Christmas Characters: Mary

Apart from the Lord Himself, Mary is the central character in the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, before His birth Jesus spent 9 months in her womb. Her body nourished His life during the most formative stage of His development. Mary is unique as she was the only person in the world who was a blood relative of Jesus. Truly the deep bond between mother and child is mystery beyond human comprehension.

Why did God choose Mary as the mother of Jesus? Only God knows the answer to this question. But there are a few guesses we can make based on what we know about her. Above all, Mary fulfilled Old Testament prophesies concerning the Messiah. Consider these three requirements to be the mother of Jesus:

First, Jesus must be born in David’s royal line. Psalm 89:3-4 states, “You [God] said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’” Did Mary meet this requirement? Two New Testament passages present the genealogy of Jesus. Joseph’s lineage is listed in Matthew 1:1-17 [to be examined in the next post]. Mary’s ancestors are documented in Luke 3:23-37. David’s name appears in verse 31 of Mary’s record. She, and therefore Jesus, met the Old Testament requirement that the Messiah come out of David’s royal line.

Next, Jesus must be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” When an angel promised the birth of Jesus to Mary, she asked, “How can this be … since I am a virgin?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:34-35). The angel also reassured Joseph. “… Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Mary met this requirement, too.

Finally, Jesus must be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 prophesies, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Isn’t it incredible that the first census ever taken required everyone to return to their ancestral home? Although Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, they had to travel to Bethlehem, the hometown of Joseph’s ancestors. God was behind the scenes orchestrating the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. So Mary also fulfilled this requirement.

Mary met all of the Old Testament prophesies pointing to the mother of the Messiah. But there may have been two other reasons God chose Mary for this important role.

First, Mary knew Scripture by heart. Jesus grew up in a home saturated with Scripture. In the Magnicat (Luke 1:46-55), also called the Song of Mary, she praised God in one of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture. It is composed almost entirely of Old Testament verses linked together to form a whole. In fact, its structure and content echoes the Song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Jesus must have heard His mother recite Scripture throughout His early years.

A final reason for her selection may be that Mary was a woman of faith. After the angel promises Christ’s birth through Mary, she replied, “I am the Lord’s servant … May it be done to me as you have said.”  That statement demonstrated that Mary was a woman of tremendous faith.  In fact, Mary is the only person present at the birth, the death, and the resurrection site of Jesus Christ. As Mary herself stated, “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is His Name” (Luke 1:48).

Mary’s calling – her special assignment of earth – was to give birth to the Son of God. Your calling may not be anywhere near as dramatic, but it’s just as important. Every person’s unique assignment advances God’s Kingdom and His timetable for the end times. What has God called you to do?

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