July 3, 2008
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I was studying some more of "Luke According to John MacArthur" this morning and came across a new thought. God really takes care of things according to His plans.
"And Mary said," this is her submission, "'Behold the bondslave of the Lord.'" Now what's the importance here? The importance here is that she uses the word bondslave which is the word doule in the Greek which means slave, bondslave. And listen to this, it is the same word used in the Septuagint every time Hannah referred to herself as a maidservant, she used doule. This is the word, the very word that is the same as the word Hannah used. It may indicate Mary's familiarity with the wonderful miracle that God gave to Hannah by which she conceived and bore Samuel. And Mary sees herself also as a slave to God's purposes as a servant, a bondslave. She is standing in the tradition of Hannah and submitting and following Hannah's example of being a willing slave to this incredible unfolding purpose of God. Submission is what characterizes this young girl. She sees herself not as somebody special, but as a bondslave.
Down in verse 48 she says it again. "God in conceiving this child in her has regard for the humble state of His bondslave." She is in her own eyes a bondslave. She's just a young teen-aged girl chosen by God for a special service which she sees as service to God. She is humble, lowly and glad to be this kind of bondslave. So she says, "Let it be done to me according to your word." She understood the implications. She shows up pregnant, chaos, confusion, how did this happen? Joseph, what's he going to think? She doesn't even ask about Joseph, she leaves that to God. She doesn't say, "Well before I say yes to this deal, who's going to explain this to Joseph? Who's going to explain this to my mother and my father? Who's going to explain this to my friends and my neighbors? Who's going to explain this to the righteous people? Who's going to explain this to the parents of Joseph? Wait a minute, there's a lot at stake here. Who's going to explain to everybody that sees me that...and knows I'm not married and sees..." She doesn't ask any of that, she says, "You just do what You want, Lord, I'm Your slave. I leave the rest to You."
And you remember what happened, Matthew 1:20 to 25 says an angel went to Joseph. As soon as Joseph realized that she was pregnant, he immediately was devastated because he thought she was as pure as the driven snow, now she's pregnant, he knows he's never known her. He assumes the worst. He has the option to stone to her to death, or to divorce her. He decides to divorce her because he's merciful.
That night in a dream an angel comes to him and says, "Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, that which is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit." Remember that? And Mary left all of that to God. You can take care of all the details, I submit. She just rested in God's purpose. And that's what you...that's what you want to know about Mary. When you want to know about Mary, think about submission, think about faith, think about believing the impossible, think about that just an incredible thing has been told and she humbly, simply believed it. Without any regard for all the implications, she rested in the purpose of God as a slave. That's the magnificence of Mary.
