The Women Jesus Loved

The Woman Who Didn't Live According to Her Name

Mary was a common name among the Jews. It is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam. Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron. Miriam in Hebrew means, “obstinate (stubborn), rebellious.” The mother of our Lord was anything but these things!

•  Four Areas Where Mary Did Not Prove Obstinate

•  Mary Trusted in the Promises of God

•  Who is more likely to believe the promises of God; a priest who has for many years served God, or a teenager?!
a. God's angel spoke to the priest Zechariah promising him that he and his wife were going to
have a child.
1) ( Lk. 1:13 ), “…your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a
son, and you shall give him the name John.”
2) But the priest of God was skeptical about God's promise. ( Lk. 1:18 ), “How shall I
know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
3) How many times had this priest of God recounted the story of Abram & Sarai?
Where God had promised them a child in their old age? Yet he did not believe!
b. Later, the same angel spoke to the teenager, Mary. ( Lk. 1:31 ), “Behold, you will conceive in
your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”
1) No years of studying God's word. No time given to serving God in the temple.
Young in years, but she trusted in God's promise.
2) ( Lk. 1:38 ), “And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; be it done to me
according to your word.”
c. A number of myths have arisen re: Mary. One is that to be the mother of Jesus she had to be
sinless (“immaculate conception”!).
1) When Mary went to see Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth after the angelic visit, she said,
“My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior ,” ( Lk. 1:46 ).
– Only sinners need a Savior!
d. The women Jesus loves are those who are willing to trust in God's promises no matter how
impossible they seem!

•  Mary Trusted in the Provision of God

1. God provided encouragement for Mary and her husband (which they would need for the future).
a. On the night of our Lord's birth, angels appeared to shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem
1) ( Lk. 2:10-11 ), “Do not be afraid, for behold, a bring you good news of great joy,
which shall be for all the world. For today in the City of David there has been born
for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
2) ( Lk. 2:17-19 ), “When they saw the baby, they made known the statement which had
been told them about this Child. All who heard it wondered at the things which were
told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them
in her heart.”
b. 40 days later, Mary and her husband brought Jesus up to the temple to be presented before
the Lord.
1) ( Lk. 2:25-33 ), “Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and
this man was righteous and devout … and it had been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ … and he
took Him into his arms and said, ‘Now Lord let Your servant depart in peace, for my
eyes have seen Your salvation….' And His father and His mother were amazed at
the things which were being said about Him.”
c. Having provided them with these words of encouragement, Mary & her husband were
strengthened to accept what was going to happen shortly thereafter.
1) ( Matt. 2:13 ), “An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, ‘Arise, take the Child and
His mother, and flee to Egypt & remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to
search for the Child to destroy Him.”
2) Fleeing and then living in a strange land. They are surrounded by strangers and have
no family or friends with them. All they have to live on is what the Magi provided.
And yet God had given them words of encouragement (shepherds, Simeon) to sustain
them during this difficult time!
3) Do we trust that God will provide for us, even in the midst of dark times??!
d. The women Jesus loves – are those who are sustained by all the words that God provides!

•  Mary Trusted in the Power of God

•  Having accepted God's Promises & His Provision, we see that Mary also trusted in His power.
a. ( Jn. 2:1-4 ), “…there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
and Jesus was also invited, and His disciples, to the wedding. And when the wine gave out,
the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what
do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.'”
1) While “woman” sounds disrespectful to us, such was not the case.
2) What we see occurring is a transition from “son of Mary” to “Son of God”!
3) Nor did Mary seem slighted by His remark. Rather, she is confident in Jesus power,
“His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it,'” ( v. 5 ).

b. A later occurrence shows the continuing evolution from the loosening ties of a physical
family to the strengthening of those for a spiritual family.
1) ( Mk. 3:20-21 ), “And He came home, and the multitude gathered again, to such an
extent that they [His disciples] could not even eat a meal. And when His own people
heard, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, ‘He has lost His
senses.'” – There is an interlude where He responds to the religious leaders who
accuse Him of being demon-possessed.
2) ( Mk. 3:31-35 ), “And His mother and brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent
word to Him, and called Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him, and they
said to Him, ‘Behold, your mother and Your brothers are looking for you.' And
answering them He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?' And looking about
at those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Behold, My mother and My
brothers! For everyone who does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and
mother.'”
3) What an encouraging thought. Separated by 2,000 years, yet if we are willing to
trust in the power of God working in our lives we can enjoy a familial relationship
with the very Son of God!
c. The women Jesus loves believe in a power which binds them to Him more closely than any
earthly power.
1) Indeed, Jesus clearly teaches that if our relationship with Him is not our priority, we
are in trouble!
2) ( Matt. 10:37 ), “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me;
and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

•  Mary Trusted in the Plan of God

1. Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to trust that God has a plan even when our life
doesn't make sense!
a. I don't know what Mary understood about Jesus life. But I doubt she ever expected it to end
as it did.
1) At His arrest, trials, and scourging, Mary could have stopped the whole thing saying,
“He is just a man! His father was Joseph (or a Roman soldier as some teach)!”
2) Yet to have done so, while at least stopping the torture, would have been a lie!
3) Mary remained silent, enduring what she saw, believing God's plan was unfolding.
b. ( Jn. 19:25-27 ), “There were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His
mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman,
behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!' And from that hour
the disciple took her into his own household.”
1) The final severing of all familial ties takes place at the cross.
2) Yet Mary accepts that this too is part of God's plan and turns to go with the apostle
(who is John).

2. The last time we read of Mary she has joined with us as a disciple of Jesus, waiting for the rest
of His plan.
a. ( Acts 1:14 ), “These all [the 11 apostles] with one mind were continually devoting themselves
to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
1) Earlier we read of His brothers unbelief, ( Jn. 7:5 ), “Not even His brothers were
believing in Him.”
2) How this must have hurt Mary. This division in her home over the nature and work
of Jesus.
3) Yet here at the last, we find all of them together, devoting themselves to prayer
through her Son!
b. The women Jesus loves are those who maintain their trust in God's plan no matter what!!!

CONCLUSIONS:

•  Do we find ourselves being obstinate, or can we honestly say that we trust in God's promises, provision…?!

•  God's plan continued to unfold. Clearly the final stages was about to begin, for 10 days later the first gospel sermon was preached. It ended with a call to action, with Peter saying, “‘Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' … So then, those who had received his words were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls,” ( Acts 2:38, 41 )!