MARY,

MOTHER OF
JESUS
Lesson Objectives:
1. Quote biblical texts (NT) referring to
Mary or her role according to the
Scriptures.
2. Compare how Mary cared for Jesus
as a young mother and how mothers
today care for their young/children.
3. Compose a song or a poem exalting
the virtues of Mary.
 Historically, little is known about
Mary. Mary’s name appears in the
genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of
Matthew where she is referred to as
the wife of Joseph, son of Heli (Luke
2:7). It is told that Mary was a peasant
woman from the tribe of Judah, and in
the line of King David.
Tradition says that Mary’s parents
were Saint Ann and Saint Joachim.

Mary’s character found in Scriptures:

> It is believed that she came from
a godly home of devout Jews. ( In
time period that Mary lived, girls
were not always trained in the Holy
Scriptures, but were trained mainly to
run the home).
But Mary evidently had been trained
in the Scriptures. As seen by her
praise of God in her “Magnificat” in
Luke 1:47-55, Mary was well-versed
in the Scriptures and had hidden
portions of it in her heart.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Why does the Church believe that Mary
was a girl knowledgeable of Scriptures?
2. How does the Bible picture Mary as an
obedient woman living according to God’s
will?
3. How did God utilize the poverty of Mary
to demonstrate His love for the lowly and
the poor?
 > Mary was young (when God chose her to
carry His Son to term) and probably poor but she
had something priceless inside her:
1. she was a woman of faith who
loved God deeply,
2. having an obedient spirit.
3. She was chosen to love and nurture
Him as her firstborn and raise Him
in the knowledge of God which
she did.
> Mary was a chaste virgin. In
Isaiah 7:14, the prophet Isaiah
stated that the Messiah (God’s
Son) would be born of a virgin.
Mary fit the bill, she was young,
unmarried woman: pure and godly.
> Mary was a humble woman.
She was a small-town girl from
the insignificant village of
Nazareth. Though she was of
nobility, being in the line of King
David, the family had lost all its
status because of the years of
Israel’s captivity and years of
foreign domination.
> Mary was an obedient
follower. God does not look at
outward appearances, but
always looks at the heart (1
Samuel 16:7). When God looked
at Mary He saw an obedient
women who would live according
to His will, just like her ancestor,
> Mary was a faithful Jew.
Mary was of the tribe of
Judah and the line David.
She worshipped the one
true God and she knew the
Holy Scriptures.
 After the birth of Jesus,
many curious events occurred.
Mary witnessed everything.
Mary just took it all in and she
pondered these things in her
heart (Luke 2:19).
She was given a great
responsibility, yes, but she was
also given a tremendous gift.
 Mary’s service to God did
not end that first Christmas
when Jesus was born. She
mothered Jesus for thirty years
that he lived with her in their
poor Nazareth home from
childhood to manhood.
Mary loved and nurtured Jesus
as he grew into manhood.
 She did all the things a devoted
mother did for the son she knew
was no ordinary man.
Mary could not surround her Son
with wealth. The family was so
poor that when she went to the
Temple to present Him to the Lord,
she could only offer a pair pigeons
– the offering of the very poor.
 She could not introduce Him to
the culture of the day. Being
poor and enduring a forced exile
in Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15) Mary
and Joseph had little education
to pass on to the young Jesus.
But Mary had so much to give
Jesus, she gave him gifts of
infinite more value than secular
and material advantages.
But Mary had so much
to give Jesus:
* She gave Him
birth.
* She, along with
Joseph, gave him a
home.
* She cultivated in
the home a purity of
heart, obedience and
love.
 Mary was a woman who was blessed
by God. Though she seemingly had
nothing to offer, she was chosen by
God himself to be a part of His plan
of redemption of mankind.
She was young, poor, and unknown.
 She had never been a mother,
she possessed no wealth or family
inheritance, and she boasted no
fame or social status. Yet she had
been honored throughout all
history for her faithful obedience
to God.