Mary, A Woman Of Noble Character

Everyone loves to see the Nativity set. Each year, like many people, you may pull yours out of storage, dust it off and set it somewhere in your home. The decorative Nativity Scene has become one of the staples of Christmas. No scene would be complete without the three figures at the center. Obviously, Jesus Christ is front and center, in a manger. But two other indispensable figures are those of Mary and Joseph. As we look at a Nativity scene, it’s hard to ignore that the Christmas story is wrapped around people – around real life men and women we think we know, but who have never taken on much of a life of their own.


How well do we really know Joseph and Mary? Our aim today is to get to know Mary and Joseph more personally so that we can see Christmas from their point of view.

When Mary was born, the golden age of Israel’s proud history was past. No king of David’s family had ruled in Jerusalem for over 500 years. But the Jews were still waiting for the Messiah, the ruler promised throughout the pages of the Scriptures, promised through the prophets. The one from David’s family who would sit on David’s throne and rule forever.

The evidence about Mary points to a humble, godly Jewish upbringing. Mary’s father, apparently, was a descendant of the great King David through David’s son, Nathan.

Matthew 1: 18-25

 “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph...”

I got to thinking to thinking about her and asked myself a few questions: What sort of woman was she? I got thinking about her personality, her mannerisms, her social life, her spiritual life. She must have been a pretty amazing woman to be chosen the Mother of Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit directed my attention to Proverbs 31:10-31 which describes “The Wife of Noble Character.” It occurred to me that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had to be a woman of noble character.

Here’s a paraphrased reading of Proverbs 31:10-31

Mary: a woman of noble character; her worth far more than rubies. Her fiancée had full confidence in her because she lacked nothing of value. She brought him good and not harm, diligent, working with eager hands, providing, creative in her imagination, intelligent, organized, business minded in her dealings and sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks, wise and alert, skillful in her trade, generous to the poor and extends her hand to the needy, exquisite, a person who is affectedly concerned with things delicate - fine – dainty. She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh with a good sense of humor, she speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tonque and never guilty of wasting time with idleness. Many women do noble things but Mary surpassed them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Mary’s Reward is Jesus.

Verse 18 

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1: 26-28

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man name Joseph, a descended of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greeting, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

The word “favor” is meant to be descriptive of her character. Her character is revealed in the salutation of the angel and if I were to paraphrase this verse it would go something like this:

“Grace unto you, you are filled with grace/righteousness; and the Lord is with you.”

Mary was from the town of Nazareth. First century Nazareth was famous for only one thing – its sin. It was located just four miles from the Roman garrison at Sepphoris. When the men in the army got a few days leave and some bonus pay, they went to Nazareth where they could find cheap wine and a red-light district where women would be waiting for them.

Galilee had been overrun with Romans in which pagan temples were raised; and in which the games of the pagan peoples were demoralizing its people. In that environment we have a portrait of Mary. Living in Nazareth, with the dark and sinister background of its conditions, in the midst of impurity and iniquity; Mary is unaffected by it all, she is filled with grace/ righteousness, the Lord was with her. The pagan norms of her day did not swallow her up; she remained separated from it. There’s always that danger that of getting swept away by the world’s norms; its culture; its liberal morals; getting swept into the current of peer pressure.

Purity of heart is rare commodity these days.

Proverb 20:9, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from sin?

Proverb 30:12, “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.”  Matthew 5:8 says, Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God”

This first epistle of Thessalonians was written to the people of antiquity and yet it describes our modern times! 4:3 says, It’s God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God...For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

We tend to think it was different for the people of antiquity. Really, I don’t think so. The whole pagan world had descended up the Holy Land. Pagan Rome had no regard for things holy and pure. The Holy Land was polluted with its filthy idolatry and sexual immorality.

This was Joseph and Mary world and yet, they were not suck into the vortex of it all. They remained a righteous couple through it all.

 There’s not much of a difference between then and now. Israel contended with the import of the pagan Greek and Roman culture. Now, in our modern times, Christians contend with multicultural diversity of our times. The pagan Roman influence has left its mark. The vain philosophy of the Greeks remains prevalent in the academic world. Atheistic humanism, secularism and a good dose of liberalism mixed with a variety of false religions. When you package it with political correctness what you have is “multiculturalism. This is touted by academic elites and the media that this is our “Canadian Values.” Canadian values are diametrically opposed to Kingdom values. With that said, Christians are commanded to “keep their garments unspotted from the world”.

In John 17 Jesus, prayed for His disciples, “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name...they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not it. Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth...”

Mary Kept herself pure!

In Jewish law betrothal (engagement) was a binding legal contract between a couple which conferred the status of marriage: the marriage proper took place when the bridegroom took the bride to his home and consummated the union. During the period of betrothal the fiancé was legally called husband (verse 19) and the bond could be cancelled only by formal repudiation or divorce.

The scripture says “before they came together...and before the consummation of the marriage, Mary was found to with child of the Holy Spirit.

It’s loudly implied by this statement that Joseph and Mary kept themselves pure...they didn’t live a common law relationship. It is said of Joseph that he was a” righteous man.”

He did not have sexual relations with Mary...the consummation of their relationship was yet to take place. The Apostle Paul wrote to the gentile church in regards to inappropriate sexual behavior: 1 Corinthians 7:36, “if anyone thinks he is acting improperly towards the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry...they should get married.”

But this is not the case with Joseph. It is said of him in Matthew 1:19 “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. If there had been any hanky-panky going on between Mary and Joseph he would not have wanted to dissolve his relationship with her. Without further due there is no doubt their relationship was completely puritanical. This is the sort of vessel God works through.

The whole story involving these two people is a story of chastity; Keeping Ones heart pure before God. Doing what is right and pleasing in the sight of God. 1 Peter says, “As obedient children, do not conform to evil desires...But just as he who is holy called you, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “be holy, because I am holy”

Mary, with no doubt, was a fruitful branch of the vine of Israel. She gave birth to the true Vine, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Now that’s what you call fruit baring. The question is, are you?