The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 3

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “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. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Look, even Elizabeth, your relative, has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:34-38 BSB)


In part 1 of our series of the Women of Christmas, we looked at the lineage of Jesus, how that was connected to Mary, and his right to be King. In part 2, we explored the grace of God that was coming and how that contrasted with the Jewish law the people had been living according to. In part 3 we are going to talk about the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a person. He is the third person of The Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We first learn about Him in the book of Genesis.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”(Genesis 1:2 BSB)

This sounds so familiar doesn’t it? It sounds like what the Holy Spirit would do when Jesus was conceived.

The word “hovering” in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word “rachaph.” According to Strong’s Lexicon, it means “To hover, to brood, to flutter.”

Under the word “rachaph” on Biblehub.com, there is an entry that says,

“While there is no direct Greek equivalent in the Septuagint for "rachaph," the concept of divine hovering or overshadowing can be seen in the New Testament with the Greek word "ἐπισκιάζω" (episkiazō), Strong's Greek 1982, used in Luke 1:35 to describe the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary.”

The activity of the Holy Spirit was very reminiscent of the story of creation in Genesis. It’s like there was a Re-Genesis. Isn’t that amazing? I am always amazed by the Old Testament and the New Testament connections!

The Holy Spirit overshadowing or hovering over Mary would bring about the birth of the Son of God. In his message, “Christmas: the Wisdom of God,” Dr. Charles Stanley said about this event,

“The Spirit of God planted within that woman, the very life, the very person of the Son of God.”

What would be next?

The Holy Spirit would also be coming into the earth in a greater way than He had before. We talked earlier in the series about how under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit would seem to come and go. Men and women were anointed by God into the offices of prophet, priest, and king. The Holy Spirit would “come upon” them, and then would receive spiritual gifting to carry out the plans and purposes of God. But, He didn't live in them.

There was a very significant change coming. And it was for us.

In John chapter 1, speaking about Jesus, John says,

“And John bore witness saying, "I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon Him.” (John 1:32 BLB)

The Holy Spirit came and remained on Jesus.

That word “remain" is the same word that Jesus used to teach the disciples about the Holy Spirit in John 14:17.

“...the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.” (BSB)

Abide here means to remain. He will remain. He will abide in you, never to leave.

Ephesians 1:13 says about our relationship to the Holy Spirit,

“And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.” (BSB)


Many blessings to you as you rest and remain in the Lord this season! Thank you for reading this short series on Mary, part of The Women of Christmas.


Merry Christmas!

Beth


P.S.I am sorry I didn't get to Elizabeth and Anna. Christmas caught up with me, and the parts about Mary became longer than I had originally anticipated.


I wrote a series about the Holy Spirit starting with the baptism of Jesus. You can read about that here. The links to the rest of the series are at the bottom of the post.


If you missed the first two posts about Mary, you can go here to The Women of Christmas at Bethlisteningtohim.blogspot.com.

The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 2

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”(Luke 1:26-30 BSB).

In today’s devotional about Mary, we are going to focus on the grace of God. We see the grace of God in Mary's conversation with the angel. The grace of God would bring about a huge change for the Jewish people and ultimately the Gentile world as well. There was a transition taking place from the Old to the New.

Under the Old Covenant, the Jews lived under a system of rules known as the Law. It was given to them by God through Moses and they had lived under this system since shortly after their Exodus from Egypt. But, why did they live under the law?

Romans 5:20 tells us,

“The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,” (BSB)

And Galatians 3:19 reads,

“Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.”(BSB)

In John 1:17, it says,

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (BSB)

What was coming under the New Covenant through Jesus was new to them. They were looking for a military leader in the Messiah. They weren’t expecting this.

In the lives of the women of Christmas, we begin to see this transition that was taking place. Grace was coming. In fact, it was already here.

In verse 28 of chapter 1, the angel says to Mary,

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (BSB).

That phrase “you who are highly favored” is actually the verb form of the word "charis" (grace) in the Greek. It is the Greek word

“charitoó” and is found only in one other place in the Bible, and it is a verse about Believers in Jesus.

“to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One”(Ephesians 1:6).

Later on in the passage in Luke 1:30, the angel tells Mary,

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (BSB)

That word favor in that passage is a noun and is the Greek word "charis." According to Biblehub, there are 157 occurrences of the word “charis” in the New Testament. It means “grace, favor, kindness, and blessing.” Grace was coming through Jesus. There would be a transition from law to grace.


They would no longer live under the law, because Jesus would fulfill it. A new way of life was coming. What was happening to and through Mary, was also coming to and for us. Tomorrow we will discuss that new way of grace, one that would involve the Holy Spirit.


Blessings to you as you continue to grow in grace and the knowledge of Him!

Beth



To learn more about the word "charis," please check out my post here on Grace in the Greek.


If you missed yesterday's post on Mary, Part 1, you can also find it at my blog, The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 1.

The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 1

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “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. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Look, even Elizabeth, your relative, has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:26-38 BSB)




Luke chapter 1 starts with Elizabeth and Zechariah, but we are going to begin this series with Mary. There is so much we could cover in this passage of Scripture, but I want to focus on a few areas, because I believe they apply to us as well as Mary. They are a foreshadowing of things that were to come.

First, let’s look at the “house of David.” Luke tells us that Joseph was of the house of David. That means that Joseph was of the lineage of David. I believe Mary was too.

Matthew (chapter 1), and Luke (chapter 3), both give us genealogies of Jesus. They both go back to David, but one goes to David’s son Nathan (the one in Luke), and the other one goes to Solomon (the one in Matthew.) Joseph cannot come from both ancestries, so one has to belong to Mary. There are differing opinions about which one she belongs to, but I am going to side with Matthew today, since Matthew actually mentions her name.

What does that have to do with us? Well, the genealogies prove that Jesus is in line to be King. When we are born again, we are born into this kingdom. Jesus repeatedly mentions the Kingdom of God in the Gospels.

Revelation 5:10 tells us,

“and didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.”(YLT)

Jesus has made us kings and priests.

Remember in the first post when I mentioned that the Holy Spirit came on the prophet, priest, and king part in the Old Testament? Mary and Joseph would both be in line with the king. And we also become part of that royal family line when we receive Christ.

Next time we will discuss the favor of God.

Many blessings to you this Christmas season,

Beth




To read more about kings, please check out my post on the Fragrance of Kings and Queens. You can also read more about Mary at my post, Women in the Life of Jesus: Mary the Mother of Jesus.

The Women of Christmas

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! I have had it in my heart for a while to write about the "Women of Christmas." I have written about them a little bit in my series on Women in the Life of Jesus, but there is so much more to explore.

Something that the Lord has been emphasizing during this season, I believe, is the presence of the Holy Spirit. We have heard that under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit would only come on 3 offices, the prophet, priest, and king. I think we can add the judge to that as well because we see Him in the life of Deborah and Sampson for example.

But He would come and leave. It doesn't seem like they have the Holy Spirit permanently residing in them. I think that's why David prayed this in Psalm 51:11,

"Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me."

Do you remember?

But something happens when we get to the New Testament. We start having a transition. Grace is coming.

How does this involve the Women of Christmas? Which women are they? To me the Women of Christmas are Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna.

In Luke's Gospel, chapter 1 and 2, we see the story of Christmas. Luke and Matthew are the only two Gospel writers that mention the birth of Jesus, but Luke is the only one that mentions Elizabeth and Anna.

We also see mention of the Holy Spirit. Just like there was more angelic activity surrounding the birth of Jesus, it also seems as though there was more activity with the Holy Spirit.

Why? I think there is a reason. Everything is significant. It all means something.

Over the next few days, I would like to share a (short) series about the Women of Christmas with you.

Merry Christmas,
Beth

If you would like to read the series Women in the Life of Jesus, click on the highlighted link.

To read the Women of Christmas series, use the following links:

The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 1

The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 2

The Women of Christmas: Mary, Part 3 

The Women of Christmas: Elizabeth, Part 1

Bethlehem

In Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, we see five women listed. The first four are within the context of the first 14 generations. Mary is in the last fourteen. They have so many things in common. 

In their stories we see pictures of forgiveness, redemption, the blood of Jesus, the extravagant grace of God, the marriage of the bride and Redeemer, the death of the lamb, and the engrafting of the Gentiles into the vine (see Romans 11). But, while I was studying, and asking questions, I found what I believe is another connection. 

I don't think God does anything randomly. He does things with purpose. He wants to answer our questions.

In chapter 2 of Matthew's Gospel, he repeats the prophecy of Micah 5:2. It says,

But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,

for out of you will come a ruler

who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’

This prophecy made me realize that they are all connected to this place, and the house of David in one way or another.

The descendents of Tamar produced the land of Judah. The land of Israel was divided into portions according to tribes. Bethlehem is in the portion assigned to Judah. Rahab would have lived in Bethlehem upon moving into that land after leaving Jericho with the Israelites. Ruth came to Bethlehem from Moab. David came out of Bethlehem and was married to Bathsheba, producing two sons through whom the kingly lineage would continue. And Mary and Joseph had to travel back to Bethlehem for Jesus to be born because they were both of the house of David.

Women of Romans 16

Photo courtesy of Kevin Carden at Lighstock

I have spent a lot of time on the women in the Gospels and a little on some in the Old Testament. I thought I would move forward a little and start talking about the women in Acts and the Epistles. I already have a teeny bit of research about the women listed in Romans 16. I am going to share some of that with you. The first two mentioned are the ones we know the most about.

The epistle to the Romans was written to all Believers in Rome, though it appears according to the list in Romans 16 that there were many house churches that existed there. There are ten women listed in the passage of Scripture in Romans 16. They are:

1. Phoebe

2. Prisca

3. Mary

4. Junia

5. Tryphena

6. Tryphosa

7. Persis

8.. Rufus’ mother

9. Julia

10. Nereus’ sister

The first woman mentioned was Phoebe. It is believed that she was the one who actually carried the letter of Romans to the Church at Rome. I have written about her in more detail in a post in relation to 1 Timothy 3. Click here to read that post.

The second woman mentioned was Prisca or Priscilla. She was the wife of Aquila, and they are mentioned throughout the New Testament. Luke mentions them in Acts, and Paul mentions them in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Timothy. Click here to read a little more about Priscilla.

There are 8 more I have yet to explore. When Paul mentions some of them, he says they "laboured much for us" or "laboured much in the Lord." What does in mean to "labour in the Lord?" Where else is that phrase found in the New Testament? They must have held some significance to be among those mentioned in this passage of Scripture.
More to come...

Angels

There was so much angelic activity surrounding the birth of Jesus! Luke tells us about the angel Gabriel coming to visit Zechariah about the birth of John, and then Mary about the birth of Jesus. Matthew tells us about the angel of the Lord visiting Joseph in a dream to confirm that Mary is going to give birth to a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit, and he is to give him the name Jesus. When Jesus is born, an angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus. And then a group of angels appears with that angel to announce praise and another message about what the birth of Jesus would bring.

Angels appear again and again throughout the Gospels and the book of Acts.

Hebrews 1:14 says, 

Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Hebrews 13:2 says, 

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

What are some other verses that mention angels?

Do you think you have you ever seen an angel? Do you know someone who has?

A Foundation of Grace: A Place of Rest

Now it happened a they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcome Him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.

But Martha was distracted with much serving and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."

And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her."-Luke 10:38-42


I love the story of Martha and Mary.  You will probably hear me say that a lot about many stories, and it is always true.  Stories communicate so much to us.  We can use our imaginations, see ourselves in their shoes, and learn truths that reach us in our hearts.  I think that is why Jesus used stories to teach.

Martha and Mary lived in the town of Bethany.  According to two different sources, the word Bethany means "house of affliction, house of dates, or house of depression or misery."  I also found one source that said it means, "house of figs." I find that very interesting because the first place we find figs in the Bible is with Adam and Eve, when they tried to cover their sin themselves. 

We have two women, sisters, and their brother Lazarus, living in this place.  And then Jesus comes.  

The two sisters are very different in their approach to Jesus.  Eventually this changes, and it is oh so beautiful!  But now, in this moment, they are very different.  

Both believe Him to be Lord.  Martha calls him Lord, and Mary is sitting at His feet in the posture of a disciple.  But they both respond to Him very differently.  I believe this to be a picture that God has given us of law and grace.

The Bible says Martha is distracted with much serving.  It is as though this is how she believes she can please the Lord.  She even goes to Him, obviously embarrassed or burdened by her sister's lack of concern, and points out all she is doing...for Him.  Jesus even tells her she is worried or troubled about many things.

Mary, on the other hand, is sitting, resting, at His feet.  She is not flustered, but at peace, just enjoying Jesus' presence.

The Law was given to make people do.  Grace came so we could rest.  

Hebrews 4:9-10 says,

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.  For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Jesus doesn't want us to live in the house of Bethany, a place of misery and depression, a place where we have to do something to receive approval.  He wants us to receive His grace, cease from our works, like Mary, and enter into His rest.




To read more in the series, please join me here, at A Foundation of Grace.

Women in the Life of Jesus: The Women at the Cross

All four writers of the Gospels mention the women at the Cross the day Jesus was crucified. Some give more details than others, but they all four mention that women were there.

Matthew’s Gospel says,

And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.-Matthew 27:55-56 (NKJV)

Mark says,

There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.-Mark 15:40-41(NKJV)

Luke gives the least amount of detail. His Gospel reads,

But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.-Luke 23:49 (NKJV)

John’s Gospel has the women up close.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple who He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ The He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.-John 19:25-27 (NKJV)

There were a lot of woman at the Cross the day Jesus was crucified, some of them named and some of the unnamed. One of the noticeable things about the women that day is many were named Mary. I don’t think there are any coincidences in the Bible, or with God, so this must be significant.

The Hebrew word for Mary means “obstinacy” or “rebellion.” I have also seen the definition “bitter.” So there was a lot of rebellion surrounding Jesus on the Cross that day.

In John’s Gospel, he describes a scene between Mary and John.

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ The He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.-John 19:25-27 (NKJV)

I have always found this scenario very interesting. Why would Jesus tell John to care for His mother? He had at least 5 other siblings. Should they be responsible for the care of Mary? She was also not an old woman when this took place. Jesus was only 33 when He was crucified. She had him at a very young age. If she was 18 when Jesus was born, which scholars estimate she was much younger, she would still have only been 51 at Jesus’ death. I am 45 and do not need to be cared for. How could a woman so young, with other children, need to be cared for by John? 

I don’t think that was the point of this particular passage.

The name John means “Jehovah is gracious.” So Jesus asked a man whose name means “Jehovah is gracious” to care for a woman whose name means “bitterness, rebellion, and obstinacy.” John and Mary were a picture of what was happening in the spiritual realm.

There at the Cross that day grace came to care for rebellion. That is what happened with Jesus’ death. His grace came to care for our rebellion.


May you grow in the knowledge of His love,


Beth






To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus.

Women in the Life of Jesus: Mary the Mother of Jesus

 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.-Matthew 1:16 (NKJV)

Scripture where she is found: Matthew 1-3, Mark 6, Luke 1-2, 8, John 2, 19, & Acts 1

Her story:

Mary was the mother of Jesus and the 5th woman listed in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1.

She is mentioned throughout all four Gospels and in the book of Acts.

I have discussed her before, in John 2, when Jesus changed the water into wine.  You can find that post here.

What I want to share about today can found in Luke 1.

 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

 And the angel 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.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible.”

 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

-Luke 1:26-38

My thoughts:

God gives us a lot of detail in this short passage of scripture. This is good, because this is a very important moment in His(story.)

God is the one who sends the angel, His messenger, to Mary.  The angel's name is Gabriel.  He is a male, and he just appears in her home.

The passage also tells us exactly who he goes to, who she was engaged to, and that she is a virgin.  All of these details believers might sometimes take for granted, but I believe God wanted to be very specific in what was included in scripture.  This is the most widely told story-it has been told over and over again for centuries because we celebrate Christmas, which is the celebration of Christ's birth.

Faith comes by hearing.  And so many people have heard this again and again, that they probably have no question that these details are just as God said they were.

When she saw the angel, she doesn't seem to be troubled by him, as much as what he is saying to her.  In fact, she seems to have some spiritual understand already and knowledge of the things of God. She doesn't seem upset by the appearance of the angel himself. She just keeps having a conversation with him.

He tells her not to be afraid. Does that mean of him, or what he is about to tell her?  I think maybe the message.  

He goes on to tell her she has found "favor with God."  What would cause that?  Again, I think she had some knowledge of God.  I think she was familiar with the scriptures, and that coupled with her character, allowed God to trust her.  This was a big deal, to carry the Son of God in her womb.

She then asks the angel another question.  She is a virgin, so she doesn't understand how this can come to pass.  He then explains to her about the Holy Spirit.  

The Holy Spirit was involved in creation in Genesis.  He hovered "over the face of the waters."  Then God started speaking and things came into being.  This is how the Son of God was going to come into the world.

And then in Luke 1:38, we see a greater glimpse of why He chose her.  She says,
Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.

And then the angel leaves.

Her character and her knowledge of the things of God are why I believe He chose her.  He could trust her and she was already prepared to handle what was to come, because it was to be no easy task.  I am so thankful for her and for the birth of Jesus.

For further reading about Mary, check out The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs, or this children's biography, Get to Know Mary by Nancy I Sanders.

To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus.