Mary
She was a young woman who was:
Godly
The angel said: “the Lord is with you” – obviously Mary was a girl who knew and loved God. The Lord would not have chosen her if she had been in rebellion against him.
Are we the same kind of people?
Perplexed
Mary didn’t know what these words meant. How could she be highly favoured of God? Why should an angel (the Archangel Gabriel no less) visit her?
We also may be perplexed in life by many things.
Apprehensive
Mary had questions to ask the Archangel Gabriel. She didn’t see how it could come about that she would be the mother of God’ Son, the Messiah. She wasn’t married and she was still a virgin.
Perhaps we have questions about life and about God which seem to be unanswered.
But Gabriel reminded Mary: “Nothing will be impossible with God”. When God is in the midst of a situation that situation is transformed. And this is true of our situations – who knows what God can do in our lives when we open up to him?
Believing
Mary trusted the words of the the angel. She believed the promises of God – even though what was promised was unprecedented in human history.
Do we trust God – his promises to us? Do we believe in Jesus his Son?
Submissive to God
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38)
Will we say “Yes” to God, as Mary did.
Joseph
He was a young man who was:
Righteous
Like Mary he also loved and feared the Lord. He knew God and sought to live by his laws. We are told that Joseph was a righteous man.
Perplexed
Joseph also was perplexed – not to say shocked. He found out his fiancee was pregnant. He had not slept with her – some other man must have seduced her. She had been unfaithful to him. And yet, it was so out of character for Mary. How could she have done that? His mind was in turmoil – probably more so than the mind of Mary.
Loving
Joseph still loved Mary. As a religious man, a righteous man, he would have to break off the betrothal. But as a loving man he would do it quietly, to avoid scandal and pain to Mary. He still loved her.
Are we capable of having the same kind of loving spirit Joseph had?
Believing
But when it was all explained to him by the Angel of the Lord, in a dream, then Joseph believed God. Although it seemed a far-fetched and even incredible explanation, he believed. Perhaps his knowledge of Mary’s character and his love of her made it easier for him to believe this than that she had been unfaithful to him.
Obedient
Like Mary he did what God said. He took her to be his wife, so that he could become the foster-father of Jesus. Mary was not going to be a single mother, and Jesus would have a human father-figure.
One last thing:
Self-controlled
“He had no marital relations with her until she had born her Son”
Although he was her husband he did not demand his marital rights. So their marriage was not consummated until after the birth of God’s son.
After that time they took up normal marital relations and other children, brothers and sisters to Jesus, were born to Mary and Joseph.
Joseph and Mary’s discipline and control in sexual matters is an example to all followers of Jesus.
If only we could all be the same kind of people Mary and Joseph were: godly, believing, obedient, loving and self-controlled.
