Shawn Moynihan – Mary of Nazareth – Class 1 – Mary’s Identity

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This is day one of the 2025 Palm
Springs Bible School.

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Our first period teacher is
Brother Sean Moynihan.

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His general subject is Mary of
Nazareth.

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Today’s topic is Mary’s
identity.

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My name is Brother Sean Moynihan
and I’ve been trying to follow

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Brother Jeff’s act since 1980,
so here we are.

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So it’s such a blessing to be
here surrounded by beloved

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brothers and sisters gathered
around God’s word.

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And I pray this week we’ll open
our hearts and our minds and our

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Bibles to learn together about
that great exemplar of

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discipleship, Mary of Nazareth.
So we’re going to start with a

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question, Brothers and sisters,
who do you think you are?

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Who do you think you are?
It’s a question about identity,

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isn’t it?
It’s a question that we answer

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every day.
It’s about our upbringing and

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about our current environment.
It’s about our hopes and our

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dreams and our fears.
It’s about our triumphs and our

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tragedies.
And most importantly, it’s about

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our relationship with the God of
Israel.

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This morning we’re going to
explore who Mary thought she

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was, and we’re going to see how
she expresses her identity in

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her interaction with the Angel
Gabriel.

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Now, we’ve got lots of lots of
stuff to cover here before we

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reach the deadline Closing of
our class at 11:15.

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So see, you’re not the only one,
Jeff.

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I can do that too.
So let’s take a look.

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Who does Mary think she is?
Well, we’re kind of given the

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short bio, aren’t we?
By Luke?

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We read in Luke 126.
Now in the sixth month, the

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Angel Gabriel was sent by God to
a city of Galilee named Nazareth

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to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph of the

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House of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary.

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So Luke provides us with all the
building blocks that we need to

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construct a sense of who Mary
thought she was.

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She is named Mary.
We know how important names are.

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She’s from Nazareth in Galilee,
she’s a betrothed virgin, and

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she’s of David’s house.
Now Mary’s name is emphasized.

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In fact, in the span of a few
verses, Luke mentions her name 8

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times.
We’re hit over the head by

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Mary’s name, and this isn’t a
document.

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The Bible, the New Testament
that frequently doesn’t mention

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women’s names at all.
And yet over and over again,

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Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary,
Mary.

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So we know all names are
important in the Bible,

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especially we think because of
this emphasis is Mary’s.

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So Mary is Miriam in Hebrew, and
it comes from the word Mara,

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bitter.
And historians estimate that 25%

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of the women in Herod the
Great’s Kingdom were named Mary.

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There’s a really interesting
article written by historian

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Bachman in 2009, and he
speculates in all the reasons

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why that is.
And one of the reasons was that

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Herod the Great’s wife was named
Miriam.

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And she was a very popular
figure, kind of a popular and

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tragic figure because Herod and
Salva killing her and, and he

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says she was kind of like the
Princess Di of that era and

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very, very popular.
So whatever, whatever the

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reason, Mary was a very popular
name.

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We know that because there’s 7
Marys mentioned in the New

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Testament.
So what are some other

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connections that we could make
to Mary’s name?

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Well, of course we think of
Miriam right away.

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And three days after Miriam’s
triumphant song, we know that

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Mary’s song was also triumphant.
Bitter Mara waters were made

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sweet.
We think of the fact that Naomi

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renames herself Mara.
Don’t call me pleasant, call me

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bitter.
And she does this in front of

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the women in Bethlehem.
We know that Hannah was in Mara

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of soul when she prayed for a
son to save God’s people.

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And we know that this kind of
odd test for women suspected of

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infidelity was called drinking
the waters of Mara.

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And so we can see those
connections that begin to form,

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right?
Connections that we made and

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Mary would have made connections
to Ruth, to Bethlehem, to

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Hannah, to Miriam and
connections to this strange task

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for suspected infidelity.
So how did Mary’s name shape her

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identity?
Well, clearly she would have

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connected to Miriam.
And you know, one of the things

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we’re going to do in this class
is start to weave some threads

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that we’re going to take, God
willing, all the way through the

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week.
So she would have connected to

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Miriam that the fact that Miriam
was a a very influential,

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impactful person and her song,
she would have connected to

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Hannah, who I self identifies as
a handmaid just as as Mary does

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the great song and the son
dedicated to God.

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She would have connected to
Ruth, who also identifies as a

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handmaid and the the connection
to Bethlehem and the connection

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to and this is something that
that the women say to Ruth at

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the end.
We know that you are a woman of

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Kyle, a woman of valor, a woman
of virtue.

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And I think we can say too, from
the ubiquity of Mary’s name,

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that she would begin to
understand, understand herself

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as the representative woman, the
woman mentioned in Genesis 315.

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And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between

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your seed and her seed.
He shall bruise your head, and

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you shall bruise his heel.
This representative woman that

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Paul talks about in Galatians 4.
When the fullness of time had

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come, God sent forth his Son,
born of a woman.

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Now why does Paul say that?
Was there some confusion about

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that fact?
No, it’s to say the

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representative woman.
And it also comes up in Paul’s

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writing in First Timothy 2.
And I love the disciples,

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literal New Testament.
And Adam was not deceived, but

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the woman having been completely
deceived, has come to be in

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transgression.
But she shall be saved by the

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childbearing if they continue in
faith and love and holiness with

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sound mindedness.
Now let’s move from Mary’s name

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to the fact that she was a
Princess.

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Now I feel well qualified to
talk about the topic of

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princesses because I have a four
year old granddaughter.

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Now do we think of Mary as a
Princess of David’s house?

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Well Gabriel did because he
talks to her and says the throne

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of his father David, the
divinely guided wise men dead

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because they were searching for
the one born king of the Jews.

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Paul did, he says concerning his
Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who

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was born of the seed of David
according to the flesh, brother

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Robert Roberts dead.
Mary was of the House of David.

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The promise requires it.
For if Mary were not a

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descendant of David, then was
Jesus not of the seed of David

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according to the flesh, for he
had no actual human father.

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And of course we see that the
the genealogy in Luke 3 is of

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course Mary’s and brother Ron
Abel writes.

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Mary is presented to us as a
member of the tribe of Judah,

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being a descendant of David
through her father Hallow and

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brother.
Thomas comes right out and says

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it.
He talks about the right of the

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Princess Mary derived from her
father.

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Hell, I Mary was a Princess.
Well did she know she was a

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Princess?
Answers yes, because we know

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that there were scrupulous
genealogical records kept at

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that time.
There’s a really interesting

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book by James Tabor called The
Jesus Dynasty, and one of the

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things that he says is Jewish
families were quite zealous

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about genealogical records, all
the more so if one was descended

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from the line of David Josephus.
The Jewish Astorian of that

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period traces his own priestly
genealogy with obvious pride and

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mentions archival records that
he had consulted.

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Now she’s a Princess.
What’s a Princess doing in

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Nazareth?
Well, Nazareth doesn’t appear in

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the Old Testament.
So how did David’s house end up

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in Nazareth?
Well, there’s tremendously

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exciting archaeology that’s
being done by an Israeli

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archaeologist named Zvaigal.
And professor at the University

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of Wyoming Paul Fletcher neatly
summarizes it and basically says

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archaeology shows that Galilee
was emptied of population

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between the Assyrian conquest
and 100 BC.

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So then it gets interesting.
Josephus records that

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Arrestabolas conquered Galilee
and one O 4, one O 3, and then

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his successor Alexander Geneus
sent thousands of Judeans N to

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settle Galilee and farm its rich
agricultural land.

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And archaeological evidence
makes it clear that these new

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inhabitants were from Judea.
So we can infer that Joseph and

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Mary’s grandparents were
resettled from Judea into

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Galilee, and that’s why they had
to go back for the census, back

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to Judea.
Now, when settlers go to a new

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country and they decide to name
places, what do they do?

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They use the old names or they
use a name that has special

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resonance for them.
So Princess Mary lived in a

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place called Branch Town, a city
of Galilee named Nazareth.

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The descendants of David moved
from Judea to Galilee and named

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their new towns with names that
commemorated their Davidic

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heritage.
Branch Town comes from the the

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Hebrew word netzer and we know
that this is in fulfillment of

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prophecy right in Matthew 2 that
it might be fulfilled which was

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spoken by the prophets.
He shall be called a Nazarene.

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And brothers and sisters, the
only way that prophecy makes

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sense is if you connect it to
the plethora of Old Testament

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prophecies about the branch
prophecies like the one that

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uses the word netzer and Isaiah
11.

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One, there shall come forth a
rod from the stem of Jesse, and

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a branch shall grow out of his
roots.

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And there’s also a word for
branch, stomach, that is a

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synonym.
And that’s in so many messianic

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prophecies about the branch,
like Jeremiah 3.

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Behold, the days are coming that
I will raise to David a branch

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of righteousness.
And in Jeremiah 3315, in those

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days and at that time I will
cause to go up to David a branch

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of righteousness.
And in Zechariah 6 verse 12,

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then speak to him, saying, Thus
says the Lord of hosts, behold

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the man whose name is the
branch, and from his place he

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shall branch out, and shall
build the temple of the Lord.

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So how did her lineage shape
Mary’s identity?

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The national hope for David’s
son, the Messiah, was personal

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for Mary.
And brothers and sisters, that’s

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made me stop and reflect.
You know, the hope that we have

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for Christ to return.
It’s not an abstract one.

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It’s a personal one.
The Lord is returning, but our

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Lord is returning.
It’s personal for us.

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Mary is troubled and scared, but
she’s not surprised when she

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hears that the Lord God will
give him the throne of his

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Father.
David and Mary shared genealogy

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with Joseph, and Matthew 1 gives
her some powerful role models.

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And we stop and we think of the
power of role models, both

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biblical ones and ones in our
ecclesia.

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You think of the impact of the
people in our lives where we can

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look back and say, well, such
tremendous faith.

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And Mary also would have been
surrounded by others descended

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from David.
We’re going to get to this, God

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willing, in a couple of days.
But that’s one of the reasons

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why the reception at Nazareth
was so profoundly negative is

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that there were others in that
community that were descended

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from David.
Who does this person think he

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is, the son of the Carpenter?
So Nazareth, and we’re going to

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talk about this more when we
talk about Mary’s community.

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But Nazareth was near Gentiles,
yet it was separate.

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And Jews who lived in Nazareth
at Mary’s time were scrupulous

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in their observance of the law
and separation from Greco Roman

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culture.
There’s all this exciting new

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excavation that’s happening in
Nazareth, and it’s led by by Ken

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Dark, and he’s published in in
Biblical Archaeological Review.

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And this is what he found.
Nazareth chose a strictly Jewish

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material culture, perhaps
denoting a more conservative

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attitude to religious belief and
concept, concepts of purity, and

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rejecting quote, Roman culture
as a whole, nowhere else in the

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Roman Empire.
What a statement.

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Is there such a seemingly clear
cut boundary between those

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accepting and those rejecting
Roman culture?

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This suggests that the Nazareth
era was unusual for the strength

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00:14:44,840 –> 00:14:49,360
of its anti Roman and or the
strength of its Jewish identity.

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00:14:51,120 –> 00:14:56,120
Mary’s Nazareth had a strong
sense of Jewish identity despite

220
00:14:56,240 –> 00:15:00,560
or perhaps because of its
proximity to Gentile influences.

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00:15:01,920 –> 00:15:03,560
And this is kind of foretold,
right?

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00:15:04,520 –> 00:15:09,520
Galilee among the Gentiles, you
know, that fulfillment of the

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00:15:09,520 –> 00:15:12,800
Isaiah prophecy that we read
about in Matthew 4.

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00:15:13,960 –> 00:15:16,520
Nazareth was uniquely
positioned.

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00:15:17,480 –> 00:15:20,920
It was on the fringe of a great
city, Sepphoris, about 6

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00:15:20,920 –> 00:15:24,560
kilometers away, which Josephus
calls the ornament of Galilee.

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00:15:25,720 –> 00:15:29,000
And it was near one of the most
important roads in the Near East

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00:15:29,000 –> 00:15:33,840
at that time, the we Emeris.
And I wish my high school Latin

229
00:15:33,840 –> 00:15:36,720
teacher, Mr. Eager, was here for
me to, you know, so he could

230
00:15:36,720 –> 00:15:42,280
hear my pronunciation of that.
Tabor writes the living in a

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00:15:42,280 –> 00:15:45,280
small village.
Jesus grew up just outside the

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00:15:45,280 –> 00:15:47,920
urban capital of Galilee.
The implications of this

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00:15:47,920 –> 00:15:52,440
geographical fact are enormous,
and Eidersham writes from its

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00:15:52,440 –> 00:15:54,640
position.
Nazareth was on the world’s

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00:15:54,640 –> 00:15:57,680
great highway.
What was spoken there might

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00:15:57,680 –> 00:16:01,760
equally echo re echo throughout
Palestine and be carried to the

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00:16:01,760 –> 00:16:04,720
remotest lands of the East and
West.

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00:16:07,480 –> 00:16:11,960
So Mary would have been impacted
by that in the construction of

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00:16:11,960 –> 00:16:17,040
her identity.
We know that despite the bias

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00:16:17,280 –> 00:16:20,960
that we see in the Gospel
records about Galileans not

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00:16:20,960 –> 00:16:24,040
knowing very much, but that’s
all it was.

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00:16:24,280 –> 00:16:27,120
That was anti Galilean Judean
bias.

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00:16:28,080 –> 00:16:30,840
You know, go and look or there
are no prophets from Galilee.

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00:16:30,840 –> 00:16:32,280
Like how many do you want me to
name?

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00:16:32,640 –> 00:16:35,360
Right?
So Galileans were focused on

246
00:16:35,360 –> 00:16:38,000
studying Scripture.
Karen Jobs, right, writes.

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00:16:38,000 –> 00:16:41,440
We know that Galilee contained a
comparatively high proportion of

248
00:16:41,440 –> 00:16:45,800
literate, educated scholars.
Galilean Jews knew the law well.

249
00:16:45,800 –> 00:16:50,000
They read it, debated it, and
discussed it, David Biven

250
00:16:50,000 –> 00:16:52,000
writes.
The standard of education and

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00:16:52,000 –> 00:16:54,800
religious training in Galilee
surpassed that of Judea.

252
00:16:55,280 –> 00:16:57,880
In addition to their high level
of knowledge of and reverence

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00:16:57,880 –> 00:17:00,840
for Scripture, the Galileans
could be seen as the religious

254
00:17:00,840 –> 00:17:04,640
conservatives of the period.
And Alfred Ettersheim writes,

255
00:17:04,880 –> 00:17:09,079
the Galileans had more earnest
practical piety and strictness

256
00:17:09,079 –> 00:17:13,200
of life, and less adherence to
those fair sake old distinctions

257
00:17:13,359 –> 00:17:21,160
which so often made void.
The law focused on Scripture,

258
00:17:21,319 –> 00:17:26,520
not on the teaching of man.
Mary’s Navis was also known for

259
00:17:26,520 –> 00:17:30,200
its Jewish nationalism.
Biven writes that Jewish

260
00:17:30,200 –> 00:17:32,440
messianic nationalism flourished
in Galilee.

261
00:17:33,320 –> 00:17:37,280
Michael Grant writes, Galileans
tended to support quixotic

262
00:17:37,280 –> 00:17:40,640
seditious causes, and they
carried their bravery and such

263
00:17:40,640 –> 00:17:43,000
causes to violent and fanatical
lengths.

264
00:17:43,920 –> 00:17:47,120
And Beatty writes, following the
death of Herod the Great, riots

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00:17:47,120 –> 00:17:49,520
and rebellions flared up in
several places throughout the

266
00:17:49,520 –> 00:17:53,280
Kingdom.
Sepharus was the center of

267
00:17:53,280 –> 00:18:00,360
uprising in Galilees, so this
was an environment that cried

268
00:18:00,360 –> 00:18:05,120
out for a deliverer.
It was an environment just like

269
00:18:05,120 –> 00:18:11,800
the one that Hannah experienced.
But Roger Lewis writes, Hannah

270
00:18:11,800 –> 00:18:15,360
wanted a strong deliverer to
redeem the nation from this yoke

271
00:18:15,360 –> 00:18:19,120
of bondage to evil.
Hannah had thought deeply about

272
00:18:19,120 –> 00:18:22,840
the problems of her nation and
its spiritual condition, and so

273
00:18:22,840 –> 00:18:25,240
did Mary.
Hannah knew that the history of

274
00:18:25,240 –> 00:18:28,280
her times and was aware of how
often the Lord had intervened to

275
00:18:28,280 –> 00:18:30,880
send such a deliverer to his
people.

276
00:18:31,240 –> 00:18:33,840
And tomorrow, God willing, we’re
going to see how closely Mary

277
00:18:33,840 –> 00:18:40,280
identified with Hannah.
So in summary, how did Nazareth

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00:18:40,600 –> 00:18:43,440
of Galilee shape Mary’s
identity?

279
00:18:44,560 –> 00:18:48,720
Well, it was a tremendously
strong sense of what it meant to

280
00:18:48,720 –> 00:18:53,480
be an heir of the promises made
to Abraham and to his seed

281
00:18:53,480 –> 00:18:56,280
forever.
And you recognize that from

282
00:18:56,280 –> 00:18:58,920
Mary’s song.
That’s the triumphal note to

283
00:18:59,000 –> 00:19:06,760
Abraham and to his seed forever.
She was amongst Gentiles, but

284
00:19:06,760 –> 00:19:11,120
separate from them.
She was in an area that was

285
00:19:11,120 –> 00:19:16,360
marked by a rich Bible study.
And that’s the only thing that

286
00:19:16,360 –> 00:19:18,880
explains what goes on in her
song.

287
00:19:19,760 –> 00:19:23,240
When, you know, Bible scholars
have said that there’s a minimum

288
00:19:23,600 –> 00:19:26,960
of 35 direct allusions to the
Old Testament.

289
00:19:27,760 –> 00:19:29,680
Some people think there’s as
many as 50.

290
00:19:31,760 –> 00:19:38,160
Mary’s mind was deeply enmeshed
with the Bible, and she lived in

291
00:19:38,160 –> 00:19:41,040
an environment where there was a
fervent expectation of a Messiah

292
00:19:41,800 –> 00:19:44,920
who would overthrow both the
Romans and the corrupt high

293
00:19:44,920 –> 00:19:50,840
priests.
Now, we also told that she’s a

294
00:19:50,840 –> 00:19:56,360
virgin betrothed.
So interesting.

295
00:19:56,360 –> 00:19:59,920
Virgin betrothed in his book
Jewish and Jesus and the Jewish

296
00:19:59,920 –> 00:20:05,000
Roots of Mary.
But Peter here really summarizes

297
00:20:05,000 –> 00:20:06,600
a lot of really interesting
things.

298
00:20:06,760 –> 00:20:10,440
So from the phrase of virgin
betrothed, we know that there

299
00:20:10,440 –> 00:20:12,280
are some key details that
emerge.

300
00:20:13,040 –> 00:20:18,160
So Mary’s age was between 13 and
18, and you find that a little

301
00:20:18,160 –> 00:20:21,520
bit disquieting, the fact that
she would be married as an early

302
00:20:21,520 –> 00:20:23,160
teenager.
But of course, that was the

303
00:20:23,160 –> 00:20:25,960
custom of the time.
We also recognize that

304
00:20:25,960 –> 00:20:29,760
adolescence is a invention of
modernity.

305
00:20:30,640 –> 00:20:34,720
Throughout most of our time,
adolescents were viewed not as

306
00:20:34,720 –> 00:20:38,640
special transitional people, but
just as really as incompetent

307
00:20:38,640 –> 00:20:44,120
adults.
I’m not going to go any further

308
00:20:44,120 –> 00:20:48,240
with that.
So she was of that age.

309
00:20:49,680 –> 00:20:54,520
Mary was already legally married
to Joseph, had the first cup,

310
00:20:54,520 –> 00:20:56,520
and was waiting the second cup
of marriage.

311
00:20:57,240 –> 00:21:01,320
Typically, about a year elapsed
between the cup of betrothal and

312
00:21:01,320 –> 00:21:05,680
the wedding cup, and the wedding
was not consummated until after

313
00:21:05,880 –> 00:21:09,960
the wedding cup.
Now we’re so blessed in

314
00:21:09,960 –> 00:21:12,120
Cambridge.
We have so many young couples

315
00:21:12,280 –> 00:21:17,200
that are just amazing and we’ve
seen a whole bunch of young

316
00:21:17,200 –> 00:21:21,520
couples betrothed and waiting to
be married.

317
00:21:22,560 –> 00:21:25,120
And it’s, it’s just, it’s life
affirming, isn’t it?

318
00:21:25,400 –> 00:21:29,280
To see young couples who love
God and love each other.

319
00:21:31,600 –> 00:21:34,600
And so a little bit of different
experience that Mary would have

320
00:21:34,600 –> 00:21:38,720
had, but the same principle, she
would have been a virgin

321
00:21:38,720 –> 00:21:43,200
betrothed between the two cups,
the betrothal cup of Arosen, the

322
00:21:43,200 –> 00:21:46,720
wedding cup of Nisuen.
So what would Mary have been

323
00:21:46,720 –> 00:21:49,920
doing?
Mary would have appreciated the

324
00:21:49,920 –> 00:21:55,640
bride price, Mary would have
focused on how her life will

325
00:21:55,640 –> 00:22:01,320
change when the bridegroom comes
for her, Mary would have been

326
00:22:01,320 –> 00:22:06,680
preparing for her new life.
And Mary would have been keeping

327
00:22:06,680 –> 00:22:11,920
herself chaste.
Brothers and sisters, these

328
00:22:11,920 –> 00:22:14,000
parallels were brought to our
attention last night.

329
00:22:14,320 –> 00:22:18,960
But that’s focused on them, a
virgin betrothed between the two

330
00:22:18,960 –> 00:22:22,760
cups of marriage, between the
betrothal cup and the wedding

331
00:22:22,760 –> 00:22:25,760
cup.
Isn’t that exactly where we are

332
00:22:27,040 –> 00:22:30,200
exactly?
Paul writes in Second

333
00:22:30,200 –> 00:22:33,800
Corinthians.
For I have betrothed you to one

334
00:22:33,800 –> 00:22:38,480
husband, that I may present you
as a chaste virgin to Christ.

335
00:22:40,160 –> 00:22:42,760
And we all look for that time
when our Lord will return and

336
00:22:42,760 –> 00:22:45,920
come for us.
Blessed are those who are called

337
00:22:45,920 –> 00:22:47,360
to the marriage supper of the
Lamb.

338
00:22:50,240 –> 00:22:54,280
So let’s learn from Mary.
Mary appreciated the bride

339
00:22:54,280 –> 00:22:58,440
price, and we know from First
Corinthians 6 for you were

340
00:22:58,440 –> 00:23:02,000
bought at a price.
Therefore, glorify God in your

341
00:23:02,000 –> 00:23:04,120
body and in your spirit, which
are gods.

342
00:23:05,280 –> 00:23:07,640
We know that Mary would have
focused on how her life will

343
00:23:07,640 –> 00:23:11,320
change when the bridegroom comes
for her and we’re exhorted in

344
00:23:11,320 –> 00:23:13,400
Hebrews 12.
Therefore, since we are

345
00:23:13,400 –> 00:23:17,120
receiving a Kingdom which cannot
be shaken, let us have grace by

346
00:23:17,120 –> 00:23:20,840
which we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and

347
00:23:20,840 –> 00:23:25,880
godly fear.
Mary is preparing for her new

348
00:23:25,880 –> 00:23:30,720
life.
Can you think of a parable that

349
00:23:30,720 –> 00:23:34,920
talks about people who were in
the in between the betrothal cup

350
00:23:35,160 –> 00:23:37,960
and the wedding cup?
That has to do with preparation,

351
00:23:40,920 –> 00:23:45,360
kind of a famous one.
Right at midnight a cry was

352
00:23:45,360 –> 00:23:46,720
heard.
Behold, the bridegroom is

353
00:23:46,720 –> 00:23:48,040
coming.
Go out and meet him.

354
00:23:48,320 –> 00:23:52,920
And then of course, the wise
ones were prepared, and through

355
00:23:52,920 –> 00:23:58,520
God’s grace may we be prepared.
And Mary kept herself chaste.

356
00:23:58,520 –> 00:24:02,240
And we know that James tells us
pure and undefiled religion

357
00:24:02,240 –> 00:24:05,960
before God and the Father is
this to visit orphans and widows

358
00:24:05,960 –> 00:24:10,120
in their trouble and to keep
oneself unspotted in the world.

359
00:24:11,600 –> 00:24:14,520
So let’s take a look at how
Mary’s identity manifested

360
00:24:14,520 –> 00:24:18,360
itself in action.
So we’re going to see an

361
00:24:18,360 –> 00:24:22,240
interaction with Gabriel.
Her identity is revealed in her

362
00:24:22,240 –> 00:24:27,440
words and her actions.
So first of all, Mary was

363
00:24:27,440 –> 00:24:29,600
praying when Gabriel appeared to
her.

364
00:24:30,720 –> 00:24:34,040
How do we know that?
Well, the Angel of Gabriel is in

365
00:24:34,040 –> 00:24:36,440
this unnerving habit of
appearing to people that are

366
00:24:36,440 –> 00:24:43,240
praying Daniel Zacharias.
And in fact, the appearance of

367
00:24:43,240 –> 00:24:45,320
Zacharias is all about prayer,
right?

368
00:24:45,320 –> 00:24:47,480
It was the incense offering.
All the people outside were

369
00:24:47,480 –> 00:24:51,560
praying at the same time.
So clue number one.

370
00:24:52,240 –> 00:24:57,600
Clue #2 Mary’s response, She is
not surprised by the appearance

371
00:24:57,600 –> 00:25:01,880
of the Angel.
Now, I parented 2 teenage

372
00:25:02,000 –> 00:25:06,200
daughters.
If one of my teenage daughters

373
00:25:07,520 –> 00:25:11,720
had a man show up in the house,
she wouldn’t been engaging with

374
00:25:11,720 –> 00:25:14,480
him in dialogue.
She would have been looking for

375
00:25:14,480 –> 00:25:17,560
something heavy to hit him with.
Now, maybe that’s just my

376
00:25:17,560 –> 00:25:18,880
daughter’s.
I’m not sure.

377
00:25:20,120 –> 00:25:24,560
But Mary is not surprised.
Mary is not surprised.

378
00:25:24,560 –> 00:25:26,840
Mary responds like it’s an
answer to prayer.

379
00:25:28,400 –> 00:25:32,040
And the third reason is just the
tremendous parallels between

380
00:25:32,040 –> 00:25:35,080
Hannah’s prayer and what Mary
would have been doing.

381
00:25:36,840 –> 00:25:39,720
I think we can say that we might
even know what Mary was praying.

382
00:25:41,400 –> 00:25:46,920
There was an Amidah prayer that
was prayed at the time it was

383
00:25:46,920 –> 00:25:49,760
started when they returned from
captivity.

384
00:25:50,640 –> 00:25:55,080
It had 16 sections in Mary’s
time, and one of them dealt

385
00:25:55,080 –> 00:26:01,600
specifically with David.
The prayer was speedily caused

386
00:26:01,600 –> 00:26:04,200
the offspring of your servant
David to flourish.

387
00:26:04,480 –> 00:26:08,040
Let him be exalted by your
saving power, for we wait all

388
00:26:08,040 –> 00:26:13,360
day long for your salvation.
So I’d suggest to you that she

389
00:26:13,360 –> 00:26:18,320
was in the midst of that prayer,
and that she would have been

390
00:26:18,320 –> 00:26:23,560
thinking about Hannah.
She would have been making those

391
00:26:23,560 –> 00:26:28,880
connections we read in First
Samuel 1, and she was in Mara of

392
00:26:28,880 –> 00:26:32,040
soul and prayed to the Lord.
O Lord of hosts, if you’ll

393
00:26:32,040 –> 00:26:34,720
indeed look upon the inflection
of your maidservant and Remember

394
00:26:34,720 –> 00:26:37,400
Me and not forget your
maidservant, but will give your

395
00:26:37,400 –> 00:26:41,040
maidservant a male child, then I
will give him to the Lord all

396
00:26:41,040 –> 00:26:45,960
the days of his life.
And I think Mary’s final

397
00:26:45,960 –> 00:26:51,560
assertion that ties up her
interaction with Gabriel is just

398
00:26:51,840 –> 00:26:57,840
undeniably resonant of Hannah.
Behold the maidservant of the

399
00:26:57,840 –> 00:27:02,840
Lord that it happened to me
according to your word.

400
00:27:06,640 –> 00:27:11,360
Gabriel says to her something
it’s that was unusual.

401
00:27:11,520 –> 00:27:14,320
He says greetings favoured 1
Keratu.

402
00:27:14,880 –> 00:27:17,360
We recognize the root of the
word cares of grace.

403
00:27:17,760 –> 00:27:20,600
You know, that only happens
twice in the New Testament where

404
00:27:20,600 –> 00:27:24,400
it’s only used twice, and the
other time it’s used is in

405
00:27:24,400 –> 00:27:28,880
Ephesians 1.
And I, you know, I defy anyone

406
00:27:28,880 –> 00:27:31,200
to read this passage and not get
excited.

407
00:27:32,040 –> 00:27:35,560
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ who has

408
00:27:35,560 –> 00:27:38,880
blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places

409
00:27:38,880 –> 00:27:43,200
in Christ, just as He chose us
in Him before the foundation of

410
00:27:43,200 –> 00:27:47,440
the world, to the praise of the
glory of His grace by which He

411
00:27:47,440 –> 00:27:50,360
has made us accepted.
That’s the only other time that

412
00:27:50,360 –> 00:27:56,480
word is used in the Beloved.
And like Mary, we are chosen and

413
00:27:56,480 –> 00:27:59,400
favored above measure.
Peter talks about this in

414
00:27:59,400 –> 00:28:02,800
chapter 2 of the first epistle.
But you are a chosen generation,

415
00:28:02,800 –> 00:28:06,480
a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people,

416
00:28:06,480 –> 00:28:09,400
that you may proclaim the
praises of him who called you

417
00:28:09,400 –> 00:28:12,800
out of darkness into his
marvellous light, who once were

418
00:28:12,800 –> 00:28:16,880
not a people, but now we’re the
people of God who had not

419
00:28:16,880 –> 00:28:20,520
obtained mercy, but now have
obtained mercy.

420
00:28:23,600 –> 00:28:32,600
So Gabriel says to Mary, the
Lord is with you, brothers and

421
00:28:32,600 –> 00:28:34,080
sisters.
Where’s the only other time in

422
00:28:34,080 –> 00:28:38,320
scripture where an Angel appears
and says the Lord is with you?

423
00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:52,880
There are no wrong answers.
OK, well, that’s an interesting

424
00:28:52,880 –> 00:28:54,680
one.
I I thought of this example.

425
00:28:56,640 –> 00:29:02,280
Gideon the Angel, O Lord,
appeared to him and said, the

426
00:29:02,280 –> 00:29:06,840
Lord is with you, you mighty man
of kale of valor.

427
00:29:08,280 –> 00:29:10,920
And of course, Gideon acted like
a mighty man of valor, right?

428
00:29:10,920 –> 00:29:14,320
He said, let’s go.
No, he didn’t, did he?

429
00:29:14,880 –> 00:29:17,240
We’re going to talk about the
comparison between his response

430
00:29:17,240 –> 00:29:19,480
and Mary’s response later on in
the week.

431
00:29:22,760 –> 00:29:24,400
But Mary would have thought of
that.

432
00:29:25,720 –> 00:29:29,120
She would have thought of when’s
the other time this happened,

433
00:29:29,120 –> 00:29:31,480
that an Angel appeared and said,
the Lord is with you.

434
00:29:31,720 –> 00:29:33,600
And she would have thought, this
is big.

435
00:29:34,040 –> 00:29:36,480
There’s a mission for me.
God wants me to accomplish

436
00:29:36,480 –> 00:29:41,520
something.
It says that Mary was deeply

437
00:29:41,520 –> 00:29:46,600
troubled, and that’s a unique
word to dieterosso di is an

438
00:29:46,600 –> 00:29:48,560
intensive.
Terosso is troubled.

439
00:29:48,800 –> 00:29:53,680
It’s literally all shaken up.
Mary was deeply troubled by the

440
00:29:53,680 –> 00:29:58,080
angels message and she wondered
what his words meant.

441
00:29:59,320 –> 00:30:01,880
Mary is a thinker.
She’s a wanderer.

442
00:30:02,560 –> 00:30:06,120
She’s all about making sense
through God’s word.

443
00:30:06,200 –> 00:30:08,640
What is happening to me?
Why is it happening?

444
00:30:08,640 –> 00:30:12,080
How can I glorify God and what I
think and what I say and what I

445
00:30:12,080 –> 00:30:16,760
do?
And this word dialogue Googles

446
00:30:16,800 –> 00:30:19,320
my it literally means to throw
things together.

447
00:30:19,320 –> 00:30:21,080
It’s where we get our word
dialogue from.

448
00:30:22,200 –> 00:30:25,120
And it’s in the imperfect tense,
which means that it’s being

449
00:30:25,120 –> 00:30:27,840
repeated over and over again.
It’s talking about a habit of

450
00:30:27,840 –> 00:30:31,960
mind that Mary had.
She wondered.

451
00:30:32,240 –> 00:30:34,960
She wondered how God’s word
connected to her.

452
00:30:37,280 –> 00:30:41,440
And what an example for us
brothers and sisters, that when

453
00:30:41,440 –> 00:30:51,360
we’re all shaken up, when we’re
afraid, we wonder, we connect.

454
00:30:51,680 –> 00:30:54,320
We have a habit of mind of
connecting to Scripture what

455
00:30:54,320 –> 00:30:58,880
we’re experiencing.
You know, Mary’s example exhorts

456
00:30:58,880 –> 00:31:02,200
us to connect our experiences to
our beliefs.

457
00:31:03,560 –> 00:31:05,920
And remember, that’s one of the
things that Elizabeth says to

458
00:31:05,920 –> 00:31:09,000
her right away.
She says God blessed you because

459
00:31:09,000 –> 00:31:12,560
you believed.
You believed what was promised.

460
00:31:15,120 –> 00:31:19,960
Mary’s belief was unshakable.
And I’m going to suggest that

461
00:31:19,960 –> 00:31:24,480
that Mary found one passage in
particular a source of refuge.

462
00:31:25,760 –> 00:31:29,080
I think that the Lord is with
you, made her think not just of

463
00:31:29,080 –> 00:31:36,800
Gideon, but of the passage in
Isaiah starting in chapter 41.

464
00:31:37,960 –> 00:31:42,880
But you, Israel, are my servant
Jacob, whom I have chosen, the

465
00:31:42,880 –> 00:31:45,040
descendants of Abraham, my
friend.

466
00:31:46,040 –> 00:31:50,040
You are my servant.
I have chosen you, and I have

467
00:31:50,040 –> 00:31:51,920
not cast you away.
Fear not.

468
00:31:53,160 –> 00:31:55,120
So that’s what the Angel says,
right?

469
00:31:55,120 –> 00:31:58,800
Don’t be afraid, Mary.
Fear not, for I am with you.

470
00:32:00,000 –> 00:32:01,920
Be not dismayed, for I am your
God.

471
00:32:01,920 –> 00:32:04,040
I will strengthen you.
Yes, I will help you.

472
00:32:04,320 –> 00:32:10,760
I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand, Brothers

473
00:32:10,760 –> 00:32:16,160
and sisters and friends, when
we, like Mary, have the habit of

474
00:32:16,160 –> 00:32:20,240
mind, where we integrate
scripture into our minds and our

475
00:32:20,240 –> 00:32:24,880
being.
When we have hidden God’s Word

476
00:32:24,880 –> 00:32:30,120
in our heart that we might not
sin against Him, it allows us to

477
00:32:30,120 –> 00:32:32,520
work through trials in our
lives.

478
00:32:32,560 –> 00:32:36,600
It reminds us that God is much
above our trials.

479
00:32:38,840 –> 00:32:41,440
Brothers and sisters, the last
year or so has been kind of a

480
00:32:41,440 –> 00:32:44,960
challenge for me.
Had a couple significant things

481
00:32:44,960 –> 00:32:47,840
come up that I found quite
challenging.

482
00:32:47,840 –> 00:32:52,600
And I don’t know if you do this,
but, but in times like this, I,

483
00:32:52,600 –> 00:32:56,600
I, I latch onto a Bible verse
latch on.

484
00:33:00,480 –> 00:33:02,640
And the one that I latched onto
was this.

485
00:33:03,400 –> 00:33:05,520
And I love the the mounts
translation.

486
00:33:08,040 –> 00:33:14,400
And remember, I am with you all
of the days until the end of the

487
00:33:14,400 –> 00:33:21,160
age.
In the last year, I probably

488
00:33:21,160 –> 00:33:25,760
said that 30 times a day.
And maybe you’ve had this

489
00:33:25,760 –> 00:33:28,960
experience, brothers and
sisters, where these Bible

490
00:33:28,960 –> 00:33:37,720
verses that you have, they start
as Shields that protect you from

491
00:33:37,720 –> 00:33:45,440
your trials, and then they
become a sword to help you fight

492
00:33:46,280 –> 00:33:50,440
and recognize that all things
work together for good to them,

493
00:33:50,440 –> 00:33:53,480
that love God and are called
according to his purpose.

494
00:33:56,720 –> 00:34:00,440
Mary had that same kind of
biblical habit and she latched

495
00:34:00,440 –> 00:34:05,640
on to Scripture.
So the content of Gabriel’s

496
00:34:05,640 –> 00:34:08,440
message doesn’t surprise Mary,
but the timing does.

497
00:34:09,120 –> 00:34:12,800
So Mary doesn’t ask why me.
She doesn’t ask who are you?

498
00:34:12,800 –> 00:34:14,719
She doesn’t say get out of my
house.

499
00:34:18,800 –> 00:34:22,080
She doesn’t doubt God’s power to
accomplish His purpose, unlike

500
00:34:22,080 –> 00:34:26,080
Gideon and Zacharias.
And of course Luke 1 is all

501
00:34:26,080 –> 00:34:30,040
about comparing and contrasting
Zacharias response to Mary’s

502
00:34:30,040 –> 00:34:34,520
right.
Mary has only one question.

503
00:34:35,000 –> 00:34:38,800
How will this be since I have no
sexual relationship with a man?

504
00:34:40,239 –> 00:34:44,679
So why doesn’t Mary make the
logical conclusion that this

505
00:34:44,679 –> 00:34:50,560
will happen when she is married
to Joseph, also of the House of

506
00:34:50,560 –> 00:34:53,239
David?
So Mary doesn’t seem to think

507
00:34:53,239 –> 00:34:55,880
that Gabriel is telling her that
the conception will naturally

508
00:34:55,880 –> 00:35:00,400
happen after she consummated her
marriage to Joseph, who was

509
00:35:00,480 –> 00:35:03,120
repeatedly called the son of
David.

510
00:35:04,240 –> 00:35:08,720
So I think that Mary was
processing all this and I think

511
00:35:08,720 –> 00:35:12,360
she connected Isaiah 7 to her
circumstances.

512
00:35:13,840 –> 00:35:16,960
When Gabriel said behold, you
will conceive in your womb and

513
00:35:16,960 –> 00:35:20,560
bring forth a son and should
call his name Jesus, I think her

514
00:35:20,560 –> 00:35:25,840
mind went to behold in Isaiah 7
the virgin shall conceive and

515
00:35:25,840 –> 00:35:29,000
bear a son.
And I think yet another

516
00:35:29,000 –> 00:35:32,160
connection she would have made
with the Lord is with you is to

517
00:35:32,160 –> 00:35:35,640
Isaiah 714 and you should call
his name Emmanuel.

518
00:35:36,360 –> 00:35:39,720
I think that that’s the only
explanation that makes sense,

519
00:35:39,720 –> 00:35:42,560
that Mary just didn’t logically
assume that would happen

520
00:35:42,560 –> 00:35:50,040
naturally through Joseph.
So Gabriel confirms Mary’s

521
00:35:50,040 –> 00:35:53,840
insightful inference.
He says the Holy Spirit will

522
00:35:53,840 –> 00:35:57,200
come upon you and the power of
the highest will over shadow

523
00:35:57,200 –> 00:36:00,240
you.
Therefore, also that Holy One

524
00:36:00,560 –> 00:36:03,280
who is to be born will be called
the Son of God.

525
00:36:04,840 –> 00:36:08,040
So basically he’s saying, yes,
you will conceive before the

526
00:36:08,040 –> 00:36:11,880
second cup of the wedding
ceremony and that fact will

527
00:36:11,880 –> 00:36:18,440
change your life’s path.
The ceremony that you thought

528
00:36:18,440 –> 00:36:21,400
you were going to have is going
to be different.

529
00:36:23,600 –> 00:36:27,600
Mary understands that her prayer
is answered, her most fervent

530
00:36:27,600 –> 00:36:31,560
prayer is answered, and her life
will be different.

531
00:36:34,320 –> 00:36:38,440
There’s no record of a wedding
ceremony for Joseph and Mary.

532
00:36:40,320 –> 00:36:44,360
She was anticipating a joyous 1,
and I think that’s one of the

533
00:36:44,360 –> 00:36:46,840
reasons why she stepped up in
John 2 and we’ll talk about that

534
00:36:46,840 –> 00:36:51,840
later, God willing, this week.
She appreciated how important

535
00:36:51,840 –> 00:36:56,440
these ceremonies were.
She was looking forward so much

536
00:36:56,440 –> 00:37:00,120
to being married to this just
and kind man, Joseph.

537
00:37:01,640 –> 00:37:05,720
And instead she realized that
she ran the risk of being stoned

538
00:37:05,720 –> 00:37:11,360
to death and almost divorced.
That was a possibility that she

539
00:37:11,360 –> 00:37:15,440
would have thought of clearly
because she’s human.

540
00:37:15,440 –> 00:37:17,960
She would have been wanted to be
respected as a virtuous woman

541
00:37:18,680 –> 00:37:24,680
and instead she had a reputation
maliciously spread gossip of her

542
00:37:24,680 –> 00:37:26,560
as a sinful woman.
And we know that that comes up

543
00:37:26,560 –> 00:37:29,960
in John 8, right?
We are not born of fornication

544
00:37:32,000 –> 00:37:33,880
and brothers and sisters.
It’s so sad that that’s

545
00:37:33,880 –> 00:37:36,960
malicious slander that’s that’s
preserved to this day and some

546
00:37:36,960 –> 00:37:42,960
writings.
Mary knew that her life would be

547
00:37:42,960 –> 00:37:45,800
different.
Her life would be challenging in

548
00:37:45,800 –> 00:37:47,400
ways that she hadn’t
anticipated.

549
00:37:48,880 –> 00:37:53,320
And her prayer was answered and
she recognized that the answer,

550
00:37:53,320 –> 00:37:56,600
that prayer meant trials that
she hadn’t anticipated.

551
00:37:57,760 –> 00:37:59,440
And how does she respond to
that?

552
00:38:01,800 –> 00:38:05,760
She says, behold, the
maidservant of the Lord, let it

553
00:38:05,760 –> 00:38:07,720
happen to me according to your
word.

554
00:38:09,440 –> 00:38:12,760
Edwards 3 writes that Mary
describes herself as someone who

555
00:38:12,760 –> 00:38:14,920
has completely surrendered her
freedom.

556
00:38:15,600 –> 00:38:19,360
The Greek word, here translated
as handmade doula, actually

557
00:38:19,360 –> 00:38:23,280
refers to a servant or slave,
someone who is completely at the

558
00:38:23,280 –> 00:38:26,720
disposal of another.
In fact, Philips translates this

559
00:38:26,720 –> 00:38:31,000
as I belong to the Lord, body
and soul.

560
00:38:33,760 –> 00:38:40,520
See, Mary’s identity is founded
on those who went before her,

561
00:38:41,160 –> 00:38:44,440
those who call themselves
handmade in the same

562
00:38:44,440 –> 00:38:56,520
circumstance, like Ruth and like
Hannah and like Bathsheba.

563
00:38:59,160 –> 00:39:04,880
So Mary’s example is powerful
and it’s something that was kind

564
00:39:04,880 –> 00:39:08,480
of a foreshadowing of something
that Jesus would fulfil in a

565
00:39:08,480 –> 00:39:15,280
much more comprehensive and
perfect way in the garden.

566
00:39:17,280 –> 00:39:21,120
Luke 22 we read and he was
withdrawn from them about a

567
00:39:21,120 –> 00:39:23,400
stone’s throw.
And he knelt down and prayed,

568
00:39:23,400 –> 00:39:27,040
saying, Father, if it is your
will, take this cup from me.

569
00:39:27,360 –> 00:39:30,640
Nevertheless, not my will, but
yours be done.

570
00:39:34,040 –> 00:39:36,720
When Mary says, behold the
handmaid of the Lord, she’s

571
00:39:36,720 –> 00:39:38,560
saying, I give my will over to
you.

572
00:39:38,560 –> 00:39:42,040
God, make it happen as you
choose.

573
00:39:46,040 –> 00:39:49,120
And the Psalms preserved for us.
That connection that Mary’s

574
00:39:49,120 –> 00:39:51,880
identity is reflected in her
son.

575
00:39:51,880 –> 00:39:56,880
Her son did it perfectly.
We read in Psalm 86, Oh, turn to

576
00:39:56,880 –> 00:40:00,080
me and have mercy on me.
Give your strength to your

577
00:40:00,080 –> 00:40:04,240
servant and save the son of your
maidservant.

578
00:40:06,840 –> 00:40:10,200
And then in Psalm 116, one of
the Hellel songs, one of the

579
00:40:10,200 –> 00:40:14,560
things that Jesus would have
sung before he went out into the

580
00:40:14,560 –> 00:40:19,520
garden on the night when it was
betrayed, we read, O Lord,

581
00:40:19,520 –> 00:40:23,640
truly, I am your servant.
I am your servant, the son of

582
00:40:23,640 –> 00:40:34,100
your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds, so

583
00:40:34,340 –> 00:40:38,700
let’s end where we began.
Who does Mary think she is?

584
00:40:40,180 –> 00:40:44,340
Mary knows who she is.
Behold, the slave of the Lord

585
00:40:44,340 –> 00:40:46,300
may be done to me according to
your word.

586
00:40:47,780 –> 00:40:50,860
So let’s follow Mary’s example,
brothers and sisters, and with

587
00:40:50,860 –> 00:40:55,180
our thoughts and our words and
our actions, declare that we

588
00:40:55,180 –> 00:40:59,680
belong, body and soul, to the
God of Israel.