Mary was the young girl that God chose to be Jesus' earthly mother and was entrusted to bring up the King of Kings and our saviour. For such a young girl (apparently 12-14 years old when the angel Gabriel came to visit her and tell her she was going to be pregnant), she was so brave and obviously had a strong belief in God to be given the big responsibility of bringing up a child, let alone the Messiah.
Some characteristics and qualities of Mary:
Trusting
Brave
Faithful
Willing
Loving (to Jesus)
Honest
How did she show these characteristics? Mary was overwhelmed when the angel Gabriel visited her to tell her she was going to be pregnant and would give birth to the Messiah. Though
she was only young, she responded to this with belief and obedience. Most
people, at that age would not have been able to comprehend something like
that! She told Joseph the news immediately. Telling your 'soon-to-be' husband that you were pregnant with someone else's child and knowing that Joseph wouldn't have believed the truth straight away took bravery and honesty. Mary stuck to the truth throughout the entire journey and didn't try to make any excuses for what had happened and what would've happened next. Her honesty paid off in the end as eventually Joseph believed fully in her and was reassured this was all a part of God's plan. Her faithfulness and obedience also showed when she had to face the general public. Even though she could have been considered 'privileged' in the eyes of Christians, she would have suffered plenty of humiliation in public and lots of pain during childbirth, especially at such a young age.The fact that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God would have led her to go through many mixed emotions!
How did God reward Mary for her good qualities and loyalty to him? When the angel Gabriel came to visit her, he made clear that God thought very highly of Mary and that she was highly favoured (Luke 1:28) meaning that Mary had been given lots of mercy and grace. Though she had God's favour, she still suffered as no one can escape sin and pain in this world, but at least she knew God was with her every step of the way. God was also with her during prayer and through His word. Mary gave birth to Jesus as a baby and watched him die as her saviour. God knew that Mary was a woman with rare strength and obedience and this is why he rewarded her to be the only person to be with Jesus for his whole life span on earth. God gave one of the most important callings to Mary that has ever been given from God to someone on earth. This was because God knew that Mary would willingly obey him and trust his plans. Though Mary was a young and poor girl to the eyes of the general public, to God, she was beautiful and the perfect person to be the mother of Jesus Christ.
Lesson to be learnt from Mary: Mary knew that when she willingly submitted to God's plan that it would cost her as Joseph could have divorced her or he could have put her to death by stoning. She may not have known the full extent of the risks she was taking, but she accepted God's plan and rejoiced in it.
JOSEPH
Joseph was the man that God chose to be Jesus' earthly father and like Mary, was entrusted to bring up the Son of God. There were so many 'Godly' characteristics about him; so many good qualities about his nature and personality that this was probably why God chose him to be the father of the Messiah. Joseph was a very loyal follower of God and was willing to follow God every step of the way.
Some characteristics and qualities of Joseph:
Sensitive
Kindness and thoughtfulness
Merciful and loving
Forgiving
Integrity
Righteous (decency)
How did he show these characteristics? When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, he had all the right to feel betrayed and disgraced as he knew the child was not his own. He also had all the right and power to divorce her and turn her in to be stoned to death. Even though he was feeling a sense of disloyalty from Mary, he was a kind man and because he did love Mary, he planned to divorce her quietly as to not shame her anymore. However, before he could act, God sent an angel to Joseph who explained what was happening to Mary and that she was going to have a baby through the Holy spirit. The angel reassured Joseph that marrying Mary was what God wanted, and Joseph willingly followed the path God wanted for him, despite the fact that he would be walking straight into serious embarrassment and humiliation in public.
How did God reward Joseph for his good qualities and loyalty to him? God recognised Joseph's integrity and rewarded him with the greatest responsibility someone could have in the eyes of God. God trusted Joseph to raise His own son. Though Joseph could have acted harshly against Mary, God knew Mary was honest and rewarded that by explaining her situation to Joseph and causing Joseph to react to her apparent indiscretion with mercy and love.
Lesson to be learnt from Joseph: Though following God's way and law for us may bring us humiliation in the public's eye, it will please God which, in the big picture, is all that matters.