July 26th, 2026: Mary, the Loyal Mother | Luke 2:15-19, John 2:1-5, John 19:25-27

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  (Isaiah 7:14).

Luke 2: 15-19

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Shepherds weren’t high on the list of society’s power players.  They put their own lives at risk to protect their flocks.  Their work was exhausting and not highly regarded.  But, “God is no respecter of persons” we are told, and He decided to reveal the birth of His “only begotten Son,” to those who would receive the message gladly and act upon the news immediately.  Heaven spoke and the shepherds left their flocks, and found the Lamb of God lying in a manger.  There is one cardinal rule among shepherds, and that is that they are to stay with the sheep.  By leaving, they showed that the birth of Jesus Christ was more important than their livelihoods, and even their very lives.  

Our God shares His plans with those who will listen and obey, in a stunning act of friendship toward Abraham long ago, God revealed the destruction that was coming to Sodom and Gomorrah.  He also told him that his descendants would be slaves in a “strange land” for four hundred years.  Why did God reveal His plans to Abraham?  He did it, according to His word, because Abraham would believe and teach his children God’s truth.  Over the years God warned Israel and Judah  of His coming actions through many prophets, specifically laying out a message of destruction that was coming and offering forgiveness and redemption if they would repent.  So, when God sent heavenly messengers to a faithful group of shepherds on a hillside in Bethlehem, He knew that they would believe and get the word out, now 2,000 years and more later we still worship with them.

¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

They wasted no time and found everything to be just as the messengers of Heaven had told them.  Then they became messengers of God themselves, spreading the news far and wide.  The news was not that a baby had been born in a manger, but that this baby was the promised Messiah of God.  After a long journey, and without earthly comforts, I’m sure Mary and Joseph were a humble sight.  It wouldn’t have been their appearance that would inspire the shepherds to spread the good news.  It was the promises made by God about Him, and the declarations of a Heavenly army about Him that they believed.  From the beginning, Christ humbly entered the world, on a mission to do the impossible, to create a way to restore the relationship between God and man that had long ago been destroyed by sin.  

The Bible says, in Isaiah 53: 

2 He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

It wasn’t anything on the outside that made it clear that Jesus was the Son of God, it was the testimony of the Father.  Men try to make themselves appear great, and try to hide the shame of who they really are.  Jesus “made himself of no reputation,” to go to a cross and redeem the world, in order to reveal Himself and save all who will come to Him.

¹⁸ And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

What did Mary think of all this?  It’s impossible to know, but from Gabriel's announcement until the arrival of the shepherds, each action she took and word she spoke revealed obedience to His will and an understanding of His word.  She responded with praise referencing the promises of God made to the prophets. She shared the good news with her cousin Elizabeth. She didn’t hide herself from Joseph and was protected by God.  The word “kept” means to treasure and protect.  She knew that God had chosen her to give birth to Jesus, and treasured and protected the memory of the extraordinary events that surrounded His birth.  

John 2:1-5

2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

Cana is close to Nazareth, the family’s hometown.  He was among those who knew Him as a child.  

² And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

Jesus and the disciples were invited guests.  This is the very beginning of Christ’s ministry here on earth.  He had been baptized in Jordan, and in front of a great crown of witnesses, God the Father had introduced “His Son.” No doubt, there was much curiosity among those attending the wedding about what that meant.

³ And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

⁴ Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

The miracles of Christ fulfilled the Word of God.  They brought attention to His words, but they were not the ultimate reason that He came.  He was here to lay down his life.  When Mary brings the issue of the wine to her son, it's clear from the context that she fully expects Him to be able to fix the problem.  The gentle rebuke of Jesus reaffirms that He must “be about His Father’s business,” but He honors her request.  The “hour” that would come, would be the irrefutable announcement of His power at the empty tomb.  

⁵ His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

This is some of the greatest counseling ever given in the scripture.  We would all do well to listen to Mary on this point, obedience to Christ is the key to life here and access to eternity.  Hurry like the shepherds to hear, to receive, and to act in accordance to His words.  While her faith in His ability is strong, no doubt the details and method of God’s salvation plan were still a mystery to her, but Mary knew that Jesus had power on Earth.

John 19: 25-27

²⁵ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶ When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

²⁷ Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

If you want to know who your friends are, look at who is still standing there in your time of trouble.  Standing by the cross are Mary and her friends.  I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her, to witness his torture and death.  She was powerless to do anything to stop it or relieve His suffering, but she did the only thing she could do, she stood.  Her grief and agony must have been great, but she didn’t run away.  Jesus cared for her, His dying request was that John take her as his mother.  His concern was for both of them.  What this reveals is the depth of compassion that our Savior has for His people. 

Speaking those words while struggling to breathe on the cross would have cost Him dearly, but his heart is burdened for them.  Likewise, His heart was burdened for His executioners, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”  His heart reassured a dying thief of His hope of paradise.  He thought of believers that had died looking for the promise of God, and  sympathized with the brokenness of David, saying, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”  Imagine the love, the goodness, the surrender, and the self control, that kept the Creator of the Universe on the cross, because we know that no nails could do so.  His mother and the others who stood by the cross showed loyalty in the face of a cruel and howling mob, but look at Jesus, the loyalty He showed you and me, it is beyond anything in this world.  He did it because He loves us.  He always keeps His word and He has called us His friends.  

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. -John 15

Thank you for studying with us! God bless!