Blessed Are You Among Women

The past week my wife and I saw a movie called “Whale Rider” about a young girl named Pai, that despite tradition becomes the leader of her tribe. The movie takes place in New Zealand during contemporary times where the Maori people are losing there native traditions and people are moving away including her father. I was impressed with the genuineness of the acting, especially the debut of thegirl played by Keisha Castle-Huges. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, making her -- at 13 years old -- the youngest actress ever to be nominated in this category.

So has does this tie in with this weeks topic for my blog?? I believe the innocence and goodness portrayed by Keisha in the Whale Rider led to her being chosen to play the part of Mary in “The Nativity Story”, a highly recommended portrayal of the events we are going to look at next in our passage of Luke.

Before we look at this passage in detail I think it’s important or clarify my approach to doctrine and scripture. This is especially critical at this point due to the many views on who Mary is and what she means to us. There are many ways that we create truth about spiritual matters that are based on our human values. They are tradition, experience, rationale and dictate.

We can assign truth to traditions that have been practiced for a long time. If over time many people believed something and practiced it, it must be true. As an example the Catholic Church has a long tradition of worshiping Mary and assigning her special spiritual position above others. This tradition includes Mary ascending to heaven and not experiencing physical death like the rest of us.

We might find some that experience a special change in their lives because they saw an image of Mary in a rock formation, tree bark or visiting a cave somewhere. This experience shared with others leads again to creating a special emphasis on Mary as a person to be worshiped and prayed to. This is truth derived from experience.

Mainstream Christianity puts an emphasis on logic and rationale approaches to thinking. The emphasis here is on my human wisdom. What seems right to us? The tendency here is to explain away the miraculous and extraordinary. This group would tend to portray Mary as just a person. Though she might be the mother of Jesus she does deserve any special recognition to the point of not even acknowledging her in the teaching of the church.

There exist many groups who receive their understanding of truth through dictate. These groups are led by strong and charismatic leaders who dictate how their followers are to believe. They may use scripture, but will twist its meaning to their own advantage. Due to the diversity of the leaders in this category there isn’t a singular view of who Mary is. There are some that do not recognize Mary at all, and some that would point to a contemporary female leader in the group as the true mother of God.

I now come to what I hope is the way best way to know the truth about spiritual matters. In this blog we recognize that God is the source of truth and He communicates that truth to us through His Word (The Bible). My prayer and hope is that we can remain faithful to this approach as we explore these passages of scripture and that your lives may be enriched from growing closer to God.

Ps 1:1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

So I am going to ask you to put aside preconceived ideas about Mary and to open your eyes to what God will teach us as we meditate (think about) this passage from Luke 1:26- 38

Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”^[c]
29 But when she saw him,^[d] she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Gabriel who we met earlier is now on another mission from God to deliver a message. The message is to a virgin named Mary. There isn’t any dispute about the meaning of the word virgin here. Since not only is it mentioned several times in the passage, but has direct bearing on Mary question “how can this be, since I do not know a man?”.

Now the key to understanding Mary is how the angel addresses her. First Mary is to rejoice, because she is highly favored, the Lord is with her and she is blessed among women. Mary is receiving undeserved blessing and favor from God. He has chosen her and His choosing has made her blessed among women. This is noteworthy not as a commentary on who Mary is, but on who God is and who he bestows his blessings on.

Mt 5:3- 10 3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Well my plan was to keep this blog brief and to the point so I guess I will have to pick up this discussion next week. In the mean time if you are able to get a hold of the movie “The Nativity Story” that would help in visualizing the events we are looking at in the first couple of chapter of Luke. Please feel free to submit comments and questions, since my hope is to have a dialog that is beneficial to all our understanding of who God is and what he means to us.

How Can I be Sure

Have you ever wondered if what the Bible says can really apply to you? Have you ever had doubts about God's promises? Even someone with a strong faith and a life dedicated to God's service, can be filled with doubt. This can even be more true with someone with low self esteem.

Last week we heard about the wonderful news that the angel shared with Zacharias.

• Zacharias prayers have been heard
• You shall have a son and call him John
• You will have joy and gladness
• Many people will be rejoicing at his birth

Not only that but he will have a mission from God to turn the people back to Him. So lets look at Zacharias' response


8 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Even though Zacharias had been praying and it would appear that he was praying for a son, when he heard the wonderful news, he was filled with doubt. How can this be for me? How is it possible after many years of waiting and now that I am old and my wife is old? As we can see from Zacharias response and Elizabeth comment in verse 25, they were well aware over the years that people looked down on them for not having children. Not like today’s society that celebrates the individual, where who you are is more important than your relationship to God. So after many years of discouragement the Angel pronouncement came as a shock and doubt entered into Zacharias mind. Maybe the angel is confused and expected someone else in the temple burning incense, maybe the angel has trouble realizing that old people can’t have kids. We cannot truly know why the hope that Zacharias had and prayed for turned to doubt when faced with a miracle from God.

Gabriel is a messenger. He conveyed the consequences of Zacharias doubt. You will be mute until the fulfillment of the promise. In a sense Gabriel did Zacharias a favor, by giving him a definite sign and reminder of what is possible with God. I almost get the sense that Gabriel was prepared for Zacharias’ doubt.

Then Zacharias emerges and the crowd (remember many are probably family and friends that came to be with Zacharias during this once in a life time honor of serving in the temple) knows that he has had a vision but not sure what it is. As the angel promised Elizabeth indeed conceived, and to be sure that this dream is real, she stayed hidden for 5 months, until she realized that the Lord had removed all doubts about His love for her.

It might seem hard to believe when confronted by an angel that suddenly appears that Zacharias could have doubts about the fulfillment of the message. But we have the miracle of Jesus resurrection and His Word in the scriptures promising that He will watch over us and not to worry about tomorrow. But we doubt, we are unsure if His miracle extends to us, if we are really as important in God’s eyes as others. Be assured I think this passage demonstrates that even when we doubt, God fulfills His promises.

God Has Heard Your Prayers

Over the past 10 years or so there seems to have been a heightened awareness, obsession and fad on the topic of angels. We have had movies like "Angels in the Outfield" and "City of Angels. Also tv shows like "Touched by an Angel" and "Highway to Heaven". There are angel stickers, stamps, window hangings, candles, cards, etc, etc. There has been this deep interest in looking for angels, worshiping angels, and trying to experience the presence of angels. Much of this pop culture view of angels is far from a biblical basis. In the passage we are going to look at we are going to learn a little bit about just one angel called Gabriel and his message from God.

Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’^[b] and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

As we can see from this passage the angel did not rent an apartment near by, hang out on the beach waiting for the sunrise or show someone alternate futures for their life. He simply appeared. He didn't walk in because the crowds waiting outside would have seen him and Zacharias would not have been afraid. As we noted last time the angel did not want Zacharias to be afraid, but to hear the great news he had to share from God. The angel was God's messenger to proclaim what would happen, not what might happen. The focus is not on the angel and his special powers, instead the focus is on God answering Zacharias prayers and proclaiming what God will accomplish through Zacharias' son, John the Baptist.

Last time we heard that Zacharias and Elizabeth were old, but did not have any children. We will see in a later passage that Elizabeth felt reproach from her neighbors because of this. It would appear that this was a subject of Zacharias' prayers. GOOD NEWS ZACHARIAS!!

What is the good news??

• Zacharias prayers have been heard
• He shall have a son and call him John
• You will have joy and gladness
• Many people will be rejoicing at his birth

Now the angel goes on to say that this will be no ordinary miracle of just granting someones desire to have children. This child will be special.

• He will be great in the sight of the Lord, not to be confused with being great in the sight of men. For the prophets in the Old Testament were not well received or live in very good conditions. So it would be with John who will live in the wilderness and dress in a leather jacket.
• He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. This was extraordinary prior to Jesus death and resurrection when all believers receive the Holy Spirit at the time of their acceptance of Jesus as savior.
• John will turn many of the children of Israel back the Lord their God. Notice the word turn, this is where we get the word repentence. I am heading my way and then I turn and go God's way. John will bring people's attention to the need to turn or return to God.
• He will have the Spirit and power of Elijah. Elijah was one of the most revered of the Old Testament prophets.
• John was to prepare a way for the Lord. Later we will learn he was preparing peoples hearts for Jesus.

Can you imagine not having to wait until your kids turn 30 to know if they will walk with God, be a positive influence in the world, and be an adult that you can be proud of. If you are one of my kids don't read too much into this :-). What a joy even now this must have been to Zacharias. However his response was "How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years". The message is to overwhelming for Zacharias. Maybe this really isn't an angel, how can I be sure of what I am hearing?

Gabriel then proclaims his credentials. "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God". This doesn't sound like the wimpy, unsure, confused, bumbling and goofy angels from the movies. You can be sure of what I say.

We all need to know that God does hear our prayers, he is not a standoffish God who winds up the world and lets it go. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to turn to Him. He has sent messengers to prepare our hearts to receive Him. He provides His Son Jesus as a sacrifice to show His love for us. Won't you accept this great news and give your heart to Him.