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MARY OF NAZARETH
-THE MOST PRIVILEGED WOMAN OF ALL TIME-

Mary of Nazareth, of Northern Galilee was a humble peasant woman of royal lineage from a small town near the Roman Soldier barracks. She was born into the tribe of Judah, in King David's family.

Mary's genealogy is recorded in Luke and her husband Joseph has his genealogy recorded in Matthew. Legal rights for the throne come from both Joseph and Mary, but because the line of Solomon's descendants were cursed by God at the time of Judah's exile to Babylon, Mary's relationship to royalty is through King Solomon's brother, Prince Nathan, both of whom were King David's sons.

Mary of Nazareth was a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph, whose trade was a carpenter, a worker of wood. In a Jewish betrothal period there were no sexual relations, but it was a more binding relationship than an engagement. A betrothal can only be ended in a divorce. Mary, being betrothed was called 'a wife' even though the wedding had not yet taken place. During a betrothal the partners lived separately.

It was during the period of Mary's betrothal to Joseph that Gabriel the angel, as a messenger for God visited Mary. Even though she was greatly troubled the Angel Gabriel reassured her, but told her that she would give birth to the Messiah, The Son of the Most High God.

Mary was in no way sceptical about the visitation from Gabriel the Angel. She believed the Angel's message and inquired how her pregnancy would come about since she was a virgin. Gabriel answered that The Holy Spirit's power would overshadow her. This shows the clarity of Mary's virginal conception was the work of The Holy Spirit.

Mary's faith was extraordinary, she put the Will of God before her own reputation, knowing her situation would be questioned by all. From conception in the womb of Mary, Jesus was fully God and fully man, and could rightly be called the son of David because of His earthly parents.

Innocent blood covers sin. Christ could not partake of mankind's blood. Even though He was born of a woman, He did not have one drop of her blood in His body. From the time of conception to the time of the birth of an infant, not one drop of blood ever passes from the mother to the embryo.

All blood which is in any child is produced within the child itself. The mother contributes no blood at all, Jesus had a body prepared for Him but took no part of Adam's blood. His blood was innocent blood to atone for the sins of mankind, including His own mother's sins.

The child she was to bare would act as mediator between God and mankind until the day it is finished when The Father and The Son as One will rule Their Kingdom which will never end.

Mary was willing to allow God's will to be done. She herself also needed a saviour, and knew she was not divine, but a willing servant of God. Upon the news of the Angel, she visited her relative Elizabeth, who also was pregnant by the Will of God, in the Southern hill country of Judea.

Mary sang a hymn of praise to God, Elizabeth recognised by The Holy Spirit that Mary was pregnant with The Christ, the Second Person of The Godhead. God Himself was the object of Mary's worship and in His redeeming action of what He was to accomplish for others. Young Mary stayed with her relative for a few months then returned to Galilee.

Joseph had decided to divorce Mary from the betrothal because of her pregnancy but was told by an angel in a dream to marry Mary because she would be giving birth to The Messiah. He was told that what was conceived in Mary's womb was from The Holy Spirit of God. This he did faithfully and did not have intimate relations with Mary his legal wife until after she gave birth to Jesus.

Mary gave birth to Jesus after a trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem in Judea for Caesar Agustus had called a census in approximately 6-4 years B.C. Everyone had to go to their family home to register. Women from the age of 12 years as will as men had to pay tax, so both Mary and her husband Joseph were forced to travel south. This meant Mary had to travel from Galilee to Judea at the time she was ready to give birth.

On arriving at Bethlehem, she gave birth to her firstborn child, she wrapped the new born infant in strips of cloth and placed Jesus in an animal's feeding trough. When shepherds arrived to see the new born Christ that a host of angels told them about, Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Every woman is Israel had hoped to be the mother of The Messiah. After the birth in Bethlehem Mary was reassured of God's promise, Simeon and Anna the prophetess confirmed through The Holy Spirit that her baby was The Messiah, Son of God.

Following the birth of a son, Mary was obedient to the Law of Moses. She had to wait forty days before going to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer a purification sacrifice. The firstborn of each family were dedicated to the Lord.

Simeon, a godly man who, when at The Temple, was shown by The Holy Spirit that the child Mary had in her arms was The Christ, also prophesied over Jesus and over Mary, that she as well as Jesus would suffer deep anguish.

Mary and Joseph endured a forced exile to Egypt for her son's safety from King Herod. All boys two years old and under living in Bethlehem and the surrounding area were killed by King Herod's orders as he feared of a rival king.

Throughout her life Mary bore Joseph four sons and several daughters. Jesus was her first born, followed by sisters and brothers, fathered by Joseph. The names of Jesus' brothers being James, Joseph, Judas and Simon.

She had been very sincere and faithful in her worship to God of her forefathers who created all, for Him to allow her to be the maiden to bear His only Son. With Joseph, she made a home of trust, love and understanding as Jesus grew in stature and wisdom.

God was with Mary and her family throughout her life. Obedience would have been in her character to train all her children. It was customary for the women to read the Holy Scriptures to their children, this Mary would have done like other mothers. Mary as a person, had a good knowledge of Old Testament Scripture.

Mary was uniquely gifted to share Jesus' earthly life.

Mary was selected by divine wisdom which was opposite to the world's system and not what Satan had expected, living in a remote and poor viilage family among ordinary people.

Mary was chosen by the foreknowledge of God, it was prophesied that it be so, born of a virgin maid. Mary exhibited true and genuine submission with the right spiritual attitude towards God and her fellowman.

Mary was aware that Jesus knew that God was His only Father at twelve years of age, but His parents taught Him to live by The Laws of Moses and He be subject to her, His mother as well as His legal father Joseph.

Mary knew God had prepared Him for ministry for thirty years. After His baptism in the Jordan River, Mary failed to see her youth had become a man and at the Wedding in Cana sought Him to solve the crisis. Now Mary must be subject to Him, her only Lord, her only Saviour.

She was of a quiet meditative spirit and had admirable self-control, and a gift of holy silence. She never claimed perfection of herself, nor did Jesus demand it for her, she was born like all others in sin and in need of a saviour. This statement she admitted herself. Her qualities of pure tenderness and faithfulness, humble and loving is what she should be honoured and acknowledged for.

Mary never claimed anything for herself even though she was of noble birth, she would be most unwilling to be the object of worship above the firstborn of God. She mothered Jesus wisely for thirty years, from childhood to manhood. While Mary would not have neglected her other children she knew He was no ordinary man.

She suffered persecution as her son suffered persecution. She had witnessed Kings of the Orient pay homage to her son, and receive expensive gifts at His birth, but not from her own race of people. The magi from the east recognised that the baby Mary had born was the King of the Jews. At the time Mary and her family were living in a house in Bethlehem, some months later than the night of His birth. Jesus was a growing child, perhaps around the age of two. In Scripture, every time Jesus and His mother Mary are mentioned, Jesus in mentioned first.

During Jesus' ministry, Mary was worried about her son and sought to speak with Him, but received a rebuke to remind her of His mission, as He did to others for the same reason.

Mary's life was painful for three and half years as she saw her Son being continually rejected by His fellow Jews, but she continued to be God's willing servant. Mary's anguish came when she stood beneath the Cross and witnessed the agony of Jesus' death.

Jesus recognised His duty as a firstborn son before He gave up His spirit, placed her into the hands of His cousin John, for Mary was now a widow and her other sons did not become fully faithful disciples until after Jesus' resurrection. His brothers were prominent with in the early Church, James became the first Bishop of the Christian Church which was based in Jerusalem, and is the author of the New Testament book that bears his name, as does his brother's book called Jude.

Mary was the only human to witness both the Birth of Christ and the Death of her Saviour. Mary saw Jesus ascend to heaven after His resurrection. She was one who received the Holy Spirit along with the other disciples on Pentecost Day.

Tradition records John built a house for Mary near his local ministry in Ephesus, and she lived there until she died.

The worship of Mary within the Roman Catholic Church is foreign to all Scripture.

Mary of Nazareth is better known than any other female characters in The Bible. She herself was a Jewess, no divinity should surround her and sadly she is worshipped and prayed to by some, which is against God's Word. Nor should she be worshipped as the pagan goddess, 'Queen of Heaven', which God Himself abhorrs in His Word. Along with this pagan title Mary has been given unbiblical intercessory roles, such a superhuman portrait of Mary of Nazareth is totally without scriptural foundation.

Although she gave birth to Jesus, a fleshly body was prepared for Him, separate from human genes, for He had to be born perfect to atone for the sins of the human race. He has always existed and is the Second Person of The Godhead, Mary was not the Mother of God. God was not born, He self-exists, He never had a beginning. She shines as a surrogate mother of Jesus, and provided with Joseph a home for Jesus for thirty years. She was a faithful wife, responsible mother and humble disciple of her Messiah and her Saviour.

During the first four centuries after Mary's death there is no evidence of prayers being to said to the deceased Mary. It was 1858 years after the birth of Christ that Mary was proclaimed to be divine. This is wishful thinking on behalf of many heretics wanting to exalt Mary to be a perpetual virgin, declaring Jesus' brothers and sisters who are recorded in scripture, were not her children but all cousins of Jesus or Joseph's children by a prior marriage. These are the lengths mankind will go to for their own gain.

As recent as 1950 the Roman Catholic Church declared that Mary's body did not decompose but ascended and reunited to her soul after she died. Roman Catholicism has crowned Mary 'Queen of Heaven', a title that God Himself has called idolatry. She is now falsely called Co-creator and Co-redemptrix of the human race. None of this has any support in The Word of God.

A woman said to Jesus, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you". He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear The Word of God and obey it ".

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