The Birth of Jesus
2. Why did Mary go"with haste"to visit Elizabeth?
At that time I believe that Mary had just been engaged but not married to Joseph yet. The time frame was really close to the appearance of the angel to Mary and Joseph. Mary was already pregnant at the time. Probably Mary went to see Elizabeth to talk about her situation. But in a deeper sense the meeting with Elizabeth was to encourage Mary's faith, she was given the sign that her kinswoman, Elizabeth, was also the object of God's grace in the gift of a miraculously conceived son (Layman 28).
3. What is Mary asking for with her question in Luke 1:34?
Mary's complete question was: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"Her question implies two things. The first a simple how, she is asking how could she have had a child when she knows no man before.
The second implication of her question was deeper and contains more complication.
The announcement made to her could well have had frightful social consequences. In Jewish custom of that day, an engagement was as binding as a marriage. To be God's servant, Mary had to expose herself to Josephs misunderstanding, to the possible loss of her reputation and the curse of being a sinful woman and to possible death by stoning (Balmer, 29).
If she is marrying Joseph, wouldn't having a child sometime in the future be a very normal expectation?
The problem was that the angel said that she would have a child, and at that time she was not married to Joseph yet. This would lead to misunderstandings by the society that she was unfaithful. What happened to her is something that cannot be explained in human understanding. And no one would believe her.
Mary however surrendered to God. In Luke 1:38 she said "I am the Lord's servant". This statement was a full surrender to God's will even though there can be many misunderstandings and even possible persecution.
The women in Matthew's genealogy were: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth.
Each of these women either had kept the covenant or had entered into the covenant by an act of faith. Their names remind us also that the covenant is a covenant of grace. They're not moral saints but forgiven sinners (Balmer 171).
Furthermore the angel made obvious reverence to the gracious act of the gift of a son to Sarah; this was not only to encourage Mary's faith but to indicate that her child was to be the final fulfillment of the promise God made to Abraham, that by him "all the families of the earth will be blessed"(Gen 12:3).
While being captive, she realized that she has not acknowledged the Sabbath days. She started questioning herself, her faith and “how careless” she had been because she thought she was losing sight of him (74). She had been careless because she did not realize how many days have passed since she was captured. However, God never left her. Additionally, during her journey, she encountered a woman, Ann Joslin, which she was also held in captivity. She mentioned to Mary that she wanted to run and escape, but she did not have the courage to do it. Luckily, Mary had her bible and decided to read together. Although, Joslin could not take it anymore and begged the Indians to “let her go home” (77). The Indians stripped Joslin naked and knocked her on the head causing her to die. It all happened at once that Mary’s body was weak, so she decided to open up a bible and reflect. Instead of weeping about everything that has happened, she wept “over the scripture” (78) because she knows that everything “shall be rewarded” in the end causing her spirit to be uplifted (78). Even though she did not have the strength physically, mentally, and emotionally, she knew that He was forgiving God and He would accept her for who she
... had not been for that, Mary would have been very complacent to join her husband in the afterlife (Dahl 382). This is why Mary and Nora were right for their actions.
how the lord used her for sex and as a trophy. This is shown when she
Weaver, Dorothy Jean. “‘Wherever This Good News Is Proclaimed’: Women and God in the Gospel of Matthew.” Interpretation Vol.64 No.3 (2010): 390-401. Atla Religion Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Mary watched as they crucified and tortured her son. This isn’t how she imagined her son being treated. She nutured , fed , and educated this young man. The soliders took advantage of Jesus and humiliated him. Mary’s feelings as they did this to her son weren’t clearly revealed.
In 1553, Mary I became the Queen of England. Mary married King Philip of Spain in order to secure Catholicism in England. Elizabeth unwillingly became the leader of Mary’s opposition, the British Protestants of the time. She attempted to force her younger sister, Elizabeth, into attending Catholic mass in order to set an example for her followers. Elizabeth was raised Protestant and didn’t want to convert, so she avoided mass by complaining of stomach aches. A man named Thomas Wyatt sent a letter informing Elizabeth that he was planning a rebellion in order to prevent the marriage between the two royals.
Mary's life is controlled by a man, a womanizer, a cheater. Because of the guy who abandoned her, she gives up everything. "she had given up everything but her work, and that there had been in her history some reason.", this is how the narrator has told us, everything but work. Her work is inescapable because she still needs to live. She
Imagine being one of the earliest iconographers. With scripture as a guide and inspired by the Holy Spirit, they had to figure out how to portray such a great mystery in a manner that would render the meaning accessible to all. As we read in the gospel of Luke, it’s the moment when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that, with her consent, she would conceive a child without seed. And not just any child, but rather the uncreated and eternal God.
“The virgin will be with child and she will give birth to a son” - Matthew 1:23
...en she goes home to her family and friends, her attitude toward Indians in general changes greatly. At first, living with Indians is the most appalling thought that she could ever have. Over time, she realizes that she must somewhat befriend them in order to survive adequately. In the end, she even appreciates the Indians, and the experiences she has had with them. Her captivity also brings her closer to God, because during every hardship, she turns to her faith to help her through it. Her time with the Indians also gave her the affliction that she had always hoped for. Mary lived in prosperity before, and had too many comforts of the world around her. The journeys with the Indians give her a kind of reality check, because she sees that not everyone lives in prosperity as she did. The biggest lesson that she learns is to “look beyond present and smaller troubles, and be quieted under them, as Moses said, Exodus.xiv.13, Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”
Elizabeth did support Mary during the takeover. But many people remained suspicious of Elizabeth. Many wanted to restore the county back to the Catholic faith. While Elizabeth went along with the religious change, she did remain a can...
After her baptism she had twins. Even with her health decreasing she had the children without problem. She was very happy with her family and later had more children. Her husband soon joined the church and they became a strong family.
Mary Magdalene was a woman who was a mystery to many people for centuries. She was mentioned only a handful of times in the New Testament. Even though she was only mentioned a few times she carried a lot of character. To this day there is not an extended amount of information to help support people’s thoughts and ideas about this woman.
Mary knew she had to get rid of the murder weapon and so offered the
" To be born or not to be born," The begining is the best place to start, so let's start at the beginning point of the life of Jesus. If we are not sure of where Jesus was actually born, how do we know he was born at all? Should one actually rethink the bible, rather than basing an opinion solely on church hearsay and the mid rash of scripture. Or should we actually see for ourselves, by gathering the evidence ourselves, regardless of how painful the answers may be, whether to the affirmative or to the negative. I would say the objective way to go about it, would be to see for ourselves. The following post, whether you think it righ or wrong, is based on actual well accepted historic facts based on archeological evidence or lack of evidence.