Title: A Mother Called By God
Text: Luke 1:34-38
Date: May 11, 2025
Introduction: Mary, the Mother of Jesus is one of the most recognized and influential people in the Bible. What do we know about her?
— Mary was from the Tribe of Judah. There are two genealogies (or birth lines) mentioned for her. The one that is mentioned in Luke 3 differs from the one in Matthew 1. The understanding here is Matthew refers to Joseph’s line and Luke refers to Mary’s. Even though they both end with Joseph, keep in mind that the father was the head of the household and the representative of the household. Therefore, Joseph was probably listed at the end of Mary’s line because he was the head of the household. So, Mary was from the Tribe of Judah, which would mean Jesus was from the Tribe of Judah.
— Mary was related to Elizabeth (Luke 1:36). Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist, which made John and Jesus relatives.
— Mary was a virgin, meaning she had not had an intimate relationship with a man (Luke 1:27). She was probably pretty young at the time. Women were married fairly young, so we can make a good guess that Mary may have been in her mid to late teens at the time she became pregnant with Jesus.
— Mary was engaged to Joseph. She was betrothed to him. In ancient Israel, that was as good as being married. Mary was legally bound to Joseph.
— Mary was a normal Jewish young woman. God did not choose to use her because she was divine. God did not chose her because she was more special than others. God choose her because God wanted to choose her. Regardless of what some churches teach, Mary was not divine; she was not a virgin forever, and she was not inherently special. She was special because God choose her; God did not choose her because she was special. History’s most famous mother was called by God to her task just as Mother’s today are called by God to their task.
What does a Mother called by God do?
I. A Mother called by God is
II. A Mother called by God does
III. A Mother called by God never
Larry Gipson
First Baptist Church Oneonta