Mary, Handmaiden of the Lord

"For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”—Luke 1:37-38 [Read Luke 1: 26-56]

During this month of March, leading up to Easter on the first Sunday in April, I hope to think about persons in the life of Jesus Christ who were close to Him and made a difference in God’s plan for Emmanuel—God with us. Where better to begin than with Mary, humble handmaiden of the Lord? When the angel Gabriel told her she, a virgin, would conceive and bear the Messiah, her response was “be it unto me according to thy word.” Unbelievable as the announcement from the angel was, Mary consented to be “the handmaiden of the Lord.”

Mary as a devout Jew would have known the prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah. They are too numerous to list in this brief devotional, but one of the most beloved was given by Isaiah: “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isa. 7:14 – NKJV). Young Mary of Nazareth became this chosen virgin. But note that she had a choice, too. She could have said No to the heavenly announcement, but she willingly agreed to be the one who would bear the Son of God.

The angel told Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Within God’s plan for her, others gave earthly aid to the divine plan. Joseph, to whom Mary was betrothed, accepted his role as Mary’s protector and husband and step-father to the divine Son of God. Already betrothed to her, He married Mary, “not wanting to make her a public example” (Mt. 1:19). When the angel appeared to him in a dream with the news of Mary’s conception, he accepted the news and acted according to the angel’s direction. Read this part of Mary and Joseph’s story in Matthew 1:18-25. Mary went to her cousin Elizabeth’s house, this one who in her old age had conceived and would bear John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Christ. Elizabeth (and the baby in her womb) immediately recognized that Mary was to be the mother of the Lord. (Luke 1:42-45).

Young girl, willing to be the chosen vessel in the line of God’s plan to restore His people! Was it any wonder that she broke forth into song, giving us the “Magnificat of Mary” recorded in Luke 1:46-55? “He has done great things for me!”

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, March 1, 2010