The Earthly Parents of Jesus
In section 2 we discussed about the five women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ with a critical look at the first four women: Tamar, Rahab, Bathseba and Ruth excluding Mary. We saw what God did with their errors and how He transformed their lives and brought them into the messianic history.This section will be a liitle sharp, straight and direct, please take it as God talking to us. I’m praying that God will break every veil that has covered us up from seeing the true light of Christmas as God has designed it to be. Please read once again Matthew 1:1-25.
Mary and Joseph
Mary the mother of Jesus
As the Holy Spirit began to pan throughout the land of Isreal at the wake of the New Testament, He was searching for a 'womb' for the king of glory to be conceived. Among the many women in Nazareth of Galilee, God chose only one woman; He chose Mary. I still keep wondering why Mary became the perfect choice. How come Mary? Have you too wondered why like myself? Let us reason together from these perspectives:
#1. Mary found favour before God (Luke 1:30). Favour means to show a kind act: an act of kindness performed or granted out of goodwill or preference. It means preferential treatment shown to somebody. She did not deserve it by all standard, she found favour.
#2. Mary was a virgin: as we emphasize in section one that God can use prostitutes, I want you to know that God can use virgins even more. Although moral values and sanctity have been lost in our society, so much so that the issue of virginity have been thrown into the trash can, God wish to still lay emphasis on it as we can see in the life of Mary. Young men and women must learn to keep themselves until the time of marriage (Hebrews 13:4) Virginity means many things:
a. That you have succeeded in keeping yourself from sexual sin. God dislikes sexual sin so much that 23,000 pilgrims died as a result of sexual sin (1Corinthians 10:8). Every other sin committed is outside of the body except sexual sin (1Corinthians 6:16-18).
b. The desire to be pure and preserved for the Lord.
c. The refusal to fornication despite pressure from peers and opposite sex.
Virginity is a virtue that must be held in high esteem. It is a good virtue that God loves. One of the other qualities the King found in Esther was virginity (Esther 2:15,17).
#3. Mary revered the Lord: It’s easy to pick that from her conversation with Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:38). She humbled herself before the Angel and referred to herself as “the handmaid of the Lord”. She had the Fear of God in Her. I could 'imagine' her saying in Luke 1:38: “you are my master and I trust you will do the best with me. I accept your report for my life; 'be it unto me according to your word'. I’m grateful for showing your favour upon my life”
Joseph the Father of Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25)
Although we could highlight several things about Joseph, let’s just bring it down to three.
#1. He did not push for sex before marriage in his courtship with Mary. Probably he was a virgin too(??).
#2. He was a just man (Matthew 1:19). To be just means to be righteous. Joseph was a righteous man. Remember that he refused to publicly put Mary to shame. He wanted to put the whole matter to an end in a quiet and simple way. How many of us men could put up with a woman that got pregnant before marriage? The law gave him many options: divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1), infamy (John 8:5), etc.
#3. He honoured God (Matthew 1:24-25). The Bible makes us understand that he got up from sleep and did as the angel said. He was determined to obey God no matter what. He didn’t look at men but focused on God to receive strength as the criticism increased and the pregnancy went on for nine months. I see both parents making time to pray very often for grace to face the disgrace and for sustenance of what God was doing in their lives.
Mary the mother of Jesus
As the Holy Spirit began to pan throughout the land of Isreal at the wake of the New Testament, He was searching for a 'womb' for the king of glory to be conceived. Among the many women in Nazareth of Galilee, God chose only one woman; He chose Mary. I still keep wondering why Mary became the perfect choice. How come Mary? Have you too wondered why like myself? Let us reason together from these perspectives:
#1. Mary found favour before God (Luke 1:30). Favour means to show a kind act: an act of kindness performed or granted out of goodwill or preference. It means preferential treatment shown to somebody. She did not deserve it by all standard, she found favour.
#2. Mary was a virgin: as we emphasize in section one that God can use prostitutes, I want you to know that God can use virgins even more. Although moral values and sanctity have been lost in our society, so much so that the issue of virginity have been thrown into the trash can, God wish to still lay emphasis on it as we can see in the life of Mary. Young men and women must learn to keep themselves until the time of marriage (Hebrews 13:4) Virginity means many things:
a. That you have succeeded in keeping yourself from sexual sin. God dislikes sexual sin so much that 23,000 pilgrims died as a result of sexual sin (1Corinthians 10:8). Every other sin committed is outside of the body except sexual sin (1Corinthians 6:16-18).
b. The desire to be pure and preserved for the Lord.
c. The refusal to fornication despite pressure from peers and opposite sex.
Virginity is a virtue that must be held in high esteem. It is a good virtue that God loves. One of the other qualities the King found in Esther was virginity (Esther 2:15,17).
#3. Mary revered the Lord: It’s easy to pick that from her conversation with Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:38). She humbled herself before the Angel and referred to herself as “the handmaid of the Lord”. She had the Fear of God in Her. I could 'imagine' her saying in Luke 1:38: “you are my master and I trust you will do the best with me. I accept your report for my life; 'be it unto me according to your word'. I’m grateful for showing your favour upon my life”
Joseph the Father of Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25)
Although we could highlight several things about Joseph, let’s just bring it down to three.
#1. He did not push for sex before marriage in his courtship with Mary. Probably he was a virgin too(??).
#2. He was a just man (Matthew 1:19). To be just means to be righteous. Joseph was a righteous man. Remember that he refused to publicly put Mary to shame. He wanted to put the whole matter to an end in a quiet and simple way. How many of us men could put up with a woman that got pregnant before marriage? The law gave him many options: divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1), infamy (John 8:5), etc.
#3. He honoured God (Matthew 1:24-25). The Bible makes us understand that he got up from sleep and did as the angel said. He was determined to obey God no matter what. He didn’t look at men but focused on God to receive strength as the criticism increased and the pregnancy went on for nine months. I see both parents making time to pray very often for grace to face the disgrace and for sustenance of what God was doing in their lives.
Shalom,
Seun Oyeniran.
+447923571314, seunoyeniran@yahoo.co.uk
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P.S.
A strong message for the youths. You can keep yourself pure and undefiled! Probably if God needs another Mary in our time, He could find you. God still searches for virgins to pour His Holy Spirit into. Will you be that Mary? Don’t mind the nonsense being carried about everywhere that virgins usually have sexual problems after marriage or that you must test yourself in sex before marriage so that your marriage could last. It’s all a BIG lie (we shall prove this in later sections). Sex does not make relationship last, it’s good relationship that makes sex last. Virgins usually have marital bliss together with excellent children and families. As a youth, God wants you to keep your virginity. Maybe you could pray and say:
#1. Lord let me find favour in your sight. Just like that of Mary, the favour that will transform my life forever.
#2. Lord help me keep my virginity (if you are a virgin) (Titus 2:11-12). I may not be able to do this on my own. I need the power of thy grace.
#3. Lord let your fear be in my heart always (Proverbs 14:27). The fear that will lead me to worship you and accept your report for my life, even when it is difficult to hold on to your word for sexual purity.
#4. Although I may have come short of this standard, Lord, have mercy on me and make me new again.
#1. Lord let me find favour in your sight. Just like that of Mary, the favour that will transform my life forever.
#2. Lord help me keep my virginity (if you are a virgin) (Titus 2:11-12). I may not be able to do this on my own. I need the power of thy grace.
#3. Lord let your fear be in my heart always (Proverbs 14:27). The fear that will lead me to worship you and accept your report for my life, even when it is difficult to hold on to your word for sexual purity.
#4. Although I may have come short of this standard, Lord, have mercy on me and make me new again.
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