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December 19

Is Mary Special? Roman Catholics think so.

Text: Luke 1:46-49

Mary, mother of Jesus. She probably was a teenager when she had Jesus. But there is no denying this fact: Out of all the women in Israel, God chose Mary to bear the Christ child. So—there must have been something special about Mary, right? Not necessarily. Was Israel special? No. God chose Israel because they weren’t special or powerful or numerous. The glory of Israel has always been because of the glory of God. But back to Mary. How do we understand the phrase “that future generations will call her blessed”. Mary said it herself. 

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-49) 

Maybe I am a simpleton but it seems clear to me. We call Mary “blessed” because she was called to be the mother of God (who is clothed in flesh). What a blessing she received because she got to hold the Messiah, feed the Messiah, train the Messiah and ultimately, see Him rise from the grave. She was blessed because she bore the Savior of the world. 

The Roman Catholics got it wrong. Mary is just a human; she was not special. She was messy. She was an imperfect parent. Was she uniquely godly for her age? Hard to say. All we know is that she obeyed. 

Should we be thankful for Mary? Sure, I guess. But let’s be honest, God would have figured it out, one way or another. His plans cannot be stopped. It has always been about His glory, not the glory of man. Get ready, Christmas is almost here.