Mary, Did You Know?

Mary, did you know that widows played an important part of the Christmas story? God chose amazing women to give you a holy legacy.

Matthew 1:1-16 (The Message)

The family tree of Jesus Christ, David's son, Abraham's son:

Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob,
Jacob had Judah and his brothers,

Judah had Perez and Zerah (the mother was Tamar),

Perez had Hezron . . .

. . . Nahshon had Salmon,

Salmon had Boaz (his mother was Rahab),

Boaz had Obed (Ruth was the mother),

Obed had Jesse,
Jesse had David,
and David became king.
David had Solomon (Uriah's wife was the mother),

Solomon had Rehoboam,

Rehoboam had Abijah . . .
. . . Amon had Josiah,
Josiah had Jehoiachin and his brothers,
and then the people were taken into the Babylonian exile.
When the Babylonian exile ended,

Jeconiah had Shealtiel,

Shealtiel had Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel had Abiud . . .
. . . Matthan had Jacob,
Jacob had Joseph, Mary's husband,
the Mary who gave birth to Jesus,
the Jesus who was called Christ.

 

Women were often overlooked, illiterate and uneducated in Bible times, but in the lineage of Jesus Christ five women are mentioned! As these women lived their daily lives they probably didn't feel significant. They didn't think they mattered. They had no idea they were so significant to God that He would inspire Scripture to recall them from one generation to another.

 

Have you realized that YOU matter to God? Can you imagine that His plan for you might be something that will reach from one generation to another generation?

Take a look at the struggles of these five women. They weren't just extraordinary women:

• Four of them were widows!---Tamar, Ruth, Uriah's wife, and Mary! (Mary was a widow too? Yes, most likely! While you won't find it spelled out in chapter and verse, when we consider that Joseph is never mentioned after Jesus turned twelve, and that while he died on the cross Jesus entrusted Mary's care to the disciple John, it's pretty safe to conclude that Joseph had passed away).
• Two of the widows were foreigners---Tamar and Ruth.
• Two of the widows knew what it was like to bear the gossip of a questionable pregnancy--Tamar and Mary.
• One of the widows turned to prostitution to support herself---Tamar. We don't know why Rahab was a prostitute, but she was a foreigner who put her faith in God and helped Israel in the conquest of Caanan. 
• One suffered an affair, the murder of her husband, and the death of a child--Uriah's wife, Bathsheba.

So don't lose heart with the difficulties you're going through. In the midst of their sorrows, God knew these Bible women, He saw their pain. He highly esteemed them, chose them, drew them to Himself, called them His own, and placed them in the powerful lineage of the King of Kings!

He does the very same for you. Although the waves of grief roll, God knows you, He sees your pain, He highly esteems you, He chose you, He draws you to Himself, calls you His own and places you in His own glorious family! God doesn't consider a widow's life to be over. His plans for her are far beyond all she can ever dream.

Fill your name in the blank: _________, did you know? What amazing stories and significant work do you think God will open up for you in the next chapter of your life?

♥ ferree

 

P.S. In case you're reminded of the song "Mary, Did You Know," here's a nice version of it. We often don't understand the great story of redemption that we hold in our hearts!