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Mary: A Wise Teenage Girl
Luke 1:26-38, 46-56Roving Mike: This morning we’re talking about BIG SURPRISES. What’s a BIG SURPRISE God has brought into your life?
Someone has suggested that for all those parents with teenagers or who will have teenagers, you’re going to need to know that they really have a lot in common with cats. For example…*Neither teenagers nor cats turn their heads when you call them by name. *No matter what you do for them, it’s not enough. *Indeed, all humane efforts are barely adequate to compensate for the privilege of waiting on them hand and foot. *You rarely see a cat walking outside of the house with an adult human being, and it can be safely said that no teenager in his or her right mind wants to be seen in public with his or her parents. *Even if you tell jokes as well as Comedy Central, neither your cat nor your teen will ever crack a smile. *No cat or teenager shares your taste in music. *Cats and teenagers can lie on the living room sofa for hours on end without moving and barely breathing. *Cats have nine lives. Teenagers carry on as if they did. *Cats and teenagers yawn in exactly the same manner, communicating that ultimate human ecstasy – a sense of complete and utter boredom. *Cats and teenagers do not improve anyone's furniture. *Cats that are free to roam outside sometimes have been known to return in the middle of the night to deposit a dead animal in your bedroom. Teenagers are not above that sort of behavior.
So, if you raise teenagers, the best sources of advice are not other parents, but veterinarians. It’s also a good idea to keep a guidebook on cats at hand at all times. And remember, above all else, put out the food and do not make any sudden moves in their direction. When they make up their minds, they will finally come to you for some affection and comfort, and it will be a triumphant moment for all concerned.
All kidding aside, teenagers often get a lot of bad press. But God loves to use a godly young person. He used a teen named Joseph to provide a way for Israel to survive a terrible famine. God used a teen named David to deliver Israel from the Philistines and defeat Goliath. God used a teen named Solomon to lead Israel to its greatest heights when he became the 3rd king of Israel. God used a teen named Josiah who became king and instituted religious reforms throughout Judah. And God used a teenage girl named Mary to bring the Savior into our world.
This morning as we continue our study of the Three Wise Women of Christmas, we want to look at the teenage girl who first received this glorious news, Mary: A Wise Teenage Girl. Please open your Bible to Luke 1:26-38 (p. 723). We’re going to be working through this familiar passage that tells us of the day Mary first heard the announcement that, not only was the long, awaited Messiah about to come, but her young womb was the one that God would use to bring Him into the world. And as we did two weeks ago with Elizabeth, before we go any further in our study let me share some historical background.
It's now been six months since Gabriel shocked an elderly priest named, Zechariah, with the news of his imminent fatherhood. This time, as it says in verse 27, Gabriel's announcement is not to an old man in the glorious Temple in Jerusalem. This time it’s to a young girl, a virgin named Mary who lived in an obscure village in Galilee. His next stop will be to her bewildered fiancé, Joseph.
Maybe there is where the concept of the "Christmas rush" originated, because Gabriel was one busy angel! He made three round trips from heaven in a short period of time! By the way Gabriel is just one of only two angels in the Bible who are actually named. The other one, Michael, is what you might call a "super angel." While Michael is associated with assignments that require power and strength, Gabriel, is God's supreme messenger. He’s Heaven’s mail man and the one who brings great, glorious, and crucial announcements from Heaven. This announcement to Mary was the most important message he would ever deliver.
Mary lived in Nazareth; a small town located about seventy miles northeast of Jerusalem. Nazareth was located just above the main trade route between Jerusalem and Tyre and Sidon, two ports located on the northern coast of Israel. Since it was situated near this heavily traveled caravan route, Nazareth had many "inns" to serve the needs of the hundreds of travelers that came through, primarily Roman soldiers and merchants. Under their worldly influence, immorality and corruption became commonplace in the life of the city. It’s probable that these inns formed a sort of "red light district" that kind of took over a section of the town. It wasn’t the best place to live. Perhaps that’s why Nathaniel later declared, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"
Tradition says that Gabriel delivered His startling announcement to Mary while she was drawing water from a small well. Many think it happened this way because that would have been the only place a woman in Nazareth would be all alone. It was a woman's job to bring water to the home. At that time there was only one source of water in Nazareth, a tiny well with room for only one person at a time to enter. Most scholars believe that Gabriel came to Mary with his news as she was alone drawing from this well. A church was later built over this site, the Church of the Annunciation.
Scripture records for us that at the time of Gabriel's announcement Mary was "pledged” or betrothed to Joseph. Jewish betrothal was far different from our modern concept of engagement. Their version of betrothal was called the "kiddushin." It lasted a full year and was far more binding than our modern engagement. Kiddushin involved a public ceremony, sort of a "pre-wedding," after which Mary's property belonged to her future husband. If Joseph had died during this kiddushin period, Mary would have been his legal widow. It’s very important to know that only divorce could break a Jewish betrothal. Although they were not yet married and did not enjoy any kind of physical relationship, during their kiddushin had either Joseph or Mary been unfaithful to each other during this time, the act would have been classified as adultery and was punishable by death under the Law. In fact, one of the purposes of the kiddushin year was to demonstrate the fidelity of both partners.
It was also a time for the families to exchange gifts and for the couple to get to know each other and to prepare for the wedding ceremony itself, which was called the huppa. It needed a lot of prep time because back then weddings lasted a week! No wonder they ran out of wine at that wedding feast in Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle.
In any case, to the Jews the kiddushin was a joyous time. During these betrothal months Mary and Joseph would have spent a lot of time working and planning to make their dreams for their future life together a reality. It was in the midst of their betrothal year that Gabriel appeared to Mary and his first words to her were, "Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you."
Unfortunately, Gabriel's angelic greeting has often been misunderstood and then erroneously taught to others. This is the source of the saying, "Hail Mary full of grace." However, a literal Greek translation would be, "Grace, oh graced one!" Gabriel did not say "Hail Mary who is full of grace to bestow on others." No, a more accurate wording would be, "Hail Mary who has been given much grace." Mary is not the dispenser of divine grace, God is! And she herself received His grace in that she’d been chosen to be the mother of Him through whom God's grace is extended to all people. Mary needed grace as much as any other sinner separated from God. And she knew this, for, in one of the first phrases of her own impromptu Christmas song, she sang, "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47).
Like our friend, Zechariah, Mary was understandably afraid when Gabriel showed up, while she was alone down in that dark well, getting water. Even in our day when we’re so accustomed to amazing special affects on the big screen, even we’d be startled if Gabriel or Michael were to suddenly appear in the midst of our daily routine. But once she got over her fear, Mary's response to this amazing news that she would be the vessel through whom God would bring about this miraculous birth was far different than that of her uncle. Remember? Zechariah basically said "This can't happen Gabriel my wife is too old to have children." But Mary asked, “How can this happen since I am a virgin?” In other words, she didn't question that God could do this. She just wondered how it was going to come about that a virgin would conceive.
There’s nothing wrong with that. God invites our honest questions. Remember Jesus urged us to "Ask and seek." God wants us to relate to Him in this way. He delights in hearing our honest questions, because in asking we acknowledge that He is the source of all knowledge. Plus, in asking and then waiting for His answer, we fellowship with God, we relate to Him …that’s why He created us in the first place!
Gabriel's answer to Mary's honest question is in verse 35. Gabriel said, “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.” Now Gabriel isn't suggesting the Holy Spirit would have sexual relations with Mary. The Greek wording is similar to the wording that we find in the Creation account in Genesis. In essence, Gabriel answered her honest question by saying, "Mary, in the same way that God said, 'Let there be light!' and there was light, He will say 'Let My Son's fetus be in your womb,' and it will happen."
But why did God choose Mary? Why pick her for this important task? Why bestow on her the honor of serving as the mother of the Messiah? Obviously, we don't know the mind of God. His thoughts are not ours so we can't know the complete rationale behind His decision. I believe though that there are insights in what Scripture tells us about Mary that provide us with at least a partial answer to this question. Let me suggest Three Reasons Mary may have been selected. In reality, they’re Three Prerequisites when it comes to God’s choosing to use anyone to do something great. With the time we have left, let’s look at them. They’re a pattern that we’re all to follow. So Why did God choose Mary?1. God chose Mary because she had the right attitude about herself. Mary wasn’t some arrogant, smart aleck teenager. Mary was humble. She didn't believe she deserved this honor that God had bestowed on her in any way. Luke tells us that she was “troubled” by the fact that Gabriel said she had “found favor with God.” This just didn't seem right to her. It didn't make sense. She thought, "Why should I be highly favored. You must have the wrong 'Mary' Gabriel. You're at the wrong well. Surely God sent you to someone else, perhaps the next town on the trade route."
And we continue to see Mary's humility expressed in her song of Christmas, the Magnificat, recorded for us in verses 46-55. In verse 48 she sings that God “has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.” In verse 52, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” As we read through her song, we see that Mary doesn’t think that she’s “somebody.” She never brags about herself. God is the only one she magnified in her Magnificat.
This is so critical. God does not want nor use proud people. Proud people think God is lucky to have them. They’re opinionated and think that only their perspective is correct. They want to impress others. It’s important that we learn from our study of this particular Wise Woman of Christmas, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). As we look at the fact that God chose Mary, we see how much importance God places on humility. In fact, this principle is seen from the very beginning as we look at the setting of this story. God's selection of the region, the village, and the people of this chapter of history, His-story: Galilee, Nazareth, Joseph and Mary, Zechariah and Elizabeth powerfully illustrate His reversal of human ideas about greatness and smallness, significance and insignificance. Paul's words from 1 Cor. 1:27, 29 come to mind, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.”
It’s not the arrogant or the proud who have the last word in God's kingdom. Arrogance, power and wealth are totally out of place there. No, God exalts those who don’t think of themselves as having their act together or somehow having arrived. Instead, He exalts the humble people who hunger for Him and realize how much they need Him in their lives. In the Kingdom of God, humility is an essential. Think about this! A person can't even become a Christian until he or she humbly admits their need for God, until in humility they confess their sin and ask for God's forgiveness.
After we become Christians humility continues to be a necessity because God will not use us unless we bow to His will and humbly place our lives at His disposal the way Mary did. Scripture teaches that God chooses and uses humble people, people who will display His glory, not their own. In Isaiah 57:15 God says, "I live in a high and holy place but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit." In Isaiah 66:2 God says, "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My Word." Jerry Bridges insightfully observes, "The promises of God toward the truly humble are almost breathtaking. The infinitely high and lofty One Who lives forever promises to dwell with them, to esteem them, to give them grace, to lift them up, and to exalt them."
In order for any of us to be useful in God's great kingdom, we must humble ourselves. And when we do this we learn, as Mary did, that with God nothing is impossible! Please understand! This is more than an angelic insertion. It’s a positive reality! With God it was possible for an old, barren woman and her husband to conceive and bear a son, John, who was the forerunner of the Son of God. With God it was possible for a young, virgin to give birth to a baby, Jesus, Who was and is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And with God sinful people like you and me can find forgiveness in Christ and have new life – abundant, meaningful, incredibly significant life. With God nothing is impossible.
If God could use a humble young peasant girl, then He can use anyone, including you. As St Francis of Assisi said, "If God can use me, God can use anyone.” Friend, what would happen if you humbled yourself and allowed God to use you? Wouldn't it be exciting to find out this Christmas?2. God chose Mary because she had the right attitude about His Word. Mary cherished Scripture. She treasured its wisdom. This is seen in the fact that the lyrics of her impromptu song of Christmas recorded in verses 46-55 contain at least fifteen direct quotes of the Old Testament.
Mary obviously knew her Bible and knew it well! What you probably don’t know is that this would have been very difficult for Mary. Back then printed Bibles were a luxury. Peasants like Mary would not have had actual written copies. That means she’d have had to memorize Old Testament Scriptures as her parents taught them to her over the years. Her song proves that that’s exactly what she’d done. She’d hidden God's Word in her heart.
No doubt on her four day journey to Elizabeth's house, she pondered Gabriel's startling announcement. As she did, I think she reviewed the Scriptures in her mind, especially the Messianic prophecies she’d learned as a child. The more she remembered those texts, the more her fear diminished and the more her excitement grew. The Biblical record of the Nativity story clearly shows that Mary was fully informed by the very heart and mind of God as expressed through His written Word. Its truth was precious to her. She could say with the Psalmist, "Oh God, how I love Your law. I meditate on it all day long" (Psalm 119:97)
Yet Mary didn't just memorize It and meditate on It. She cherished God’s Word and more importantly, she believed the promises of God's written Word, even when others around her didn't. Sadly, most of people of her day didn't. Remember that in prior centuries God had sent prophet after prophet to tell His people that one day the Messiah would be born. People had written down the Words of God's prophets, words that described everything from where the Messiah would be born to how He would die. But it had now been 400 years since God had sent a prophet. Four centuries with no Word from God, forty decades of Heavenly silence.
At one time the Hebrew people had read the Messianic prophecies in Scripture and clung to them as Mary so obviously did. For a few generations the people of this nation believed in and longed for the fulfillment of this wonderful promise of God. They eagerly anticipated the coming of their Deliverer. But decades passed and nothing happened: no visions, no prophecies, no miracles, nothing. Some grew tired of waiting. They gave up; bitterly concluding God had forsaken them. Some tried to bring about their own deliverance through religious or political reform. Others simply got caught up in day-to-day living. After all, they had jobs to do, bills to pay, kids to raise. Christin Ditchfield writes, “[Most Jewish people] were too busy for what must have seemed like 'fairy tales' or 'wishful thinking.' Nothing even remotely miraculous had ever happened in their lifetime or their parents' lifetime, grandparents, or great-grandparents' or great, great grandparent's lifetime. Because of this it was hard for them to believe the supernatural stories of the Old Testament. Somehow it just didn't seem real."
The majority of those in Mary's day had given up and no longer cherished God's Word. Yet a remnant still believed it was true and remained faithful. A few watched and waited for the fulfillment of God's promises and Mary was one of them. She trusted God and believed His Word. Do you remember how she phrased her "YES" to Gabriel in verse 38? Mary said, “May it be to me as you have said…I'll be the virgin prophesied by Isaiah. I'll bear the Messiah promised to Adam and Eve back in Genesis 3:15."
This is one reason God chose Mary for this astounding privilege. When it comes to important assignments, God uses people who believe His promises, trust them and live by them. Let me put it another way, when it comes to selecting people to do His will, God calls the prepared. He calls soldiers who put on the full armor of God especially the "sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17)
Perhaps you’ve seen HBO's series, Band of Brothers. It’s the true story of the brave men who made up the 101st Airborne during WWII. If I remember correctly, this particular military unit fought in more battles of this great conflict than any other. Time and time again when an important job needed doing, the 101st was chosen. Repeatedly, they were selected from among all other units to fight on the front lines. Why? Well, the simple answer is they were great soldiers and they were great because they were prepared for battle, prepared because they’d listened to their trainers in boot camp. They heeded the instruction of their leaders. They obeyed orders and cherished their leader's verbal guidance.
This same principle is found when it comes to the kingdom of God. When important tasks need doing, God calls on those of His "soldiers" who are prepared. The best way to prepare ourselves for God's call is to cherish His Word and to know it as Mary did. God calls people who have "studied to show themselves approved as workmen who correctly handle the Word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15) For example, when it comes to leading someone to faith in His Son, God calls individuals who know how to use evangelistic texts like the Romans Road. When it comes to selecting a Christian to help someone who’s lonely or afraid, He'll pick someone who’s embraced the truth of Joshua 1:9 where God says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." When it comes to choosing someone to counsel a couple who’s marriage is in trouble, God chooses someone who understands and embraces the teaching of 1 Corinthians 13 or Ephesians 5.
Friend, is God using you much these days? Have you been given any exciting assignments lately? How long has it been since you last found yourself in the midst of a Divine appointment? If it's been a while, could it be due to the fact that You don't cherish His Word, don't know it and don't live by it? Could the reason you've not received any startling announcements be because you don't know God’s Word like you should?
Mary was chosen because she had the right attitude about herself and the right attitude about God's Word. Finally, she was chosen because…3. God chose Mary because she had the right attitude about God’s will.
Her attitude was such that she said “Yes” to God's will for her life. She was completely receptive to His commands, even if that meant she’d endure difficulty or danger. She didn’t say, “Lord, can I get back to you on that?”
In verses 31-37 Gabriel delivers the message from God, telling Mary that she’ll be the virgin mother of the long, awaited Messiah. He patiently answers her question as to how this could happen since she was a virgin saying, "nothing is impossible with God." Then in verse 38 she gives her answer, "Yes, if this is God's will for my life yes, I am the Lord's servant. May it be unto me as you have said."
Please don't trivialize her answer. We need to understand that this was an incredibly courageous thing for Mary to say. She was one gutsy teenager! Mary must have been torn between two conflicting thoughts as she considered the implications of Gabriel's announcement. First, like any Jewish woman of her day, she considered it an incredible honor to have been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah the mother of Jesus. Ever since God's promise to Eve in the Garden of Eden, women through the ages wondered if perhaps they might be the one chosen to bear the Messiah. To the faithful, it was a sacred dream, a cherished hope, a coveted honor. So on one hand, Mary surely was thrilled at this news. Think about it! She’d been chosen from among all women for this honor. And her song reflects her joy. Look at verses 47: "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior…from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me!"
But on the other hand, Mary also knew that to accept this privilege would bring with it great personal pain and hardship. Remember, Joseph had the legal right to divorce her. Her parents and friends would probably reject her. At the very least her reputation was shot because she’d be branded a loose woman. The Gospels later record the fact that she was labeled in this way. At the worst, according to the religious laws of her culture, Mary could face death by stoning. It wouldn’t be easy. To whom much is given much is required.
When it became evident Mary had been pregnant long before her wedding day, she’d endure nasty rumors, snide comments and whispers behind her back. She’d have her name dragged through the mud, her reputation ruined. And this was nothing compared to the agony she’d experience as the mother of the Man born to die for the sins of the world. This was one son who would not grow up to take over the family business, settle down with a sweet girl and fill His Mom’s arms with adorable grandchildren. As Simeon told her in the temple, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul as well.”
But with all that in mind look again at Mary's courageous reply. She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” In other words, in spite of personal risk and pain, Mary said, "Here am I use me, Lord!" That’s a phrase that all Christians should say at the beginning of each and every day because He is Lord of every day not us.
Stuart Briscoe relates the story of a simple, illiterate man who was converted through the work of the Salvation Army. He went regularly to the Salvation Army citadel. But one day he came home rather disconsolate. His wife said, "What's the matter?" He said, "I've just noticed that all the people in the Salvation Army wear red sweaters, and I don't have a red sweater." She said, "Well, I can fix that. I'll knit you one." So she knitted him a red sweater. The next Sunday after he went to the citadel, he still wasn't happy. His wife said, "What's wrong this time?" He said, "I just noticed all their red sweaters have yellow writing." Now, they were both illiterate, but she said, "Don't worry about it. I'll embroider some writing on your sweater for you." She had no idea what the yellow writing on the red sweater of a Salvation Army man said and she couldn't read anyway. But she saw a sign on a store window opposite their home, and embroidered the words of that store sign onto her husband's red sweater. When he came back the next Sunday, she said, "Did they like your sweater?" He said, "They loved my sweater. Some of them said they liked my sweater better than their own sweaters." What neither of them knew was that the sign on the store window she had copied read, "This business is under new management."
No wonder his sweater was a hit with the other Christian servants who worked at the Salvation Army because that's exactly what it means to be a Christian. When we give our lives to God, we should all put a sign on us somewhere that says, "This business, this life, is under new management. I don't run it anymore. God does! He’s the Boss"
Mary understood this principle of Kingdom work. Though she was just a teenager, not much more than a child herself, Mary somehow recognized the blessings and rewards of unconditional obedience. She was a truly wise woman, a woman with a willing heart.
Christian friend, are you bored? Are you drifting through this life? Do you know the kind of people God uses to do amazing things? Things like ministering to single parents and their children. Things like having a Bible study with someone when you don’t know if you can fit one more thing in your schedule. Things like helping children to understand how much God loves them each Sunday Morning. Things like tithing during tough economic times or visiting someone in the hospital or nursing home to encourage them. Things like serving in a midweek ministry and reaching out to lost young people in our community. Things like using your musical gifts in leading in worship each Sunday and helping lift an entire congregation's hearts toward Heaven. Things like being an affirmer and an encourager. Things like praying for others and for this church and for our leaders. Do you know what kind of people God uses to do wonderful things like that? There’s one major requirement – Willing people!Conclusion: Friend, are you willing to follow Mary's example in this? Are you ready and willing for God to use you to do something amazing? If not are you willing to be made willing?
May God fix our attitudes this morning. May He replace our foolish sinful pride with Christ-like humility! May He help us not take His written Word for granted, but instead to cherish It and study It and memorize It. And most of all, may He transform our egocentric, selfish hearts into selfless, willing ones and convict us of our need to truly acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of every single area of our lives…just like this wise teenage girl, named Mary!
