March Bible Study

Painting of Mary, the Mother of Jesus

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Obedient Heart
When we study the character of Mary, 3 main attributes shine through. Her godliness consists of obedience, humility and faithfulness. 

We are introduced to Mary in the Book of Matthew, where she is betrothed to be married to a man called Joseph. However, there was a crisis – Mary was found to be pregnant. We read that Joseph decided to quietly divorce her to save him all the trouble and shame. 

But the angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Which means that the baby is from God and Joseph is to give him the name Jesus.

We read in the book of Luke that the angel of God appeared to Mary and called her: “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’” (Luke 1:28)

She was specially chosen by Creator God for this significant task to be the mother of the Saviour of the world.

He chose Mary among all the other women. In those days women did not have a prominent place in family and society, but the eyes of God were upon Mary. It was a great blessing to Mary to be chosen by God.

Mary believed what the angel of God said and surrendered completely to the will of God. 

She was not worried about what will her future be with Joseph, what her family will say, or how the community around her will treat her. In her heart, this was God’s call upon her life and she needed to be obedient to please her Master.

It was not a fearful obedience, but a joyful obedience. That is why we see her singing, rejoicing, and praising God for choosing her.

When we obey God wholeheartedly, we surrender to His eternal plan for our life. Just like Mary, who was able to sing joyful songs of praise to our creator God.

At times we may find it difficult and troubling to obey when we cannot fully understand the future. But just like Mary we can be rest assured that obedience to God means that God is in total control of our entire life. Now Mary is called the most blessed woman on earth. If she had denied the call, she would have been forgotten by history. 

Luke 11:27 says: As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you”

Great is the blessing for those who choose to obey God.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered, “May it be to me as you have said”.

Luke 1:38

Humble Heart
Luke 1:38: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered, “May it be to me as you have said”.

Luke 1:46-48: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant”. 

Mary displayed a humble personality – she did not think highly of herself after she received the news from the angel. She realised that God had chosen her to fulfil His eternal plan not because of her background, social status, talent, or beauty. It was God who chose her. 

Mary was humble when she faced trials. She needed to travel from Galilee to Judea when the Roman Empire decided to take the census. There was no place for her to deliver the baby. 

After the child was born, many came to visit Him with gifts and shared words of blessings. The wise men, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna were waiting for a long time for a Saviour to be born. They were all praising God and worshipping the baby. 

Humbly, Mary treasured everything in her heart. She knew that everything was happening according to God’s redemptive plan. 

Heart of Faith

John 2:1-3: On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”

And then in John 2:5, “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’”

In the book of John, Mary, Jesus, and the disciples were attending a wedding and Mary came to know that the wine was no more. She became concerned and asked Jesus to help. 

She knew with Jesus all things were possible. Her heart trusted Jesus completely. A beautiful miracle took place. Mary put her faith into practice and received what she wanted, not for herself, but for others. Her heart was kind to others.

Mary’s faith did not waver from the day the baby was conceived till Jesus was upon the cross and then was resurrected. Mary suffered greatly when she saw Him upon the cross. But her faith was so strong that she knows that Jesus is the Saviour of the World. She continued to live her life for Jesus in obedient faith with a humble heart. 

Acts 1:14 tells us that “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

Let us search our hearts:

• Obedience — Is our obedience conditional? Is it wholehearted obedience or do we choose what to obey according to our circumstances?
• Faith — Is our faith unwavering or divided? Does our faith in Jesus enable us to trust and obey Him when we face challenges in life?
• Humble — Does our heart acknowledge that we are nothing without God? All we are today is because of Jesus. 

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