The one woman in the New Testament that probably anyone can recognize and talk about is Mary, Jesus’ mother. She appears multiple times throughout the scriptures. When thinking about Mary, there are so many things that come to mind, but the thing that stands out is her faith and purpose. First off, we know God is all powerful and if he wanted to he could have sent Jesus down in any form, at any time. But God chose to bring Jesus into the world through Mary. So when I look at Jesus and his teachings, I always remember Mary. How amazing of a woman Mary must have been to be chosen by God to be Jesus’ mother. There is no greater testament to her faith than this task. Mary raised him and taught him all through his life, never leaving his side, all the way to the foot of the cross where he died. Mary is the perfect example of what it means to be a woman of faith and servant of God.
Luke 1:26-38 “And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am. I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Mary’s willingness to not question what God is asking of her is probably one of, if not the greatest examples of faith we have in the bible. Saying yes to God’s request was by no means an easy task. Mary was scrutinized and questioned by society on how she could be a virgin and bear a child. Her faith did not waiver. Just as Mary was questioned, people of faith still today are questioned and often put to the test of defending their faith and beliefs. Clearly Mary’s task and test of faith is not one that any of us will face in our lives, but I think the purpose of this is to show us that all things are possible with God as well as
giving us an example of a woman of faith. Without a woman, Jesus would not have been born. Mary shows all women how important they are and how to be a servant of God.
John 19:26-27 “ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing
beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the
disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own
home.
Another example of Mary’s faith seen in the New Testament is when she is at the foot of
the cross as Jesus dies. A lot of people say “there is nothing worse in the world than
burying a child.” Imagine Mary as she sits and cries watching her child be publicly
crucified. Through his entire death, Mary is with him and grieves, yet manages to remain
faithful due to His greater purpose of dying for our sins. Mary during the crucifixion
again shows us what it is to be a woman of faith as well as what it is to be human. Mary
shows us raw emotion, on a level that all people can relate to, still today. Just as Mary
was heart broken from losing her Son, we face challenges in life that leave us in pure
sadness, asking God, why? There truly aren't enough words out there to describe how
amazing Mary was, and as women we can strive to be like her as a person, mother, and
servant of God.