Mary & Joseph; Nazareth c.7BC

Just before the current era, we meet a remarkable woman, or lass, in ancient Nazareth.

The above view is of modern Nazareth from the north of the city. The ancient settlement we meet at the start of Luke's Jesus account was not comparable. Ancient Nazareth does get mentions in the New Testament (NT). I read that artefacts have been found from the first century. (The absence of other documented mentions outside the NT did at one time lead some experts to discount the existence of Nazareth. Ironically, Sepphoris, the nearby important Hellenistic city, powerful prior to AD6, is not mentioned in the NT.

Nazareth in Galilee was the place where Jesus might otherwise have been born. It was the place where he was conceived and apparently ultimately raised for most of his childhood, his hometown.

Nazareth was not highly rated in the south; in Judaea (Judea). Whilst it was no doubt far to be preferred to Samaria, we have a dismissive comment from later in the account of Jesus. Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:46, NRSV). Philip was talking about Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazareth carpenter then become itinerant teacher and healer. Nathanael did overcome his geographical prejudice.

Luke alone makes it really clear that the "Jesus Event" began in Nazareth, not in the more prestigious south (Judaea). Luke's research provided unique information then, as it does now. In chapter 1 he records the moment Mary found out what God intended.  (She had an elderly married relative, Elizabeth, who lived in Judaea and had become unexpectedly pregnant.) In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. (26-29, NLT).

Mary is titled a virgin. The word may reflect a very young woman; she is clearly inexperienced in sexual relations. However, she was "engaged to be married". Their engagement (betrothal) may well have been arranged, which would hint to both lots of families being represented. The term refers to a binding agreement precursor to their marriage union, an agreement which could only be broken by divorce. The same word is used by Matthew (1:18) and used again by Luke (2:5) as the betrothed couple journey to Bethlehem.

God's message of assurance to Mary had come as a disturbing surprise to her. How and when did she identify the speaker? How could she "get her head around" this scary stuff? Where was she at that moment?  Favoured woman? God with her? No conventional greeting there! Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”(29-33, NIV). Mary was no doubt hoping to become pregnant after she and Joseph became "one flesh". But what was this angel talking about? It would be natural to be fearful and probably insecure. This was no everyday event! The Christ had long been looked for. Possibly there was an expectation of a baby Christ (Isaiah 7). Was there expected to be a eternal significance in Christ's coming? Likely some thought about it. Once more the messenger said God had favoured Mary - she had not earned a right to be the mother of the Christ.  Why was she chosen....?

Moreover, how could such a thing even be? Evidently Mary, whatever her age, knew enough about the "birds and the bees". Female and male were needed for a life to begin. And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” (34-37, ESV). A visit with relative Elizabeth may be reassuring, even though in that case the intervention was far from the same.

Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her (Luke 1:38, CEV). Modern knowledge of human reproduction is extensive. Consider the moment of the penetration of the egg, and the development of the fertilised egg into the embryo. Such a concept was unknown to Mary and could not have been explained to her. However, she grasped that God's power would do the impossible. Mary accepted that no human father was needed for her baby. The word she applies to herself ("servant") covers the lowest human status - owned property. She counts herself completely at God's disposal. She wants God's will to be done in her life.

 

Mary was surely glad to have the understanding of another pregnant woman, even if their situations were so different. In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!” (39-45, CSB). This must be a compressed account of their conversation. Elizabeth recognises that God's generosity was shown to Mary in her being chosen. Mary trusted God, took God at God's word, and was blessed by God.

 

How did Mary respond to all this? What came to the forefront of her thoughts?

And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46-55, NRSV)

Mary's heart overflowed, as we say. God had no regard for human status - Mary considered she had no status to attract the goodness of God. (Humble though she was, Luke made sure that her role would not be forgotten!) Mary recognises how God measures us. She also sees that God has acted according to the ancient promises, for God can always be relied on. God's mercies are sure. God favours the lowly, not the proud and powerful. Mary knew that her pregnancy was God in action for her people.

Speculation: I wonder if Joseph, Mary's betrothed, had long-term connection in the small community that was Nazareth? No way to know. Did he find work in Sepphoris, which was only about 6 km north west? For some more detail of that decent man we have to turn to Matthew.

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name him Immanuel,

which is translated “God is with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25, CSB).

 

Joseph faced personal challenges. He knew he was not the father. How did he cope with it all?  The summary is that he did as he was commanded to do, even when that meant going against his instinct and beliefs. How did he identify the messenger? (Same as Mary's issue.) Did he live with criticism from other men?

 

Speculation: I wonder what "it was discovered" meant for Mary in Nazareth? Tongues wagging? Did Mary experience morning sickness and animosity in her small community?  I don't suppose Mary was "showing" when she returned from her visit to Judaea. Had Mary disclosed her story to anyone in her village? Did Mary have opportunity to tell her incredible story to Joseph? Then the Empire "came knocking", as it were. Did that thwart Joseph and Mary completing their vows and setting up home in Nazareth?

 

There were more implications for Mary in this. We read of that in the following chapter of Luke. The theme of God's mercy and humble human thankfulness was not exhausted at the end of Luke, chapter 1!

 

(We meet some other Nazareth folk later in the story of Jesus.)

 

Re chronology: See previous post - https://www.jesussaviour4unme.com/2018/12/when.html

Re Mary: Previous post https://www.jesussaviour4unme.com/2016/12/mary_43.html 

 

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