Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Week 4, December 21

LESSON 4

The Handmaid of the Lord

Lesson Text:

Luke 1:26-38

Memory Verse
"And Mary said Behold the handmaid of the Lord,• be it unto me according to thy word And the angel departed from her"
Luke 1:38

Key Terms

Consent • Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.

Handmaid • A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant; a slave or bond-servant.
Mariology • The study of doctrines concerning Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Suggested Emphasis

In Catholic traditions we find a level of esteem for Mary, the mother of Jesus, that seems to exceed biblical support. Most conspicuously, for almost two hundred years, the doctrine of the "Immaculate Conception"—which actually purports that Mary herself was free of sin from the moment of her conception—has been taught in the Roman Catholic Church. As far back as the Fourth Century, Mary was called "the God-Bearer" or "the Mother of God." Mariology, as practiced in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths, will even include prayers offered to her as an intermediary with God. She is sometimes cast as a "queen" of heaven.

Protestant faiths generally hold less exalted views of Mary, emphasizing the image of the humble servant found in the Gospels. Rightly understood, though, Mary is still an important figure for believers to study. In her role as "the handmaid of the Lord," she stands is an illustration of the quintessential servant or follower of Jesus Christ.

Emphasis 1:

A Surprising Recipient of
an Angelic Message

Our lesson text begins with an angelic visitation to a squalid and somewhat despised region of the Holy Land. This northern district known as Galilee, that generally comprised the inheritance of the tribes Naphtali and Zebulun, was loathed by the southern Jews. It had been part of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, defeated by the Assyrian Empire, and overrun by Gentile peoples. But there was prophecy that this disgraced region would one day be held in esteem (Isaiah 9:1), which we understand now to be an allusion to its association with the Messiah. Nazareth was an impoverished and uncelebrated town in Galilee. It was so insignificant that the disciple Nathanael wondered, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

Moreover, the angel visited a very ordinary person by all outward appearances. Mary was probably a teenager, betrothed to an older man through an arranged marriage. She certainly kept herself morally pure, as she confesses to the angel (Luke 1:34). But otherwise she seems quite unremarkable—a simple and unassuming peasant girl. When the angel greeted her—saying, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee"—Mary was disturbed by his salutations. Initially, she was too humble to see herself as "blessed among women." She only "rejoiced in God her Savior," as she later expressed it in the "Magnificat" (her song from Luke 1:46-55).

Emphasis 2:

Mother-to-Be of the Messiah

Gabriel exercised great tenderness in speaking with the young lady. He encouraged her to "fear not," and then explained the favor now being shown to her. "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1:31-33, NLT). Mary believed the herald, but she wondered aloud how such a thing could come about, since she knew no man carnally. So Gabriel gave her a comprehensive explanation. This miracle would be performed by the life-giving power of the Spirit of God. The Holy Ghost would come upon her, not in a normal generative process, but as an instance of Divine fiat. It wasn't merely a fetus that was in her womb; "that Holy One (hagios in the Greek) who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35, NKJV). Moreover, as a word of confirmation, the angel informed Mary of how her cousin Elizabeth was with child. Elizabeth's miraculous deliverance from infertility was a sign that God traffics in extraordinary and supernatural demonstrations. "For with God nothing shall be impossible," Gabriel assured the young woman.

Emphasis 3:

The Humble and Faithful Servant

Mary then submitted fully and unconditionally to the will of the Lord. "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38). The consent represented in those words meant she was preparing for the sacrifice and suffering that lay ahead. This pregnancy would expose her to ridicule, to ostracism, and potentially to punishment. By strict adherence to the Law, an unmarried woman found in her conditioned could have been stoned. A "yes" to God's plan risked the disdain of her community and the estrangement of her fiancé. Nevertheless, Mary immediately consented. In professing to be a "handmaid," she described herself as a "slave." This meant she would assert no autonomy or self-will in the matter. She embraced what the angel told her because she had total faith in the wise beneficence of God.

Mary models the attitude of the successful servant of God. To aspire to her example of trust and obedience means to consecrate ourselves entirely to the service of our Heavenly Father. We must be thankful in all things, because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. We must remember that, regardless of what challenges we face, all things work together for good to them that love God. We must consent to risk anything to fulfill the purpose God has given us.

Missions Application Questions

Why might it be surprising that the angel was sent to a young woman like Mary?
How does Mary's character and behavior in the scriptures contradict the image of a "queen of heaven" propagated in the Catholic Church?
What might it look like if Saints today replicate this level of trust and obedience?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us thank God for an appropriate understanding of Mary's role in the Christian faith.
Let us pray for the grace to conform to Mary's example of trust and obedience.
Let us pray to continue to appreciate how God uses ordinary people.

Mims Chapel Church