THE LADIES IN THE LINEAGE – MARY

Mary is the last among the ladies mentioned in the genealogy of the LORD. She is truly an amazing woman to study. There is so much to learn from her life and her conduct.
– “16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.” – Matthew 1:16

It is of great interest to note the subtle play of words, that tells anyone who reads carefully, that Joseph is the husband of Mary, but Jesus is not the Son of Joseph. R. T. France, a New Testament scholar, gives us the reason for such a way of recording the genealogy.
– “The new phraseology makes it clear that Matthew does not regard Jesus as Joseph’s son physically…The genealogy is clearly intended to be that of Jesus’ ‘legal’ ancestry, not of his physical descent.”
Apostle Luke’s record in Luke 1:35, gives us great clarity, and makes it abundantly clear about who Jesus is.
– “35 And the angel [Gabriel] answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:35

Mary must have surely faced, great many insults, because of such a birth. The negative ramifications of such a birth are great, even to this day. That is why Mary and Joseph were so deeply concerned.
– “34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” – Luke 1:34
– “18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” – Matthew 1:18-19

Among the five ladies mentioned in the genealogy of our LORD, Mary is the only one with impeccable reputation. We know this from her life, but much more from the words of Gabriel.
– “28…the angel [Gabriel] said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!…30…for you have found favor with God.” – Luke 1:28,30b

Mary, is a woman of courage and character. Even though she was a mere teen, she demonstrated such clarity of thought, and such amazing presence of mind. This is revealed in the way she handled the news, which the angel Gabriel brought, and the way she responded to it. Mary is not only courageous lady with character, but is someone who placed her faith completely in the LORD, and willingly and joyfully obeyed all which, her LORD and Creator, wanted her to do.
– “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” – Luke 1:38 [NLT]
– “For he [God] took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.” – Luke 1:48 [NLT]

Sufferings of Mary are innumerable, and yet, she displayed such patience, poise and calmness, all her life. What an amazing woman is she! Truly worth emulating. Mary trusted YAHWEH, and to Him, she entrusted all her life, its struggles, pain, agony, her reputation, her future and her everything.
– “34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” – Luke 2:34-35

What can we learn from this amazing woman of faith? We can learn to implicitly obey God. Whatever God asks of us, may our response be like Mary’s – “Let Your will be done LORD.” May we trust God like Mary did. Like Mary, let us be patient and poised, in all that we may go through, because of our faith and obedience to God’s call. Even so the LORD help us.