Luke 11:27-28 contain a short exchange between Jesus and one of His followers on the subject of His mother, Mary:

And it happened, as [Jesus] spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"

But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Many in this world venerate the mother of Jesus. Sadly, without biblical authority, Roman Catholicism has elevated her to a lofty position, and many Marianists consider her a Co-Redemptrix with Christ (but not equal to Him). In its doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Roman Church claims that Mary was never touched by "original sin." It also teaches a doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity, among other scripturally unsupported things about her. (For more on this subject, please read David Grabbe's "Is Mary Worthy of Worship?" Forerunner, November 14, 2003.)

Although she is not worthy of worship by any means, Mary is an exemplary biblical figure. We begin learning from her with her first appearance in Luke's gospel:

Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth's pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible."

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

The first lesson we can take from her is that Mary was bold in God. After patiently listening and reflecting on the words of the angel Gabriel, revealing God's plan for her life, she laid her fears aside and proclaimed, "Behold, the maidservant of the LORD! Let it be to me according to your word."

We are not told how long this scene took to unfold. But how long did Mary have to imagine what it would be like to explain her pregnancy to her fiancé Joseph, or to her parents, family, and friends? Scripture implies that her answer to Gabriel's assurance of God's involvement was immediate and unqualified: "Let it be to me according to your word." She was, as we say these days, "all in."

Imagine the ridicule she endured, as people would certainly have gossiped about when they saw her telltale "baby bump" and weight gain before she was even married. But despite the scorn from those around her, Mary faithfully obeyed God's charge, apparently with little or no reservation.

When God gives us an assignment, we should present ourselves at His disposal, ready to courageously do whatever He directs. Do we not want to know God's will for our lives? When He makes our path plain, we should, like Mary, give it our all.

Mary was bold because she trusted God. In what is often called the "Song of Mary" or "The Magnificat," Luke 1:46-55, she shows that she knows that God keeps His promises and helps those who show faith in Him:

And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever." (Luke 1:50-55)

From her words, we can also see that she trusts in God's sovereignty. From Israel's history, she knew He truly has everything under His control. He would follow through for Mary, just as He does for us and for everyone who fears Him. Indeed, we must still use wisdom, but if we walk in faith, not hesitating to follow His lead, we will succeed in fulfilling His will for us.

This second lesson is that Mary knew the Word of God. The Song of Mary is, in one commentator's words, "saturated with Scripture." It references Psalms 22, 44, 98, 103, and several others. She also draws a line between herself and Hannah, Samuel's mother, who also sang a famous song, a prayer, upon offering her promised son into God's service (I Samuel 2:1-10). A comparison of the two songs shows several commonalities.

So, Mary knew the Old Testament well enough to quote or paraphrase verses and connect its wisdom to her circumstances. Luke 2:19 informs us that "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart," meaning that she was not only a keen observer but had a good memory and meditated to gain wisdom.

As we have often been exhorted, we should study and meditate on the Scriptures daily. While today's educators often downplay memorization, God's people have traditionally memorized Scripture to make God's Word a significant part of their thinking. (See our topic library on Memorization of Scripture for further information, including tips on how to do it.) In John 14:26, Jesus implies that if, as His disciples, we put forth the effort to learn what God says, when the time comes for us to give an answer, the Holy Spirit will "bring to [our] remembrance all things that I said to you."

Jesus' mother, Mary, is a fine example of a young woman who heard God's Word, thought about it deeply, and was ready to obey boldly and faithfully when the time came for her to choose.

In Part Two, we will consider three more ways Mary sets a good example for us.