked about what came after the birth and wanted to read about it. But her ankles were too swollen, her belly far too big and her back was in far too much pain to unpack those precious books.
On another occasion I was at the funeral of an aged mother that was known by many. Her family spoke of her highly, wept over their loss and rattled off a list of beloved motherly characteristics that would befuddle any first-time pregnant woman.
What kind of mother did Jesus have? We do not really have that much information about Mary. There were no thorough descriptions of how she was raised or what kinds of choices she made as a little girl. But there are some very significant things that we do know about Mary.
One of the things that we could say about Mary is this she was human. She was no different than you or me. She lived, she breathed, she died. And in the Protestant tradition we believe that she was not immaculately conceived. She had a human father and human mother. She grew up in what we today call the Middle East. She was Jewish by birth and by choice. We really do not know how wealthy or poor she was. We really do not know if she liked fish or chicken. We just do not know much about her daily life. But we do know she was born a sinner just like you and me.
If we look in the first chapter of Luke would find some very interesting facts about Mary. We do know that she was engaged to a man named Joseph. In the culture of her day a girl was usually engaged somewhere in her early teen years. This means that she could have been anywhere from twelve to sixteen years old at the time of her engagement. It seems that Joseph had taken an interest in her and had worked out a dowry with her parents and the two were joined for life.
If Joseph was a godly man, and we do believe he was by the same account within Luke, Mary was pretty much set for a very good life. She would have a husband who would take care of her. She probably would have her own custom-built house in which to raise their children, have friends over for dinner and all the things that come with a good Jewish home. And she could count on these things, as in this culture an engagement was as binding as a marriage. So she could mentally plan on her wedding over and over, surrounded by Bride magazines, without any fear of losing out on the wedding of her dreams.
There is one other basic fact that we learn about Mary in the first chapter of Luke. She was a virgin. She had never fooled around or experimented with sex. She had never given herself to a man just to see what it was like or because her friends were doing it. She was pure physically and in her lifestyle.
Here is where we start to see some very important things about Mary. As young and naïve as she was, she had a substantial level of humility. She did not think she was any better than anyone else or that she had special favors granted to her. In the passage we are about to read we can be stunned by her humility. Let's read that text right now.
Luke 1:26-38
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 descendent 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 would 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.
Mary was a young woman approached by an angel. She was, of course, stunned and frightened by an angel from God. It takes no stretch of the imagination to understand her fear. Then there is what the angel said about her. She was highly favored. Clearly the angel was describing a reality in Mary's life. Wouldn’t any one of us wish an angel to say that about us? That would set our identity on a sure-fire course. We would not wonder if we were a nobody. In fact, we might go so far as to start taking pride in the fact God looked upon us and cast his favor our way. In no time at all we might let everyone know all about it, too.
But not Mary. She paused, confused by these incredible words. Who knows what was going through her mind? A thousand big questions. Why me? How could God see me that way? What does it mean to be highly favored?
People who are in rebellion or ignorance toward God are not favored by him. Mary had a relationship with the God of the universe that shaped her life, helped her make good life choices and enabled her to stay pure. Her relationship with God preceded her good behavior and made a pure life possible.
But a pure heart and life do not always keep us from being perplexed by God's mysteries. The angel recognized her confusion and sought to console her by telling her again that she had found favor with God. And then, of all things, the angel launched into the most incredible thing a would-be mother could hear. She would bear the Messiah, the expected One, the One being sent to save Israel and the whole world! She knew about the Messiah. She had grown up as a Jewish girl expecting the Messiah to come. But now this was being brought to little Mary in Nazareth.
Mary was very earthy. Her young mind was very practical. She knew that she was not sexually active. So a very practical question emerged. How can this be?
Then the great mystery of Christ's coming in the flesh was told to her. The great and wonderful God would make himself man inside of her by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would bear the Son of God. We cannot even comprehend this truth. How could she?
Although we cannot comprehend the truth, we can receive it. The mysteries of God are great. His vision reaches far beyond ours. His understanding is deeper and his wisdom beyond measure. We can only see the minute parts of himself that he reveals to us. When we receive the knowledge of him by faith, we are covered with grace that knows no bounds, mercy that flows like a river and peace that passes understanding.
Mary, the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was a holy woman. We know this not only because the angel declared it but also because of how she responded to the angel's message. And it is evident because she made a stunning statement which implied an incredible trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! She said, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
In one tiny moment her will was completely submitted to the God she knew and loved. In one tiny moment her life was lost into God's perfect will. Toss aside the Bride’s magazines! She would be pregnant before being married and Joseph could divorce her with no questions asked. Tear down the imagined walls of her lovely Jewish home built by Joseph’s strong hands! She would be scoffed at and persecuted by the women in the neighborhood. Rip down the pictures of the long and happy life without much trouble! She threw that all away in an instant for a total, all-out submitted, sacrificial life. That is holiness.
Let's explore this idea of holiness to make sure we know what we mean. Was Mary an unusually gifted person? Did she walk two feet off of the ground hovering like an angel? Have there only been a few people like her in the world able to live this way? What made her able and willing to let go of her life for God’s purposes?
In the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene we have a statement of belief about holiness. "We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect.” (2009-2013 Manual 2009-2013 Church of the Nazarene) Something happens when we give our lives to God. Not only does he save us from our sins, but he also cleanses and purifies our motives, our wills, our hopes and our dreams, so that we are enabled to respond to him in humility and love. Oh, that each of us could say with Mary, "I am the Lord's servant."
What can God do through a holy woman? What can God do through one who is completely sold out to him? Completely submitted? Completely humble in his presence? What can God do through a holy man, one who is completely given over to God's perfect will? He can write songs through that person. Read some of the song that Mary sang when she and her cousin Elizabeth rejoiced over this wonderful miracle.
Luke 1:46-55
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the mighty one has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He is brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendents forever, even as he said to our fathers.
What can God do through people who are totally committed to him with no hidden sins or selfish motives? He can move mountains through you, bring people to salvation through you, feed the poor through you, battle injustice, right wrongs and more! If you were sold out to him you would see that nothing is impossible with God!
Mary showed us the characteristics of the sanctified person: total commitment, unquestionable loyalty to God, loss of self-fulfillment for the sake of God-fulfillment, taking the intentional path of suffering, desiring an absolute focus on the source of joy. Yes, suffering and joy. When Mary accepted the will of God to bear the Messiah she would raise him as her child and watch him die a cruel death on the cross. It was there, as he was bleeding and dying for your sins in mine, that the beloved Son would see her at his wounded feet. In John 19:25-30 we take in the incredible scene of Jesus taking care of the one who had been willing to give up everything for him. Read how John the disciple remembered the scene.
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Later, knowing that all was completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on the stalk of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Mary’s story does not end at that cross. She was there and saw the resurrected Christ. She heard his voice again, saw him walking among them. He had died for all of us only to live again. In Acts 1 we read that Mary, well over thirty years after conceiving the Messiah, was there with the rest of the disciples at Pentecost. (Acts 1:14) Jesus had given them the command before he returned to heaven. "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5)
Mary had learned to follow Jesus’ commands and she saw him in his fullness as the great and only God-Man. And we also see in Acts that this totally submitted, all-out-for-God woman was there the day the blessed gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out for all believers. There is no question in my mind that Mary played a significant part in building the Church of Jesus Christ, as did all those who were filled with the Holy Spirit that day. We do not read of her specifically again, but we see how the church in Jerusalem grew by the thousands in a very short time.
You and I are just like Mary in our humanity. She made the choices that we can make. She was a blessed and righteous woman. She was a humble and pure woman, made that way by knowing God himself. She was a fully submitted woman knowing that she would lose the Son of God to ministry, to death and gain him back through the resurrection for the whole world. She would also gain the great gift of the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus Christ. From the moment she accepted the charge of God to bear his Son to the moment of Pentecost, God had made her holy!
What could God do in your life if you completely submitted to his perfect will? You will not birth or raise the Messiah, but you could certainly raise children whose focus is on him. You could certainly follow Christ in such a way that all would call you blessed. He could certainly permit the Holy Spirit to remake your heart, your marriage, your life, your future.
Mary set an incredible example of holiness for the world to see. She was a demonstration of not only humility, but also of the possibility to be beloved of God and filled with the Holy Spirit. By this demonstration of a holy life we can now see the possibilities within ourselves of life-changing sanctification to holiness of heart and life.
Copyright M.R.HYDE 2011
