Joseph and Mary, Part Three
Scriptures Luke 2 and Acts 1
Good Morning and Merry Christmas to all of God’s People from the Voices of Hope Evangelistic Team! It’s such a blessing to be able to worship with you today wherever you are! I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and to share His message with the world through today’s technology!
Our series on Couples in the Bible will conclude today with the end of our study on Joseph and Mary. There are other couples in the Bible and I encourage you to continue studying their lives.
We will be reading scriptures today from the New Testament Books of Luke, Chapter 2 and Acts Chapter 1.
Let’s pray:
Father, today I ask You to give us hearts that are willing to agree with Your Word, Your promises, and Your intent for our lives. You have a plan for each of us which will have its challenges, its high points and low points, its joys and sorrows; but Your plans are far and above the best plans for our lives. May our souls be transformed into ones that instantly obey You, that come when You call, that follow Your leading, and that believe Your Word even when we can’t fully comprehend it, for we know that Your Word is Truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Last week’s Message ended at Luke 2:20 with the shepherds visiting Baby Jesus in a manger. Verses 21-40 cover Joseph and Mary bringing Jesus to Jerusalem and presenting Him to the Lord. After that we have twelve blank years in Luke’s narrative before we see Mary, Joseph and Jesus again beginning at verse 41.
Luke 2:41-45: “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and* acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.”
Imagine this… you’ve been given the Son of God to take care of, and then find out that you lost Him! Try explaining that to God. “God, we took our eyes off Him for just one minute. He just vanished!”
They looked everywhere for Jesus, but He was nowhere to be found. They returned to Jerusalem, and three days later they found Jesus in the Temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. At this point, there is no more mention of Joseph.
Luke 2:48-52: “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Now we enter 18 long years of silence until Jesus is 30 years old. Today we might expect a young man to go off on his own, but not in Jesus’ day. It would have been unheard of for a man to leave his family, his business, his home and travel about leaving everything behind. This would certainly confuse Mary and the family. Jesus had no particular place to go, but He left everything behind.
We see Mary following after Jesus on occasions. At the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water into wine after His mother persisted (which shows the influence of His mother).
Mary knew of her Son’s origin and mission. She was aware that He had special abilities and looked to Him for help when the wedding was on the verge of social disaster. Mary didn’t know how her Son would resolve the situation. All she knew was that He would come through; her confidence in Him and His ability allowed her to relax and leave everything in His hands.
Later in His ministry while Jesus was speaking to the multitude, Mary came with her other sons to speak to Him. The people told Jesus that His mother and brothers wanted to see Him. Jesus answered, “Who is My mother and My brothers?” He then pointed to His disciples and said, “Here are My mothers and brothers”- Matthew 12:46. (Was Mary hurt by her Son’s remarks? Would you be?)
Mary also faced the pain of seeing her Son suffering when Jesus was sentenced to death on a cross for being a religious heretic and a political insurrectionist. Condemned by the very religion that had brought Mary so close to her God.
Imagine seeing your child crucified after being brutally flogged to where the skin was falling off His back.
Imagine the hours of watching Him die on the cross wanting to be with Him, but not wanting to experience the pain of being there.
As she watched her first born Son writhing in agony, she had to remember the words of God and His angels that night long ago—and as far as she could see not a word of it came to pass.
Gabriel promised “that Jesus would take the throne of David and reign over Israel forever—His kingdom would have no end.”
Mary is probably asking herself, “Is this Gabriel’s idea of a kingdom that has no end?” What she was looking at now was a far cry from the throne that Gabriel had promised her Son. All she could see was a cross. Surely the thorns embedded in Jesus’ head wasn’t the crown that was promised.
There was her Son with blood streaming down His face, laboring to breathe. She was the only one standing there that day who knew for certain that Jesus was God’s Son. She was a virgin when He was conceived. He could be no one else’s Son but God’s. Now she is probably wondering along with her Son why God has forsaken Him.
Mary experienced all of this pain because she chose to live for the Lord and be obedient to His call on her life.
Here we learn that Mary stuck by her Son. Did she understand that Jesus would have to be crucified, die and rise again? The Gospels are clear; only after the resurrection did people have a clear understanding of Jesus’ mission; not the disciples, not the religious leaders, not the everyday folks, not Jesus’ family, and not Mary. All these people had assumptions about Jesus, and they were all wrong.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, His family does believe. Acts 1:4, 13-14: ”4 And, (Jesus) being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”
The last time we see Mary is the most glorious of all. Following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, those who are soon to be called Christians gather for the very first time—and Mary is among them. She is no longer just His mother; she is His disciple.
Now the promises finally make sense. “Of His kingdom there is no end . . . and He shall reign forever.” She now knows that this is a Spiritual Kingdom that can never be destroyed.
And the “peace among men” is the spiritual peace between man and God that all can enjoy because of the great sacrifice of her and God’s Son, Jesus. Mary can be proud of the way she reared the Son of God whom she was entrusted for 33 years.
Mary the mother of Jesus was right there with the 120 who were in one accord with prayer and supplication. She was no doubt respected and revered as the mother of the Lord but not to the extent of being worshiped. Mary also awaited the coming of the Holy Ghost. Mary was a member of the first church which was a born again, Spirit filled church and they were not ashamed to tell it abroad!
From Mary’s life, we see the simplicity of faith in God. When she didn’t understand, Mary chose to have faith, trust, obedience and commitment instead of unbelief.
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Jesus is the only Savior for all mankind. The work has already been done. If you are not saved, turn to God, repent and respond to His grace. Receive the forgiveness of your sins and enter into a new life and destiny. There’s no better time than now to surrender your life to God and receive Christ as Savior and Lord.
If you’ve known God but walked away from His call on your life to do your own thing or have been wounded and are now angry with Him or feel like you can’t come back to Him because of the depth of your sin, there is healing and restoration.
When we turn back to Jesus in repentance, when we ask for forgiveness, intending to live a godly life again, God’s mercy reaches out to us with a message of love. God is a God of mercy, of redemption, of restoration and of renewal. Just come by faith to the throne of grace to receive it. He is waiting for you with open arms. Repent all over again and get back to fulfilling God’s plan in and through your life. Tomorrow may be too late.
I pray during the coming week that everyone is blessed abundantly beyond their expectations.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.