It was the dream of every young woman in Israel that they would be chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. But Mary was barely a teenager and her wedding date was still years in the future. She had been promised to an older, stable man, a carpenter named Joseph who she had only met a few times. It would be a good marriage. Her parents had chosen her husband carefully.
Suddenly there was a man in front of her. This was no ordinary man; there was something different about him. When he spoke, the first words he said were not to be afraid. He told her he was Gabriel, the archangel who had a special message for her. He then told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.
There were a number of reasons why she was fearful. First, there was a man who claimed to be an angel with a message from God standing before her. Second, the angel told her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. She did not know how this could be; after all she was not yet married and had never had sexual relations with any man. When she dreamed of becoming the mother of the Messiah it would be through the normal relationships of husband and wife. What would her family think? They would be ashamed that their daughter was pregnant before she was married. What would Joseph think? Would he make a public spectacle of her as the law demanded? The angel assured her that it was true; the seed in her was planted there by the Holy Spirit. The angel’s words calmed her spirit and she responded in a positive, submissive manner.
Why was Mary chosen? There were thousands of young virgins in Israel at that time so why was Mary chosen over all the others? I do not believe that it was by chance that God choose her that day. I do not believe it was because she would be divine as many believe about her today. She was just an ordinary peasant girl but as God had told Samuel many years before, “Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart.”
Mary was chosen because she had an obedient submissive heart. She loved her God unconditionally. She would be faithful to her husband. She would teach her children the things of God. She would love that baby, nurture that baby, and help that baby grow in body, soul and spirit. She was chosen because she was willing to be used of God.
What would Mary think of the place that many people put her in today? I am sure that she would be shocked and upset that they would place her equal with or greater than her son. He was the Saviour. She needed a Saviour just as you and I need a Saviour. She should be honoured but never worshipped. She should be loved but not prayed to as an intercessor. She was nothing more than a humble peasant girl who was willing to be used by God.
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