Two Great Women

Memory Verse: Ephesians 1:6 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

This lesson talks about Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, and how God chose both women in a special way for a special purpose. Elizabeth’s miraculous child would be John the Baptist. Mary’s would be the Messiah.

Mary was chosen out of all the women living at that time to be Jesus’ mother. If you remember, prophecy foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin – a woman who had never had sexual intercourse with any man. In order for that to take place, God would have to intervene directly into this woman’s life in order to make her pregnant with His Son Jesus.

Mary was betrothed to Joseph. She was a virgin. She was waiting until she was married before having sexual intercourse with her husband to be. The message from the angel Gabriel told her that she would be pregnant, and not by Joseph her husband to be. God would intervene directly into her life and make her pregnant with His Son. She knew how society would react. She knew she could be stoned to death if found pregnant before she was married, because In those days, a woman could be stoned to death for being pregnant outside of marriage.

Luke 1:26-56 “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. 39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” 46 And Mary said: “ My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.”

How did you feel when you read about Mary getting pregnant before her marriage to Joseph was consummated? How do you think Mary felt about it? Why?

How do you thing Joseph felt about the girl he was betrothed/engaged to being pregnant with a child that was not his? What three (3) choices did Joseph have? (Have Mary stoned; put her away [divorce] privately; marry her).

Mary went to see her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant, and spent the next three months with Elizabeth. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby jumped for joy while still inside her, to the point that Elizabeth knew that Mary was carrying the baby who was the Son of God. Remember Gabriel had told Zecharias that Elizabeth’s baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born?

Luke 1:15 “ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

What does this tell you about unborn children? (They are human beings special to God). Both women praised and glorified God for what He had done for them.

Meanwhile, Joseph had a problem. He loved Mary and he trusted her, yet here she was pregnant with a child that was not his. What was he going to do about it? He was considering divorcing her privately when an angel appeared to him in a dream and explained that the child Mary was carrying was the Son of God--the long-awaited Messiah Himself. The angel said Joseph should remain with Mary and raise this child with her as Jesus’ earthly father. What an honor for Joseph to be chosen by God Himself to be a stepfather to Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25 “ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”

It took an incredible amount of faith for both Mary and Joseph to go through this whole situation, as well as a deep love for one another. They both believed the promise God made about the Messiah

Isa. 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

They both trusted God to take care of them and to take care of the whole situation. God chose Mary and Joseph out of all the people in the world, to be the mother and earthly father for His Son.

Why do you think they were specifically chosen? (Morally pure, trusting in God above all else – faith that God would see them through any difficulties).

Do you think that sexually transmitted diseases were as widespread when Mary and Joseph lived as they are today? Today, in one single day: 480 teenagers get syphilis or gonorrhea 1115 teenagers have abortions 1340 teenagers have babies 2781 teenagers get pregnant 8400 teenagers become sexually active Teenagers between ages 15 and 19 account for 1,000,000 pregnancies a year What do you think of these statistics?

In Mary and Joseph’s day, pre-marital and extra-marital sex could result in the death of both parties by stoning. There were probably many fewer instances of STD’s in their day than in ours. Does that mean that pre-marital and extra-marital sex is OK because society is not condemning the practice any longer? Just because society doesn’t kill you for it, does that make it OK to do it?

Did you know that it is possible to become infected with the AIDS virus from only one sexual experience with an infected partner? There is no cure for AIDS. Is it worth it to become HIV positive, which has no cure, for a short moment of weakness or pleasure? What steps can you take to keep this from happening? Ex. 20:7 Thou shalt not commit adultery" (any wrongful sexual activity – premarital or extramarital)

What are the benefits of being a virgin when you marry? What are the benefits of your spouse being a virgin? Do you think your husband to be will love and respect you more if you’re a virgin when you marry them?

Prov 12:4 (girls) “ An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

Prov 5:3-11 (boys) “ For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell.[a] 6 Lest you ponder her path of life— Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. 7 Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, 9 Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; 10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; 11 And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed.”

Does verse 11 sound a little like a sexually transmitted disease?

How do you think God would feel if you committed fornication? (Very disappointed – and sad that you did something that will hurt you and the other person and maybe even an innocent baby)

How important do you think it was that Mary was a virgin when she married Joseph? (God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son because she was a God-fearing virgin. – Prophecy could not be fulfilled if she had not been a virgin – God would have had to choose someone else)

How important was it to Joseph that Mary be a virgin? How important was it to Mary that Joseph be a virgin? (Safe, no STD’s – special that he and she would discover sex together with each other -- deeper bond with each other)

How important do you think it is to God that you say no to sex until you are married? Why?

What steps can you take to ensure that you will be a virgin when you are married? (Never be alone with a person of the opposite sex. Date in groups. If anyone should try to entice you to have sex before marriage, leave that place and person immediately – that person does not respect you and thinks only of themselves and not you – doesn’t respect your stand for purity and probably doesn’t respect your stand on other things important to you)

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