What Did Mary Know and When Did She Know It?

Mary was in all probability a 13 year old Jewish girl, in the distant lineage of King David, living with her parents in the forgotten village of Nazareth. There was probably nothing obvious about Mary that would make her stand out among the other girls her age in the country of Judah. Mary even says this about herself. In the Fall of 3 BC, she was engaged to her 19 year old childhood boyfriend named Joseph. Joseph must have been at least 19 as he was allowed to register himself and Mary during the Roman census in June of 2 BC.

One unremarkable day Mary was alone in her parent’s home when the Angel Gabriel appeared. This would be the last time he would be mentioned in the Bible. He told her she had been chosen “among” not above, all the women of the nation to be the mother of the prophesied Messiah or the Anointed One of God. She questioned Gabriel as to why her, and how could she become pregnant when she was not yet married. She was told that the Holy Spirt would cause her to conceive so that the child could be born free from sin. She was excited but cautious cautious about this offer. All the women of Judah had prayed to be chosen to receive this honor. But when the Angel told her that her elderly blood relative, Elizabeth, was six months pregnant, she decided to accept the offer. When Joseph returned home, she told him of the angelic visit. A startled and depressed Joseph went to bed. He knew he had three options on how to proceed. He could simply simply break off the engagement or he could have her stoned to death as per Jewish Law, or marry her. However, Joseph experienced a vivid dream sent from God. He awoke shaken and immediately married her. This only involved him paying Mary’s father an agreed upon Brides Price. No formal ceremony was required. Mary then left Nazareth and traveled one hundred miles south to the city of Hebron to visit Elizabeth and confirm that she was in fact pregnant. Elizabeth was also pregnant and would give birth to John the Baptizer.

After helping with the birth Mary, now three months pregnant, returned to Nazareth. When she was in her nineth month of pregnancy, she and Joseph were forced by Jewish law to travel 70 miles to the village of Bethlehem to register for a Roman census and taxation. Rome typically taxed a person where they lived. However, Jewish authorities asked Rome to tax the population in their tribal capital so as to get an accurate population count and reconcile it with the amount of annual Temple tax received.

As the couple entered the village, Mary went into active labor. The nearby Geruth Chimham Inn known locally as the Inn at Bethlehem was full due to the taxation crowds. So, a resourceful and desperate Joseph entered the Inn's adjacent stable located in a cave. It was there that Mary gave birth. This occurred nine months after her meeting with Gabriel on June 17^th 2 BC. We can know this date for certain as modern computer driven astronomic calculations clearly show this was the exact date that the planets Venus and Jupiter cojoined and created the brightest object ever seen in the Judean night sky. Shepherds visited the couple later that night, and Joseph moved the family into a house the next day. It was there that a delegation of Magi from Babylonia and perhaps Persia would find them six months later and present their gifts (Matthew 2:11). Once again, modern astronomy clearly shows this event occurred on December 25th 2 BC during a very rare triple retrograde of the king planet Jupiter {aka Wandering Star} which appeared to stop directly over the village of Bethlehem. 

                  WHY MARY WAS CHOSEN 

Mary was literally chosen because she satisfied a number of prophecies concerning the Messiah. The Messiah would be from the village of Nazareth (Micha 5:2). He would be born in the direct lineage of King David ( II Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 11:1). His mother  would be a young virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Mary also satisfied these prophecies figuratively or symbolically as she represented all the Jewish women of Judah who, down through the generations, gave birth to and raised the children of God’s chosen race in the one true religion. But prophetically, there could only be one Messiah who could only be born and raised by only one woman. Mary was the right woman at the right time. 

You see, when God set His 6,000 year timeline for the rule of the race of Adam on Earth, that timeline also included the birth of the Messiah(Genesis 3:15). God then used His power of omniscience to consider all the young girls that would be available to carry His “only begotten {human} “Son”’ at this time. These young women had to satisfy the above mentioned criteria. But most importantly, God was able to look at and consider the hearts of these women from their births to their deaths. He then chose that one woman that would exhibit all those character traits He was looking for throughout her entire lifespan. Scripture tells us there were many women to be considered. But it would be Mary who would be chosen from “among” these “women” (Luke 1:28). And this decision was based on God's foreknowledge that she would live a humble life of service in the support of God, her Son and her family. She would keep her faith through times of adversity. and bravely support her Son throughout His childhood and ministry. Then, after His resurrection and ascension, she would continue to serve as a devoted missionary up until the time of her own death. It was then that her intelligent spirit left her body and was taken up into Heaven the exact same as it is today with all followers of Christ.  

       CHARACTER TRAITS OF THE MESSIAH 

There was significant anticipation in first century Israel concerning the imminent appearance of a prophesied Messiah or Saviour. The exactitudes of who, what, when and where He would appear varied widely among groups. But all agreed the Messiah would be a Divinely appointed leader that would liberate Israel from oppression. At this time it happened to be Roman rule. So it was assumed He would have a militant nature yet also have a spiritual side as did the legendary King David. But ultimately, a King who would restore respect and even admiration concerning the nation of Judah and its godly people. One group of Jewish scholars believed in the arrival of two Messiahs. One a priestly figure, the other a conquering liberator. A person who would usher in a utopian era of peace and justice initially by force. The other leader would be a spiritual suffering servant who would be able to conduct sacrificial services so as to atone for the sins of the nation. Obviously these two very different expectations could not be met in one man as this would be extremely difficult to reconcile. Thus, a theory emerged that the nation of Judah should expect two Messiahs. However, the Temple Sadducees were unnerved by the whole idea of a Messiah arriving and upsetting the delicate political status quo the nation had established with Rome over the past sixty years of military occupation.  

While the prophet Daniel had given an exact timeline of the arrival of the Messiah in 538  BC, the Temple priesthood had lost count of exactly how many years had passed. Still, they could guesstimate the date to some degree and it was thought to be near. The prophet Micha gave the place of birth as being in Bethlehem (Micha 5:2). So the thinking was, the Messiah would soon be born of a well- respected Jewish couple, from the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehem (Micha 5:2). Needless to say, all eyes were on Bethlehem and the women of this village were giddy with anticipation as to which one would soon be the luckiest mother in the world. 

          ISN’T THIRTEEN A LITTLE YOUNG? 

Recent archeological excavation concerning first century Israel have revealed the tomb stones of women citing their age of marriage as thirteen. In fact, ancient Jewish commentary known as the Talmud states that the preferred marriage age for women is thirteen. This is because it was quintessentially important that a man marry a woman capable of giving birth. And the start of this process relied on a female who was regularly experiencing monthly periods. Therefore, by the age of thirteen, a fertile girl could become engaged and married. So, Mary was in all probably thirteen when she became engaged to Joseph. 

CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME FROM NAZARETH? 

Mary was born and reared in the small village of Nazareth. This is a village that is not mentioned in the Old Testament. Still, the village had an ancient history, was located on a trade route and was inhibited by devout conservative Jews. This would strongly suggest that Mary was educated to read and write. She would not have necessarily studied the Torah or first five Books of the Old Testament in detail. However, she had evidently memorized a few verses since she quotes or alludes to several passages (Psalm 98:3; 103:17;  107:9; Isaiah 41:8-9; Micha 7:20; 1 Samuel2:1-10). Therefore, Mary clearly knew at least the rudimentary points of the Torah (Luke 1;50, 53). A deeper study of the Torah was reserved only for males, and the only available copy would have been housed in the village synagogue. A village that had at least 10 healthy males was required by Law to have a synagogue. This building  was also allowed to serve as a civic center for any number of community meetings and events. While females were not required to have an in-depth knowledge of Scripture, they would have been told that one day a Jewish female in the lineage of King David would give birth to a Messiah or Saviour of the Jewish race. All Jewish woman in Judah prayed to be the one to have this singular honor. The rabbis taught that this Messiah would be intelligent, charismatic, defeat Judah’s enemies and transform the nation from a war torn territory where the surrounding empires used to conduct their battles, to a nation and people that were envied worldwide. This is all a 13 year old Mary would have known. And this is what the Jews of Judah expected from Jesus if He truly was the Messiah.  

JOSEPH & MARY WERE CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS 

In 3 BC, Mary was happily engaged to a local boy who lived literally across the road from her home. His name was Joseph. Their childhood homes have been excavated and authenticated. Joseph’s father, Heli, taught him how to build to build structures, repair furniture and create other household furnishings and homewares. Joseph was perhaps five or six years older than Mary and would have been considered a man according to Mosaic Law (Numbers 14:29). 

During the traditional Jewish engagement period of one year, Mary would still have been living in her parent’s home. If Joseph had lived in another village, Mary would have been required to live with his parents. In this way, she and his family could see firsthand if the couple was compatible. After the wedding, Mary would have continued to live with Joseph’s family in an addition he would have added to the residence. But in this case, both sets of parents lived in Nazareth. Because Jesus was the first born son, at Joseph’s death, He inherited the family home and business.  

VERSE BY VERSE STUDY WITH EXHAUSTIVE COMMENTARY

 “And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” 

Because we now know that the Star of Bethlehem was the conjunction of Venus and Saturn on June 17^th of 2 BC, we can easily turn back the clock nine months and understand that the impregnation event must have taken place in September of 3 BC. This would be the time of the last three annual Jewish feasts, today collectively referred to as The Days of Awe. These three consecutive feasts require all able bodied men to travel to Jerusalem to participate in the various ongoing rituals. Thus, the village of Nazareth would have only been occupied by young boys, elderly men, women and children.  

The phrase “And in the sixth month” refers to six months after Elizabeth, Mary's cousin or a blood relative, had conceived her son John who became known as John the Baptizer. Therefore, we can know that John was six months older than Jesus. Jesus was from the king tribe Judah, and John was from the priestly tribe of Levi. These tribal affiliations were based on the husband's and not the wife's tribe. That is why Mary and Elizabeth could be related by blood, yet each had a son from two different tribes.  

We learn from this verse that God personally sent His Messenger Angel Gabriel to the southern region of the Galilee and into the village of Nazareth. Scripture only names three angels: Michael the Guardian Archangel of the Jewish Race, Gabriel the Messenger Archangel of God, and Lucifer the Guardian Cherub of Divine Wisdom, now more commonly known as Satan, meaning Deceiver. The village of Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud nor by the famous Jewish Historian, Josephus. However, it is ancient having been founded in c. 2200 BC and was located on a caravan route between Egypt and Mesopotamia.  

Only Luke tells us that Mary was living in Nazareth at this time. Tradition states that Mary’s parents originally lived in Jerusalem before moving to Nazareth. A house, now encapsulated by  the Church of Saint Ann, is said to have been the early home and birthplace of Mary. However, the Catholic Church has issued an official statement that there is no authentic text concerning any information about Mary, her parents’ names, her birth, where the family lived, or information concerning possible siblings. The Catholic Church is clear that everything ascribed to Mary, except for a few notations in the Gospels, is not reliable.  

That said, the Catholic Church has struggled valiantly to create a coherent non Scriptural doctrine concerning the demise of Mary. Today, there is a general consensus among most Catholic scholars that Mary probably did at some point die. Further, if she did actually die, her death would have been peaceful. Now what to do with her corpse? The Church decided that the idea of Mary’s body decomposing was extremely disconcerting. So, a solution was created with the understanding that either right before, or just after her probable death, she was resurrected back to life {if she did in fact die} and was bodily raptured into Heaven, just as was her Son Jesus. However, the Catholic Church publicly acknowledges that this miraculous event is not mentioned in the Bible and there is no authentic text that supports this conclusion. Therefore, all of this is an assumption? 

SO WHY IS MARY SO IMPORTANT TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? 

By the end of the first century, it is estimated that there were about five million Christians. While the Church was certainly growing, its membership was dwarfed by the almost 400 pagan religions. Each of these religions had a major god who had a female consort. The men prayed to the male gods and the females prayed to the goddesses. While the original founders of the early Church were primarily Jews who believed Jesus to have been the Messiah, the major influx of members were converted pagans. It was these members, especially the women, who questioned why Mary having given birth to a man-god, was not revered as a goddess? So, a cult began to grow within converted pagan members around the idea of recognizing Mary as the wife of God who gave birth to His Son Jesus. While the early Church Fathers were not supportive of this idea, they did not openly object to Mary receiving some adulation as Jesus’ mother and a devoted Judean area missionary. By the mid second century, legends about the life of Mary began to be written down and published to exalt her status and for monetary gains.

 The biggest best seller of these works was a fictitious pseudo biography known as the Gospel of James {c.150 AD}. According to the early Church founders, Jesus' half-brother James only wrote one short letter that was included in the New Testament. He was martyred in 62 AD. This fictional Gospel of James was intentionally created to fill the missing gaps between Mary’s birth and the birth of Jesus. It was the source of many false beliefs such as the names of Mary’s mother and father, her being raised in the Temple in Jerusalem and Joseph as an old infirmed widower with children from a previous marriage. Scholars believe these facts were invented to help support the most incredulous claim of all. Mary was a virgin both before, during and after the birth of Jesus! The early Church leaders knew the document was a forgery for two reasons. First, it appeared one hundred and fifty years after the supposed events occurred. Second, the stories did not aligned with those of the four authentic Gospels three of which were written before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. None the less, this and other anonymous fan fiction works were quickly purchased by Christians hungry to learn any new information about the Holy Family’s homelife no matter the source. Full copies of these works still exist today and continue to be proven by biblical scholars to be nothing more than fictious accounts not worth the paper they were written on. However, the Catholic Church decided not only to keep these writings, but in several cases would use the false information to support doctrines concerning the eventual deification of Mary.  

     POLITICS AND RELIGION DO NOT MIX

In 313 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity a legal religion and authorized the creation of the Nicaea Council to ratify basic Christian doctrines. He especially wanted the Church to be appealing to the empires pagan population. In 390 AD, all pagan temples were closed and the empire was unified under one emperor with one authorized religion. It was in 431 AD that Mary officially received the titles Mother of God and Queen of Heaven and Earth. She was supposedly crowned by non-other than God the Father and Jesus. Now Mary became an official intermediary between a believer and her Son Jesus. Prayers went up to God through Mary and all blessing came down from Heaven through her. This recognition received a lot of pushback by some in the priesthood, but it still became official Church doctrine. 

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMELS BACK

In October of 1517, the Christian Church finally experienced a division known as the Great Reformation. One side of this debate consisted of those priests and their congregations that supported all the early Church’s scripturally unsupported doctrines. The other side of the debate consisted of those priests and their congregations who believed a person should practice only what Jesus preached according to the four Gospels, and perform only those customs that Jesus Himself performed such as Baptism and Communion. Further, that the foundation of the Christian Doctrine was faith in Christ plus nothing else. No Pope, no priesthood, no confessions, no deification of Mary, no prayers to the Apostles or Saints for help, no large donations that would release a person from Hell, etc. In short, a hundred or more other invented Catholic doctrines were purged from the Protestant Church’s doctrines. Protestants now considered Mary a kind and noble woman whose sins were forgiven through her faith in Christ. She is respected for her service as Jesus’ mother and her missionary work after Jesus’ ascension. At her death, only her intelligent spirit went to resides with Christ just as does the spirits all believers. The Protestant Church completely rejects the unscriptural Catholic doctrine that at her death, Mary was resurrected, physically ascended into Heaven, and now sits on her own throne next to Christ as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. 

JOSEPH HAD A CURSE ON HIS BLOOD LINE 

We are told in this verse that Gabriel was sent to meet with a virgin engaged to “a man named Joseph”. Because the term “man” is used ,this means according to Mosaic law, that Joseph was nineteen or older (Numbers 14:29). We also learn that Joseph was of the lineage of King David. We will later learn that he was unfortunately related to David through the line of the wicked King Jeconiah who received a curse from the prophet Jeremiah that his heirs would never serve as king (Jeremiah 22:30). However, Mary was related to David by way of his son Nathan, so she is a legitimate heir to the throne as would be her first born son Jesus (Luke 3:31).  

Interestingly, during the ministry of Jesus, the Jewish authorities never denied that He was in the direct blood line of King David. 

        MARY’S OFFER SCHEDULED 14 BILLION YEARS EARLIER

Scripture tells us that God had preordained an eternal timeline for creation that included the Age of the Rule of Mankind on Earth. The birth of the Messiah was included in that timeline (I Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8). So, at the appointed moment in time, God used His power of omnipotence and omniscience to search the hearts and minds of all the available young virgins living in and around the village of Nazareth. Mary was then chosen from “among these women” to be the birth mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:28).  

However, what is more astounding to consider is that at the time of the Big Bang 13.8 billion of years ago, God set His master Creation Timeline in motion. Through the effects of gravity, the sun and Earth were formed. Then,  almost fourteen billion years later, the planets Venus and Jupiter conjoined exactly to the day in order to announce to the world the birth of its Saviour. In other words, this conjunction was scheduled by God in advance billions of years earlier to occur at the precise year, month, day and hour. And, the Word of God that gave the command for the Big Bang event now indwelled the frail sin free human body of a newborn. This understanding reveals a God of incomprehensible power, imaginings and patience.   

“And the Angel came in {the house} unto her, and said, Hail {greetings to}, you that {who} are highly favored, {because} the Lord is with you: {therefore} blessed are you among women.  

So Mary was home alone in her parents’ house when she suddenly notices that a man has silently appeared in the room with her. His appearance does not seem to have scared her. He is probably standing at a distance, does not approach her and speaks in a calm, soft voice. He gets her attention by first greeting her with the word “Hail” which is better translated “acclaimed” or “exalted are you”. This would have stunned Mary as this was a greeting reserved only for those of royal descent. He immediately explains why he used this accolade by announcing that she is “highly favored” by the “Lord” God who is now “with her”. And before she can react, Gabriel adds, “blessed are you among women.” Mary has now heard an ear full and is both astonished and bewildered. The man and apparently the Lord obviously think highly of her but why? What could she, as a thirteen year old peasant girl living a small village, possibly have done to deserve this overwhelming show of respect. The term “Highly favored” is only used here and nowhere else in the entire Bible. So, Mary is alone in her parent’s house, suddenly sees a man in the room who tells her she is highly favored by God, the Lord is with her, and she is blessed among women. That would leave anyone in a state of shock, much less a thirteen year old girl.  

It is interesting to note that the well-known Catholic phrase, ‘Hail Mary full of grace’ is nowhere to be found in the entire Bible. It is instead one of many unscriptural Catholic Church concocted quotes to support the deification of Mary. 

“And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of greeting this should be.” 

Mary does not know that the man is actually an Angel. She is somewhat concerned about his over the top greeting and talk of God being with her. Was he a prophet, or just a misguided overzealous admirer that had somehow gotten past the latched front door? We, as the reader, know from the very first verse that the angel Gabriel was specifically sent to meet with Mary who was an engaged virgin living in Nazareth. But Mary is completely unaware of this. Gabriel is now about to reveal his mission.  

The name Mary is derived from the name Mariam who was the famous sister of Moses. These two names were incredibly popular with Jewish women before and especially after the time of the Exodus.  

Mary is described as a “virgin”. The Apostle Luke wrote his Gospel in Greek as it was the common language spoken throughout the Roman Empire in the first century. The Greek word Luke uses to describe Mary is "Parthenos". In Hebrew the word is “Ha-alma” which means “the one and only Virgin who will ever conceive in this way” (Isaiah 7:14). There are three Hebrew words to describe a young girl, but only the word Ha-alma conveys the understanding of a young female that has not engaged in sexual relations of any kind.  

Mary has now had the time to take a good look at the man and was beginning to realize he was not an ordinary person. This caused her to became “troubled” at his strange continence and also at his greetings. At the age of thirteen, Mary was just barely a woman. Last year she was considered a child. And now she is suddenly favored and blessed by God among the women of Judah? Something is definitely not right and she is starting to feel overwhelmed and a little frightened. She is no doubt looking at the door as an escape, but the man is standing in the doorway. She now begins to consider the greeting and how to respond in a way that might extricate herself out of this awkward situation. Gabriel is well aware of her growing anxiety. 

“And the Angel {now} said to her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And understand {the following offer}, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and {you not Joseph} will call His name JESUS.” 

Mary is now told why she is highly favored and blessed among women. The Angel first tells her to, “Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God." Mary may have now suspected the man was an angel. If she did, then she would have probably become afraid. This is because it was taught that the appearance of an angel was said to bring either good news or death. So the Angel said to her to “fear not” for she had “found favor with God”. Therefore, she was relieved to learn that she was not about to die. He then tells her to “understand” or concentrate on what he is about to propose to her. She has received all these honors because she has been chosen to give birth to the long awaited Messiah. So, she was right in thinking that she had personally done nothing to deserve these honors. The honors all were bestowed upon her only because of a decision made by God. And God’s decision was based on His omniscience that allows Him to fully know her character and her reactions to events throughout her entire life. Still, this honor required an agreement to the terms on her part in order to legitimately consummate the Covenant established between the two parties. Now Gabriel makes her the offer. If she agrees, God will supernaturally and instantaneously cause her to conceive. Yet, at the same time, she will naturally carry the child for nine months, experience a natural child birth and will name the baby Jesus, or in Hebrew, Joshua meaning The LORD Saves. Here we read that the seven hundred year old prophecy of Isaiah is about to come to fruition(Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7). While Jewish tradition insist that only the father can name a child, Gabriel tells Mary that she will name the child as Joseph will not be the biological father.  

“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the {Most} Highest {Jehovah}: and the LORD God will give to Him the throne of His {great grand} father David (II Samuel 7: 12-16) And He will reign over the house of Jacob {Jewish race} forever; and of His {eternal} Kingdom there will be no end.” 

The Angel now explains that her son Jesus will be renown to the point that the people will call Him the Son of the LORD God Jehovah. And the LORD God will give to Him the ancient throne of His 20^th great-grandfather King David. And, He will rule over the nation of Judah forever. And because His Kingdom is given to Him by God and not man, His reign like that of God will be eternal (Psalm 2:7, 12). 

However to Mary, this saying only meant her son would become a great King like David, rule over Judah like David and create a family dynasty like David. And while David’s dynastic rule lasted only eighty years, Jesus’ dynastic rule would continue till the End of the Age. The Jews still believe that at the End of the Age, there will be a Great Resurrection of the dead both Jewish and gentile. Thus, what Mary heard him say, was exactly what Mary and all Jews already expected of the Messiah. She would give birth to a physical Messiah who would rule a physical Judah, conquer all pagan enemies and make His monotheistic Kingdom the envy of the nations of the world. Then, at his death, he would pass on his crown to his first born son. 

Mary would not have drawn the conclusion that Jesus was literally God incarnate. Instead, He was a son or child of God just like all devout Jews were sons and daughters of God through the Abrahamic Covenant. She did not know Jesus would be a healer, prophet, found an international religious movement separate from Judaism, be executed nor resurrected. She would not have thought that Jesus would physically rule over Judah forever and that His kingdom would continue after the Endtime Resurrection. Mary had a traditional first century Jewish understanding of what the Angel was saying, but was still perplexed for two reasons. First, why in the world was she, a poor thirteen year old peasant girl chosen to be the mother of the nation’s Messiah? And second, she was unmarried, so to become pregnant would make the child illegitimate and thus unfit to serve as King. She would first need a husband in order to create the child. This was how all past Judean Kings were created….right? So, if this messenger was from God, how is it that he does not know she was not yet married. She now informs the man that this cannot happen to her as she is single and has not had sexual relations with Joseph. 

“Then said Mary to the Angel, How will this happen, seeing I know not {sexual relations} a man {husband}?”  

These are the first words of Mary. Notice she does not say “how can this happen" but instead “how will this happen”. This question does not show a lack of faith, but a simple understanding of the laws of nature concerning human reproduction. While she was only thirteen, her mother had taught her the first century theory of of how babies were made. The understanding was, the man had the seed and planted it into the woman who then incubated it with her warmth and fed it with her blood for nine months.  

Today we know how male and female genes combine and that the mother’s blood never mixes with the blood of a child. We also understand that God is omniscience, and as such, knew that Adam would sin. But God also knew that the Messiah or Saviour of mankind needed to be born of the woman in a way that allowed Him to be a sin free sacrifice in order to bring salvation to mankind. So, while God cursed the seed of the man {Adam} so as to carry the genetic propensity to sin, the egg of the woman was not cursed in this way. This is because the Adamic Covenant God had with Adam included Eve, but as a second party. Therefore, the Holy Spirit could impregnate Mary by supplying her with the needed twenty three chromosomes and create a sin free body that the sin free Spirit of the Word of God could then indwell. The blood of Mary never mixed with Jesus’ sin free blood. This is how it was possible for Jesus to have sin free blood, but at the same time be naturally born by Mary who was born a sinner like all people. In fact Mary publicly admits she needed a Saviour while giving a prayer of thanksgiving to God (Luke1:46-47). 

The Catholic Church story that Mary was born sin free was concocted during the second century when it was thought that the blood of the mother did mix with the blood of her baby. Therefore, it was theorized that Mary must have been conceived in a “special way” that kept her sin free. The Catholic Church has never explained what this special way was. This is yet another false teaching that was revealed in 1754 when it was discovered that the blood of the mother does not mix with her baby’s blood. Therefore Mary, born in sin, could give birth to a sin free child as could any woman. No male involved, no sin.

“The Angel answered and said to her, (1)the Holy Spirit [God the Holy Spirit} will come upon you, and the power of (2)the Highest {God the Father} will {gently-quietly} overshadow you: therefore, also that Holy thing {child} which will be born by you will be called the {only begotten biological}(3) Son of God”{God the Word}. 

The standout piece of information in this verse is that Mary is the first person in the New Testament to be told straight out by Gabriel that there is a Triune Godhead (Luke 1: 35)! Jesus will make this understanding  crystal clear at His baptism {Triune Godhead appears}, His Transfiguration {Triune Godhead appears} and when He commands His followers to baptize in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). While Mary completely missed this revelation, God wanted the future followers of Christ to understand that the body necessary to house the physical incarnation of the Word of God, required an effort on the part of God the Father, God the Word and God the Holy Spirt as cited in this and the other above mentioned events. So, the same God, who has a Son who is God, also has a Spirit who is God. One in Divine essence or substance yet three distinct co-equal and co- eternal entities sharing a single, undivided Divine essence, nature and being. In short, a mystery that transcends and defies human comprehension. An existence that cannot be fully explained utilizing analogies. 

It is interesting to note that the last public conversation Jesus had with the Pharisees was Him forcing them to confront the understanding by King David that there was a Triune Godhead (Psalm 110:1; Mathew 22:41-46).  

Mary had asked a straight forward natural scientific question of the Angel as what he was suggesting was against the laws of nature. And the Angel gives her a straight forward supernatural inception answer that will result in a straightforward natural birth. The injection of the supernatural into this event is to be expected when you are putting the Holy Spirit of the Word of God into the lowly, frail, physical body of a new born infant. Thus, the entity of the Triune Godhead known as the Word of God indwelled a Holy hybrid body, part human and part Divine to create what Gabriel called the physical “Son of God". Only in this way could a physical man be indwelled by a member of the Godhead, then be physically sacrificed in order to pay in full the physical sin debt of all physical mankind. And in death, order His intelligent Spirit to leave His body and descend down into Sheol or Hell (Luke 23:46), preach the good news of His arrival to the righteous dead, then three days later command His Spirit to re indwell His physical body and be resurrected back to life (John 10:18).  

“And, behold {understand}, your cousin Elizabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was {once} called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” 

God, by way of Gabriel, knew that Mary was now probably experiencing information overload. So the Angel gives Mary a much needed boost in her faith and understanding of all she had been told up to this point. He gave her the good news that her cousin, or blood relative living in the city of Hebron, was now six months pregnant. This would have snapped Mary out of a daze and into a state of euphoria. Mary knew that Elizabeth had been married perhaps thirty or more years and was not able to conceive. While children were a joy, they were also the social security system for widows in the first century. So, to hear that Elisabeth was now pregnant when all thought of hope was gone was a great joy and relief. It was this news that apparently gave Mary the resolve to accept the Angel's proposal. She was initially hesitant because it was assumed that the Messiah would probably come from a wealthy, prominent and powerful family. Mary was at the exact opposite end of that expectation spectrum.

 “And Mary said, Behold {I am} the handmaid of the Lord; {so let it} be it unto me according to your word.” 

Mary is in effect swearing an oath of sorts. She is saying, ‘I Mary of Nazareth, being of sound mind, am officially agreeing to be a part of the plan you have explained to me’. This is very reminiscent of the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, “Not My will but Yours be done”(Luke 22:42). We may rightly assume that with these words of faith and acceptance, Mary was instantly impregnated. The body that would house the Spirit of the Word of God was now starting to develop. The date would have been mid-September of 3 BC during the Jewish feast Days of Awe as we know Jesus was born nine months later on June 17^th 2 BC.  The greatest miracle since the Big Bang and the creation of Adam had now taken place, while at the same time, life in the quiet uneventful little village of Nazareth went on as usual.

“And Mary arose in those days {after talking with Joseph and married} , and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted {called out to} Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled {temporarily indwelled} with the Holy Spirit”. 

After the  Angel departed, Mary waited until Joseph returned to his family home across the street. He may have been working on a repair job or building a structure in another village. But more likely, he had been in Jerusalem attending the three High Holy Feasts which was mandatory for all healthy males according to Mosaic Law.

Again, Joseph did not initially believe Mary’s story. But having experienced a startling dream, he immediately weds Mary who then joins the next caravan passing through Nazareth heading south to the city of Hebron. Please see related: "When Did Joseph and Mary Get Married”. This would be a safe eighty mile or five day walk. Her arrival would have been a welcome surprise to Elizabeth. She entered into the house as she had always done calling out to Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice two things occurred simultaneously. She felt her fetus jump, and she was indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Because Scripture tells us the fetus jumped then the Holy Spirit indwelled Elizabeth, the fetus must have jumped in a sympathetic reaction to the joyous adrenalin fueled feeling Elisabeth experienced with the unexpected appearance of Mary. The Greek term used here for Holy Spirit is pletho which means to imbue, influence or supply. It is not the same Greek word used for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts2:4). But we clearly now read the Elizabeth had been temporarily endowed with both information and an enhanced oratory ability.

“And she {Elizabeth} spoke {prophesied} in a loud voice and said, Blessed are you {Mary} among women; and blessed is the fruit of your womb {Jesus}. And whence is this to me {why is this honor bestowed to me}, that the mother of my Lord should come to me {as opposed to me coming to you}?”

This first sentence repeats the understanding that Mary is "Blessed among women" not ‘above’ women or ‘full of grace’ as Catholic doctrine falsely teaches. Elizabeth now performs an act that would qualify her as a prophetess. She makes clear that she somehow already knows that Mary is pregnant. And, while her child John will be, ”great in the sight of the Lord “, Mary’s child will not only be even greater, He will actually be their Lord (Luke 1:15). Since Elizabeth did not meet with Gabriel, this knowledge must have been given to her when she was temporarily indwelled by the Holy Spirt.

“For, lo {surly}, as soon as the voice of your calling out sounded in my ears, my baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed {God thru Gabriel}: for there will be a performance of those things which were told her {Mary} from the Lord.”  

Elizabeth is saying both she and Mary were blessed by God because they believed or had faith in His promises. This is the same with all women in the Bible who never stopped praying in the belief that their prayers would be answered. We do not know if the Holy Spirit made Elizabeth fully aware of what Gabriel had told Mary. Or, if Elizabeth was receiving from the Holy Spirt partial information concerning what  Gabriel had told Mary days earlier in private. This miracle would serve to  further strengthen Mary’s faith. 

The Angel Gabriel had met with Elizbeth’s husband Zechariah six months earlier to tell him that he and his wife would create a son named John. At this time, Elizabeth had experienced no supernatural events. When Mary entered the house, the Holy Spirit briefly indwelled Elizabeth giving her the insight that Mary was a person of faith in the eyes of God, that she was pregnant, and that her son would be her Lord just as David had been the Anointed One of God and served as the Lord {King} of the nation. 

“And Mary said, My soul {mind} does magnify the Lord. And my {eternal} spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.  For He has regarded to low estate {humility and a peasant} of His handmaiden: for, behold {consider how amazing}, from now on all generations will call me blessed {among all women} For He Who is mighty has done to me great things {mother of Jesus}; and Holy is His Name {the essence of His Being}. vs50- And His Mercy is on them who fear {revere, respect} Him from generation to generation.”

Mary states, in her own words, that “her soul or mind does magnify the Lord”. Yet the Catholic Church has erroneously magnified or deified her! She then states that her intelligent eternal spirit rejoices in God her Saviour. So, this proves that Mary was not immaculately conceived with an absence of original sin as many Catholics believe. Instead, Mary is saying she knows that she is a sinner like all people and needs a Saviour as do all people (Romans 3:23). Jesus is Mary’s Saviour and God used her to bring Him into the world (I John 4:14). Mary then states that all generations will call her “blessed”. The word is a single syllable and so it means Mary was a ‘recipient of Grace’ from God. And the reason all generations will call her blessed is ‘only’ because she was chosen from among all the available young virgins of Judah at this time to give birth to Jesus. The phrase “He … has done to me great things” is past tense meaning Mary is now aware she is pregnant no doubt because of morning sickness. After Jesus’ resurrection, Mary would come to understand that her Son was the biological Son of God incarnate just as Gabriel had told her. She understood, as did her other children fathered by Joseph, that they would need to believe in Jesus as their Saviour in order to receive eternal life (Luke 1:45; Acts 1:14). His half-brothers James and Jude became Apostles. Some of His other siblings may have served as missionaries.

THE SONG OF MARY

Verses 46-55 are considered by Bible scholars to be a Song of Mary in the tradition of the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:1-31). Mary quotes liberally from the Old Testament. “My soul magnifies the Lord”-(Isaiah 2:1) “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” –(Psalm 18:46, Psalm 61:10) “He who is mighty has done great things for me”-(Psalm 71:19) “He shows mercy on those who fear Him”-(Psalm 103:17; Exodus 20:6) “Scattered the proud”-(Psalm 98:11) (Isaiah 40:10) “Put down the mighty exalted the lowly”-(Isaiah 2:4-8) “Filled the hungry -(Psalm 107:9) “Helped His servant Israel”-(Psalm 98:3). All these quotes are proof that Mary had more than a rudimentary understanding of the Torah. Then again, she may have been inspired by the Holy Spirit who gave her the ability to sing a song of praise that included quotes lifted directly from three Books of the Old Testament.

v56-“ And Mary stayed with her {Elizabeth} about three months, and {then} returned to her own {Joseph’s} house.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth to help with household chores and eventually the birth of John the Baptizer. Then she returned back home to Nazareth being herself a little over three months pregnant. Mary would be in the nineth month of her pregnancy when Rome would declare a census and taxation event. The Jewish leaders required the people to report to their tribal capital for the census. Joseph was from the tribe of Judah whose capitol was Bethlehem. But in addition, Rome required that those citizens in the direct blood line of royalty to swear an oath of allegiance to Roman rule. Meaning, neither they or their offspring would participate in a revolt against the Emperor under penalty of death. Jesus was executed for declaring Himself a King and thus committed the crime of Sedition.

On an interesting note, we know from the Roman court records of Emperor Domitian {81-96 AD} that the children of Joseph and his brother Clopas inherited 18 acers of land on which they continued to grow crops to provide food for their families, and as a source of additional income. Please see related: "Only Known Fact about the Childhood of Jesus Revealed”

For more information on the couples trip to Bethlehem and the visit of the Magi, please see related: “The Trip to Bethlehem”, “The Actual Birthdate Of Jesus Revealed”, “Shepherds In the Field”, “Daniel’s Magi Follow a Star”.