Plan for Life?

Matthew 1:29- 33 -²⁹ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.³¹ “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. ³² “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Do you think that this was Mary’s plan for her life?  Think about that for a moment.  Do you think Mary’s plan for her life was to give birth to the Savior of the world?  Do you think it was Mary’s plan for her life to have a cloud of suspicion over her and Jesus for the rest of their lives?  Because that is what there would have been.  Just as we talked about last week with Joseph, Mary would always have a tarnished reputation not because of something she did but because of something God choose to do in her life that was really a blessing. I am sure at the time it do not look like or feel like a blessing.  Do you think that she understood that?  Do you this that this young lady who was favored by God understood the gravity of her faithfulness, thoughtfulness, and obedience to God?

We need to understand that Mary obediently submitted to God in spite of the potential hardship for her future.  It was no longer going to be the future she dreamed of but she trusted God and had faith in Him that it would all be the best.  By saying in verse 38, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Mary opened herself up to many trials.  Her fiancé heard of her pregnancy and decided that he would have to divorce her quietly. Her friends would have shunned her and her family may have disowned her. She would have been publicly shamed and rejected in many ways for the rest of her life. But in spite of all the potential hardship, Mary obediently submitted to God’s will for her life.  As a result, she was greatly blessed with this unique role in all of history, to be the mother of the Savior of the world.  Imagine that pressure on a teenage girl but imagine the blessing also.

Often, submitting to God’s will is not the easiest way to go. It may involve giving up the desire for popularity or worldly success.  It may involve your future not being what you thought it was going to be.  That could mean that you could leave family or friends to go to the mission field. It could mean that some people could give up the potential for marriage and family in order to serve God with their whole lives. It could mean your dreams completely change.  It could mean your retirement years are spent serving God wholeheartedly somewhere other than sitting on a beach drinking drinks with little umbrella’s in them. But whatever hardship we endure in obedience to God, He will richly repay. Because Mary obeyed God, she was blessed among women.

Have you submitted to God’s will?  Share you thoughts today.

Favored One

Matthew 1:26-45: ²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,  ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

We see that the angel refers to Mary as favored one.  I think we need to look at the idea that Mary has been living a life that is God honoring.  I see that her being called favored most means that she is one who has some very godly character qualities.  I think she has been thoughtful, obedient, believing, and worshipful by the way she lives her life which is what I see favorable as meaning in part.  She is one who would be considered by all those who came around her to be a really good girl.

It must be emphasized, however, that despite all these qualities, God’s choice of Mary to bear this child springs from His grace, not from any inherent merit that she possesses. She is the object of God’s unmerited grace. Her description as one who has found favor with God makes it clear that God has acted on her behalf and not because of her but because of His Grace. In fact, Mary is totally perplexed by the sudden announcement. She did not ask for or seek this role in God’s plans; God has simply stepped into her life and brought her into his service. Her asset is that she is faithful. She should be honored for her model of faithfulness and openness to serve God, but that does not mean she is to be worshiped as is the practice of some. Luke wants us to identify with Mary’s example, not to unduly exalt her person.

Those of some faiths believe that when it says later in Matthew that she is blessed among women, that we can see that Mary is exalted above all women of all time.  I do not see that to be the case, but what I do see is this:  Mary was the best female of all the possible descendents of David to have the privilege and blessing to give birth too and raise the very Son of God.  I believe even as a teenager that she possibly was the very best woman in all Israel and that was why she was favored.  We at times tend to run from these kinds of issues.  Here is the center of it all when it comes to Mary, we should be careful to never downgrade Mary, but on the other side we should never think too highly of her either.  We should have a balanced view, because on one side she was a sinner just like us but on the other side she was also chosen to be the mother of God which was a very special honor.

An amazing young woman with an amazing character was Mary.  I pray I have that kind of character!

What are your thoughts here?

The Baby and Strange Gifts

In the gospel of Matthew we see that the first ones that Matthew has show up on the scene are the Magi.  What is the reaction of the first ones who are the Magi in the gospel of Matthew to come before Jesus?  It is worship.  It is all about worship.  We see that the Wise Men showed great wisdom in that they came to worship the new born King.

In their worship we see in verse 11 that they gave Him gifts–gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Let us read it: ¹¹After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were some strange presents to be bringing a baby boy. The gold, of course, we all can understand because of its value, but the frankincense and myrrh are not normal gifts.

We can guess that these Wise Men had also been exposed by Daniel’s teachings for one thing.  One of the most fascinating aspects of the Biblical story of Daniel is that this young prophet who was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about future world empires in Daniel 2 and so then he was honored by Nebuchadnezzar by making him the chief of his “Wise Men” as you can read Daniel 2:48. From this position Daniel undoubtedly influenced many to believe in Jehovah and the Hebrew Scriptures. They were aware of the prophecies of a coming Messiah through whom all the world would be blessed.  I believe that the Magi might have been some of those who because of Daniel’s influence with the Wise Men who came before them have been influenced indirectly by him.

I am sure they were familiar with Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 60:3 which says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. And then Isaiah 60:6 which says, “A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD. Knowing this Scripture could explain the first two gifts and their worship, it certainly does not explain the myrrh.

In Biblical times myrrh was a perfume, like frankincense. But the strange thing and unlike frankincense, myrrh always seemed to used in regard to death and burial. It was the embalmers choice for preparing a corpse for burial. Jesus himself would be embalmed with this very perfume in John 19:39, which says, Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh  and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. Stop here and think could the magi be thinking of Jesus’ death when they brought the myrrh?

I would say that it is possible that they were thinking of his death.  Over the centuries the truths of Daniel’s prophecy in 9:24-27 could have been read and passed down, and in that prophecy it says that the ‘Messiah will be cut off’ and this ‘will make atonement for iniquity’ and ultimately ‘bring in everlasting righteousness’. It is possible  and so this may be how God led those Wise Men to bring that third gift of Myrrh with them. Amazingly, even at Christ’s birth, the shadow of the cross is already falling over His life.  No wonder that they are seeking him to worship if they understand this truth – that this baby was born so he could die as savior of the world.  When we really understand this truth it should bring us to the point of worship.

How about you?  Have you made the point of Christmas to be worship of King and Savior?  What are your thoughts?