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.

Five Minute Friday: Opportunity

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes.  Today's word is “Opportunity ”

Opportunity. What does this look like?

Everyday I feel like we are flooded with opportunities.

We can choose whether we decide to take them or let them pass by.

Often when we choose them, they will lead us down a new, unadventured path.

This week, my family had a new opportunity arise. At first it seemed like something small. But now I believe it was possibly an answer to a prayer that I had been praying.

We are looking around for opportunities to minister all the time I believe, but maybe don't recognize them when they come up

An open door, a question asked, an opportunity to help someone even in a small way, these are all opportunities to see God in our lives.

And these opportunities could possibly lead us down a path and change our direction. Maybe that's what God intends.

We are not building ministries. We are building the kingdom.

31 Days of Healing: The Healing of Malchus' Ear

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”-Luke 22:47-53 (NKJV)

This was seriously an intense moment.  Jesus had just been praying, and the Bible says that His sweat became like great drops of blood.  He was getting ready to be taken away.  He had prepared the disciples, but they didn't know it was immediately upon them.

And then Judas arrives.  And he identifies to those who have come to arrest Him, which one Jesus is.  When the disciples saw what was happening, I imagine the adrenaline went soaring.

Have you ever been in an intense emotional situation, either in an argument with a friend or loved one?  It usually makes your adrenaline rush and your blood pressure go up right?  Now, imagine you have a sword.  You may laugh, but I know that I have thought about this passage of scripture before when I have gotten angry, mostly to comfort myself.

They were coming to take Jesus away, and the disciples became very protective of Jesus.  One of them became so protective, He pulled out a sword and cut off the high priest's servant, right ear.  What a moment! John's Gospel identifies the man that cut off the ear as Peter, and the servant as a man named Malchus.

What happens next is most amazing.  Jesus gets a moment of pause and touches Malchus' ear, the enemy who has come to take Him away, and heals him.  Everyone sees it.  The High Priest is most likely there and he just witnessed it.  They witnessed the miracle working power of God working on an enemy.

What does that say about the character of Jesus?  He is a healer.  That's who He is.  It is what He does.  He gives life to everything He comes in contact with.  It is always His purpose to heal.

There's a lot more to this story than I have even explored. One new thing that I have learned since first writing this post is that the name Malchus can mean "king" or "kingdom." This was Jesus last healing before He was crucified. I find it very interesting that His last miracle was "healing the kingdom."

Many blessings as you grow in grace and the knowledge of Him,

Beth

To read more about the healing ministry of Jesus, please visit 31 Days of Healing.