Journey Into The Heart of Mary

1. Mary’s heart was not unlike ours. PSA 33:15; PRO 27:19.

2. Mary pondered all the things she heard about Jesus in her heart. LUK 2:19, 51.

3. Mary knew her baby came by way of a unique miracle. A. She was singly and highly favored that God should indwell her in the incarnation, taking part of her into union with Himself. LUK 1:28, 35 c/w GAL 4:4. B. She “...was troubled at his saying...” (LUK 1:29), an emotion of the heart which showed her common humanity.

4. Consider what she was told about this child by the angel Gabriel before His conception. LUK 1:26-38. A. He would be great. In fact, He is the greatest Personage of all history. B. He would be the Son of God. C. He would be the king of Israel in fulfillment of God’s promise to David. D. He would be a king Who would reign forever. E. He would be holy. (1) Mary was the only mother in human history, who could truly say that she raised aperfect child. And Jesus rendered her due honor as a child. LUK 2:51. (2) An obedient child only further endears itself to its parents. How close must this bond have been between mother and child! (3) She saw in her son what godliness and good training produce. LUK 2:40.

5. Consider what the angel of the Lord told her husband Joseph about this child after His conception and before His birth. MAT 1:18-23. A. He would save His people from their sins. B. Mary was a sinner (LUK 2:22-24 c/w LEV 12:6-8). That means that her child would save her from her sins. C. His birth would fulfill ISA 7:14. Imagine realizing you were the virgin spoken of hundreds of years before. D. He would be God with us. How must it have affected her to know her baby was her God? (1) The infinite Creator God inhabited her womb. (2) The God Who cared for her was cared for by her. (3) The God to Whom she cried for help likely cried for her breast. (4) The God Who lifted her up looked to her to lift Him up. (5) The God to Whom she was subject subjected Himself to her. LUK 2:51. (6) Imagine realizing that you cared for the needs of Almighty God.

6. Consider what her cousin Elizabeth said about her son. LUK 1:39-45. A. She proclaimed with a loud voice that the fruit of her womb was blessed. B. She referred to Mary’s baby as her Lord. C. Mary’s salutation induced the baby in Elisabeth’s womb to leap for joy. Elisabeth’s baby was responding to the presence of its Lord in Mary’s womb.

7. Consider what Mary herself said about what was happening to her. LUK 1:46-55. A. Although highly favored, Mary judged herself undeserving and the recipient of mercy. This says much about her character. B. All generations would henceforth call her blessed. Consider the renown of Mary throughout all generations. How many bear her name? C. She realized that she was the recipient of great things from a mighty God. D. Mary recognized this event as signaling great upheavals in the social order. E. She acknowledged this event as the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham and his seed.

8. Consider what Zechariah said about her child at the birth of his son John. LUK 1:57-79. A. His coming signaled that God had visited and redeemed His people. B. He is the horn (the power) of salvation. C. He is the fulfillment of that which God spoke by the prophets since the world began. D. He fulfills God’s covenant with the fathers and with Abraham. E. He will deliver God’s people from their enemies that they might serve Him in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life. F. John would be His forerunner. G. He is the dayspring from on high sent to give light to those that sit in darkness and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

9. Consider what she was told by the shepherds at His birth. LUK 2:8-20. A. The news of His birth was good tidings of great joy to all people. B. He was a Saviour. C. He was the long-awaited Messiah. D. He was the Lord. E. His birth invoked the praise of the multitude of the heavenly host. F. His birth called for: (1) The highest glory to God. (2) Peace on earth. (3) Good will toward men.

10. Remember that Mary’s heart was like your own. How would you feel to be the mother of such a child? A. Would not all these things endear this child to you all the more? B. What kind of mother would this make you want to be?

11. Consider what she was told by Simeon. LUK 2:25-35. A. Simeon called her son God’s salvation prepared before the face of all people. B. Her son would be a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people Israel. He would have international renown. C. This child would be set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel (ISA 8:14-15 c/w 1PE 2:4-8). He would effect a division in the nation. D. He would be set for a sign, which would be spoken against. (1) While He would be the glory of some, He would also be the object of enmity on the part of others. (2) How one reacts to Christ reveals what is in his heart. E. A sword would pierce through her own soul also. (1) The piercing of a sword inflicts a very painful wound. (2) This was fulfilled when Mary “...stood by the cross of Jesus...” (JOH 19:25). (3) Consider how much you hurt when your children hurt. Mary’s heart was no different than yours. (4) No matter how old your children become, in your heart they are always your babies. Mary’s heart was no different than yours. (5) Considering how endeared Jesus would have been to Mary on so many counts, how must the horrible sufferings and piercing of her son have pierced her own soul also. (6) It most especially pierces the soul of a parent to realize that their child is suffering because of something wrong they (the parent) did. a. As a disciple of Jesus (ACT 1:13-15), Mary came to understand that Jesus suffered because of her sins. b. His pain was owing to her sins. How must this have pierced her own soul! (7) What must have gone through the mind of Mary when she took communion knowing that the broken bread represented the broken body of her baby and the poured out wine represented her baby’s shed blood? (8) But the gospel holds out the salve for Mary’s wound. a. It took the suffering of her son for her to live with Him again. b. Mary’s baby died, but He also rose from the dead to die no more. She saw again with her own eyes her beloved son, alive and well. c. Because of His resurrection, Mary would never visit the grave of her deceased boy to pay respect to His remains. Mary would rather go to be with Him forever. d. At Pentecost when the Holy Ghost came (ACT 2:1-3) Mary could say, “That’s my boy.” c/w JOH 14:18, 26.

12. She saw her young child worshipped by wise men from the east bearing precious gifts. MAT 2:1-11.

13. Her child made Herod the king feel so threatened that he sought to kill Him thus forcing them to flee to Egypt for refuge. MAT 2:13-18.

14. At the age of twelve Mary and Joseph lost him and sought Him for three days. They found Him in the temple astonishing the doctors of the law. LUK 2:42-51. A. He told them then that He must be about His Father’s business. B. Mary’s boy was here on God’s business, a business that exceeded in importance their sorrow over losing Him for those three days. C. Even though she did not understand his saying, she kept it in her heart. D. Perhaps after His resurrection and with improved understanding, she might have concluded that God had been preparing her for a temporary three-day loss of her son to the grave because of His Father’s business.

15. It is no wonder then that the mother of the most unique and the greatest Personage of all history would be proclaimed highly favored and blessed. LUK 1:28, 42, 45, 48.

16. Does anyone think that greater blessing there could not be than to be the mother of the Son of God? A. Yet Jesus pronounced them rather blessed that hear the word of God and keep it. LUK 11:27-28. (1) rather: Sooner (as a matter of fitness, expediency, etc.); with more propriety or advantage; with better reason or ground; more properly or justly. With than. (2) “Rather” denotes a preferred consideration. LUK 10:20; ROM 8:34. (3) The closest relationship to Jesus Christ is of the spirit, not the flesh. JOH 3:6-7. B. Jesus pronounced those to be His mother who do the will of God, which is to hear the word of God and do it. MAT 12:46-50 c/w LUK 8:19-21. C. A child of God who is baptized in obedience to the word of God has attained a blessing above that of being Christ’s human mother and is also looked upon by Christ as His mother. (1) Mind that Mary would have obtained this blessing also, for she was a baptized disciple of her own son, the Son of God. (2) She was doubly His mother, doubly blessed. D. Believer, considering all that has been said about this One Whose mother you are, what kind of mother does that make you want to be?