Mary
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua
“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.””
The virgin birth of Jesus is featured prominently in the Christmas story. The Saviour’s birth is unique and extraordinary. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God in the womb of a young Jewish virgin girl named Mary. Mary was about fifteen years old at that time.
Christians hold Mary in high esteem because God chose her to be the earthly mother of His Son. She is a woman of faith and courage. To be unmarried and yet give her consent to be used by God in the way she did underscores her devotion to God. By today’s standard, it is shameful to be unwed and pregnant. In the culture of that time, it is nothing less than a scandal.
I love Mary just as I love many heroic biblical characters. I also love the name, Mary. It sounds nice.
Several Women Named Mary
Mary was a common name during Jesus’ time. Read the Gospels and you would encounter several women by the name of Mary. Besides Mary, the mother of Jesus, there is Mary Madelene, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. Then, there are Mary, the mother of the apostles, James and John, and Mary, the mother of John Mark. You would also remember Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. There is another Mary, whom many people miss out. She is known as Mary, the wife of Clopas. She is also the sister of Jesus’ mother, making her Jesus’ aunt (John 19:25).
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The name, Mary, means bitterness and suffering.
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Mary was a common name because it was popular with the Jewish people. However, it does not have a good meaning. The name, Mary, means bitterness and suffering.
Parents normally choose nice-sounding and meaningful names for their children. Why call them “bitterness”? So, for the longest time, I cannot figure out why any Jewish parents would name their daughters Mary until when I read a portion of a Christian novel a few days ago.
The Reason for the Name Mary
The Jews around Jesus’ time were living under the tyranny of Rome. Life was hard. Revolts and uprisings were quite common. But their guerrilla tactics were easily put down by the formidable Roman military forces.
The people dreamed of the day when God would send them the Saviour, known in Hebrew as the Messiah. Their hope and dreams were not without context. The Old Testament Scriptures contain many prophetic promises of Messianic deliverance.
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So, naming their daughters Mary is an expression of their frustration and hope.
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The Jews prayed fervently in anticipation of the coming of their Messiah. Many of them named their daughters Mary as a prayer lament, besieging God to act quickly. “Look at the suffering your chosen nation, Israel” they cried out bitterly. So, naming their daughters Mary is an expression of their frustration and hope.
So deep was the anguish of the virgin Mary’s parents that they gave two of their daughters the same name. Mary’s sister, the wife of Clopas, is also named Mary (John 19:25). This is an obscure fact, but it speaks volumes.
Perhaps, this was how the name got started. Mary in Hebrew is Mariam. This is the name of Moses’ sister. During that time, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. They constantly cried out to the LORD for deliverance from their bitter bondage. Is that the reason for the name Miriam?
Devout Parents & Devout Daughters
Apparently, these Jewish parents who named their daughters Mary were devout worshippers of the LORD, and they brought up their children in the fear of God. It is an inference, my inference.
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Despite the bizarre nature of the news and the inevitable scandal it would create for her, her fiancé Joseph, and her family, Mary willingly accepted the will of God.
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Consider Mary’s response to the angel, Gabriel. When Gabriel announced to Mary that God had chosen her to be a vessel for the Messiah’s incarnation, her response was priceless. Despite the bizarre nature of the news and the inevitable scandal it would create for her, her fiancé Joseph, and her family, Mary willingly accepted the will of God.
Mary said,”Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Imagine these words coming from a teenage girl.
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Mary of Bethany is a picture of self-abandonment and wholehearted devotion to Christ.
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Another devoted female disciple of Jesus is Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She is famous in the Gospel for putting aside everything to sit at the feet of Jesus to listen to His teaching. John identified her as the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume and wiped them with her hair (John 11:2; Matthew 26:6-13). Mary of Bethany is a picture of self-abandonment and wholehearted devotion to Christ.
Also, consider the disciples present at Jesus’ crucifixion. Only His most faithful and courageous followers were there with Him. Apart from John, there were three women. All of them are named Mary – Mary, His mother, Mary, His aunt (His mother’s sister), and Mary Magdalene (John 19:25).
Three women were the first people to learn of Jesus’ resurrection. Two of them are named Mary – Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and John.
Are all these coincidences?
God Hears the Cries of His People
That God would choose a Mary to birth forth His Son, three Mary’s to abide with Jesus at the Cross, and two Mary’s to be the first to learn of Jesus’ resurrection are powerful testimonies of God’s faithfulness. God hears the cries of His people and He has compassion on them.
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca (meaning tears and weeping) they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion” (Psalm 84:5-7).
“Indeed, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
May we be like these women whose names are Mary! Have a Mary Christmas!