Jesus Christ is declared to be the Saviour of mankind. In order for Him to be the Saviour, He had to die and shed His blood for the sins of mankind. However, He could not be the Saviour if He remained in a tomb. We know He was taken from the cross dead and that His lifeless body was placed in a new tomb. We know His body was in that tomb for three days and three nights. We know that after that He rose again victorious over sin and death. He proved His resurrection by appearing to many individuals and also to large groups of people. He fulfilled all prophecies regarding His first coming.
The Bible mentions an important figure around Jesus. That figure was Mary. The Catholics make more of Mary than God does. The Catholics follow paganism in elevating Mary to a place she never had.
The Bible tells us that Mary was a virgin when the angel Gabriel first appeared to her. She was espoused to a man named Joseph. They were both God-fearing people and thus they kept themselves pure. There would be no human interference in the conception and birth of Jesus Christ.
In verse 28 we are told that Mary was highly favoured by God. God saw Mary as a God-fearing woman whom He could trust to conceive and carry the Lord Jesus Christ to term. Mary would also be a Godly mother to Jesus. Mary was never the “mother of God”, as the Catholics like to suggest. Mary, being a godly mother, did not interfere with God’s design for her and for Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ never sinned and did not need to be taught not to lie or disobey. Jesus Christ is eternal and Mary was the vessel that God chose to use to bring flesh upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 28 we see as well that the Lord was with Mary. Mary was not a renegade off doing her own thing. She was a true servant of the Lord. The Lord was with her. That is an important statement. It is so needful to each person to have the Lord with us. There is nothing of value that we can accomplish unless the Lord is with us.
The angel also stated that Mary was blessed among women. Mary was unique among women. She was one of the few that could be trusted to serve God faithfully.
In verse 29 we read that Mary was troubled by the saying of this angel. Why would he come and address Mary like this? Mary did not see herself as anything special. This is partly why she found favour with God. She was a humble young woman. She was not interested in being known.
In verse 30 the angel again brought words of comfort to Mary. He also reminded her again that she had found favour with God. Her life had not gone unnoticed by God. Even though she was a simple living young woman, she was faithfully serving God. That is not important to the world, but it is important to God.
Mary would conceive and she would bear a son. His name would be Jesus. He would be great, called the Son of the Highest, inheriting the throne of David. He would reign over the house of Jacob for ever and His kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom.
Mary was blessed with a great honour but it never went to her head. The saints of that time never exalted her to deity. True saints still do not exalt her to deity. God mentions her and He spoke highly of her, but that did not make her divine, nor did it suggest she was above needing a Saviour. She is not the “mother of God.” We see here again, that it was not Mary that was being exalted, but rather the Son Whom she would bear.
Mary wondered how she could have any child, let alone this particular child. She was not married. Mary understood biology. She did not need to attend immoral and corrupt educational classes in order to understand biology. God gives His people understanding of things in a way that does not corrupt them.
Mary was not resisting God. She was not doubting God. She just needed to know how this could take place. The angel declared that the Holy Ghost would come upon her and He would cause her to conceive. There would be no human man involved in this conception. This was a unique child that would be born. This would be called the Son of God.
Mary was not a sinless virgin. She was also not a perpetual virgin. She had other children after the birth of Jesus. God just chose her in her purity to give birth to the Lord Jesus Christ before she and Joseph would be married and have children.
In verse 37 the angel reminded Mary that with God nothing is impossible. God created man and He can work His will in any person. What He requires is a willing servant. Mary was such a person.
In verse 47 Mary acknowledged that this child that she would bear would be her Saviour. Mary understood the importance of a personal Saviour. Even though she was highly favoured by God, she still needed a Saviour. Mary was saved by faith in God and in the promise of the Messiah. She was privileged to be the vessel that would put flesh on the Messiah. She was blessed in trusting in God and being the first to see the Messiah - her Saviour.
Mary was born with a sin nature just like all Adam & Eve’s children. She learned of the truth of the Messiah in her youth and she believed the truth. She walked in the fear of the LORD and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. She found out she was the woman chosen by God to bear the seed that would bruise the head of the serpent.
She was granted a great privilege. The angel made it clear that her child would be great, not she. She was not offended in that. She took her place in life with Godly character. She demonstrated that she was exactly what the angel stated about her. She would be a blessing to humanity because of her humility. She did not interfere with the will of God. She was not the co-redemptrix. She was not needed to assist Jesus Christ in saving mankind. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He did not need assistance in fulfilling God the Father’s requirement as Saviour. God did not need to use a human being to give flesh to His Son. However, He chose to do it that way. Mary saw her place as a privilege to be called upon for this task. It did not preempt her from needing a Saviour. She was never worthy of worship. She never demanded worship. She was a willing servant of God. That is what God wants each of us to be. We need to know the truth and we need to walk in the truth. The truth is what our world desperately needs.
Pastor Bartel