Mary The Mother Of Jesus
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Almost everyone has heard of Mary the mother of Jesus. The virgin was only a young woman when the angel of God Gabriel visited, and proclaimed that she would bear a son, whose name would be called Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. The name Jesus means "Yahweh saves". At the time of the engagement to Joseph, Mary was a virgin. So that Joseph would not divorce his fianc, as he was secretly thinking, an angel visited, telling him not to divorce the Virgin Mary, because she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. When the angel first visited, fear came upon the virgin. A woman who is pregnant, never having been with a man would have meant divorce and shunning from society. In the culture of those days, a woman who was divorced was shunned by almost everyone. Women in these circumstances had to beg for their living.
Jesus' mother was afraid when the angel visited, but was submissive to God, and said "Let it be unto thine handmaiden according to your word". At about the same time, a cousin Elizabeth was also with child. Elizabeth was considerably older than Joseph's wife, and was without any children because of barrenness. The angel Gabriel also visited Elizabeth, and proclaimed that the child to be born would be called John. The angel declared that John would prepare the people for the Messiah. This is the child who would come to be known as John the Baptist. John was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the mother's womb. When Elizabeth came to visit Mary, the child jumped within the womb; because of the joy that Jesus would be born. After these events the Virgin Mary begins a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God. During this time she stayed for about three months with her cousin Elizabeth before returning home.
When the time came for the Virgin Mary to give birth, it was the time of the census. Everyone in those days had to journey to the town of their birth to be counted. So the couple set off to the town of Bethlehem, the birth place of Joseph. The Virgin Mary rode on a donkey, and by this time was very large and to the point of giving birth. In fact, there were birth pains upon arrival in Bethlehem, and so a place was needed to birth the child. Since there were so many visitors in town because of the census which was taking place, no one had a room for them. In desperation Joseph asked an innkeeper if there was any place at all where the couple could rest, and the innkeeper gave them the animal stable in the back. This was the place of birth for Jesus. In the mean time, a great star was shining right over the place where the child was born. Wise men from far countries knew of the prophecy of this child, and followed the star to the birthplace. Some scholars have conjectured that Jesus was about two years old before the wise men arrived to worship the Him.
The years of Jesus' boyhood were not written down, but we do know that his earthly father Joseph was a carpenter. We know that Jesus most likely learned the carpentry trade, since most Jewish sons followed in their father's footsteps regarding family businesses. During these years, Mary may have had many inward thoughts about the ministry of her son once He became a man. The family most likely was very popular among those who believed the prophecy that her son would be the promised Messiah. Perhaps they entertained many people, anxious to hear the story of how it all happened, and to hear Mary the mother of Jesus' thoughts on the matter. One thing can be sure; that she cherished the years spent with her son, and was awed by all of the events that had taken place!
When Jesus began ministry, He was thirty years old. His ministry lasted only three years, but they were certainly full ones, filled with healing, teaching and other types of ministries. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, He looked down at His mother, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and asked John to take care of His mother. The words He spoke to indicate this were "Woman, behold thy son. Son, behold thy mother"(John 19:26,27 KJV). After His death, the Lord's mother was joined by Mary Magdalene to prepare the body as was the Jewish custom of the time. They went to the Lord's tomb early the next morning, to find the great stone which had sealed the tomb was rolled away. Mary Magdalene, not Mary the mother of Jesus, saw a man in the garden and supposed him to be the gardener. However when He spoke, she understood it was Jesus and ran to Him. The story does not include any account of where Mary the Mother of Jesus was while this was happening.
Once the Lord ascends back to heaven, we don't hear much about Mary the mother of Jesus anymore. The Bible also does not say anywhere that she also ascended into Heaven, as some faiths believe. Nor is there any reference in the Bible that prayers are to be prayed to her on anyone's behalf. Mary the mother of Jesus was a human being and not divine. However, she was certainly the most blessed of any woman who ever lived, or who ever will live!
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