kellyanne

As a woman of the time, Mary had very limited options. She would be judged harshly and condemned for her supposed immoral behavior. Due to public opinion, even her own family would not be able to help her. Joseph showed his extreme kindness in his initial reaction to divorce her quietly. I am sure he felt betrayed and embarrased, but he did not punish Mary for it. When God revealed His plan to Joseph, he did not argue or question. He was a man of great faith.

As the son of a carpenter, Jesus would have been exposed to all classes of people. They would work for the rich, the not so rich, and perhaps even interact with the poor (in bartering etc.). Jesus would be exposed to the economic realities of the times and see how the people lived and suffered. Carpentry also requires patience and skill.

Mary's response is one of unyielding faith. Perhaps her youth was a factor because she answers as a young child would place faith in a parent. Daddy says this will happen and so it will all be alright. She knew that she could be stoned, treated as a outcast, shame her family, and other unthinkable circumstances could come upon her as a woman who appeared to go outside of the Law. Yet, she did not worry one bit about it. She went to her aunt and sang of the wonders of God. I think Mary is a great illustration of how God wants us to respond to Him in our lives.

The Virgin Conception is key to understanding Jesus because it communicated both His divinity and His humaness. If He had come to earth as just a Divine being, He could not have been our role model in how to live. If He had been birthed from a man and a woman, then He would have been just another prophet. His dual nature both Divine and Human is something a lot of us struggle to fit into our view of the world, when the truth is that it does not fit. That was the point: Jesus is like no one else in existence.

Mary's question was different from Zechariah's in that his was blatantly doubting. Mary seems awestruck and full of wonder, like she was musing out loud. Well, how can this happen rather than I don't think this can happen. Zechariah was also much older than Mary and probably more educated. He was punished for his lack of belief. Mary was spared because of her wondering acceptance. The previous comment about the Jewish people and Zechariah is interesting. I guess Zechariah and Mary are examples of how we can choose to accept God's workings in our lives. We can doubt and be anxious or we can be amazed at all He does for us. . . .

The child will be a "great person" and his title will be "Son of the Most High." One thought I had that although this happened to Mary in real like, it can also be seen as modelling the process of how Jesus comes into our lives. An angel came to Mary and told her that she had been chosen. And that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. Then a piece of God would begin to grow inside of her. Isn;t that the process we follow as we develop a relationship with Jesus? Another thought I had was that Christmas isn't really about Jesus in so much in that is about our Father God's great love for us. The amazing part of Christmas is that "God so loved the world that He sent us His son." Don't get me wrong, Jesus is SOOO important too, but that's what we learn in Easter. The birthday celebration is more about our relationship with the Father than with the Son. That is so amazing to me, that it took me this long to figure it out. . .

Hi, I'm Kelly and I attend a Vineyard Church in upstate New Yotk. I gave my life to Jesus about 2 years ago, so I am still learning a lot. I am looking forward to this study and hoping it will help me increase my understanding of the wonder of Christmas. God Bless!