1, 2. (a) Mary received what greeting from a stranger? (b) In what way was Mary at a crossroads?

 MARY looked up, wide-eyed, as the visitor entered her home. He did not ask for her father or her mother. He was there to see her! He could not be from Nazareth; of that she was sure. In a small town like hers, strangers stood out. This one would stand out anywhere. He addressed Mary in a way that was altogether new to her, saying: “Good day, highly favored one, Jehovah is with you.”​—Read Luke 1:26-28.

² Thus the Bible introduces us to Mary, daughter of Heli, of the town of Nazareth in Galilee. We meet her at a crossroads, in a sense. She was engaged to marry the carpenter Joseph who was, not a man of wealth, but a man of faith. So her course may have seemed to lie neatly mapped out before her​—a simple life of working supportively as the wife of Joseph, raising a family together with him. Suddenly, though, she found herself faced with this visitor who brought her an assignment from her God, a responsibility that would change her life.

3, 4. In order to get acquainted with Mary, what do we need to ignore, and on what do we need to focus?

³ Many are surprised to learn that the Bible does not tell us much about Mary. It says little of her background, less of her personality, and nothing at all of her appearance. Yet, what God’s Word does say about her is revealing indeed.

⁴ In order to get acquainted with Mary, we need to look beyond many preconceptions about her that are promoted in various religions. So let us ignore the countless “likenesses” executed in paint, marble, or plaster. Let us ignore, too, the complex theology and dogma that bestow on this humble woman such lofty titles as “Mother of God” and “Queen of Heaven.” Let us instead focus on what the Bible actually reveals. It gives us priceless insight into her faith and how we can imitate it.

5. (a) What can we learn about Mary from her reaction to Gabriel’s greeting? (b) What vital lesson can we learn from Mary?

⁵ Mary’s visitor was no mere man. It was the angel Gabriel. When he called Mary “highly favored one,” she was “deeply disturbed” by his words and wondered about this unusual greeting. (Luke 1:29) Highly favored by whom? Mary did not expect to be highly favored among men. But the angel was speaking of the favor of Jehovah God. That mattered to her. Still, she did not proudly presume that she had God’s favor. If we strive for God’s favor, never haughtily assuming that we already have it, we will learn a vital lesson that young Mary fully understood. God opposes the haughty, but he loves and supports the lowly and humble.​—Jas. 4:6.

6. The angel held out what privilege to Mary?

⁶ Mary would need such humility, for the angel held out to her an almost unimaginable privilege. He explained that she was to bear a child who would become the most important of all humans. Gabriel said: “Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” (Luke 1:32, 33) Mary surely knew of the promise God had made to David more than one thousand years earlier​—namely, that one of his descendants would rule forever. (2 Sam. 7:12, 13) So her son would be the Messiah whom God’s people over the centuries had been hoping for!

7. (a) What did Mary’s question reveal about her? (b) What can young people today learn from Mary?

⁷ What is more, the angel told her that her son would “be called Son of the Most High.” How could a human woman produce God’s Son? Really, how could Mary produce a son at all? She was engaged to Joseph but not yet married to him. This question Mary put into frank words: “How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?” (Luke 1:34) Note that Mary spoke of her virginity without a trace of shame. On the contrary, she treasured her chastity. Today, many youths are eager to cast off their virginity and quick to ridicule those who do not. The world has certainly changed. Jehovah, however, has not  changed. (Mal. 3:6) As in Mary’s day, he values those who adhere to his moral standards.​—Read Hebrews 13:4.

8. How could Mary, though imperfect, produce a perfect offspring?

⁸ Although she was a faithful servant of God, Mary was an imperfect human. How, then, could she produce a perfect offspring, the Son of God? Gabriel explained: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son.” (Luke 1:35) Holy means “clean,” “pure,” “sacred.” Normally, humans pass on their unclean, sinful state to their offspring. In this case, though, Jehovah would perform a unique miracle. He would transfer the life of his Son from heaven to the womb of Mary and then use his active force, or holy spirit, to “overshadow” Mary, shielding the child from any taint of sin. Did Mary believe the angel’s promise? How did she respond?

9. (a) Why are skeptics wrong to doubt the account about Mary? (b) In what way did Gabriel strengthen Mary’s faith?

⁹ Skeptics, including some theologians of Christendom, have a hard time believing that a virgin could give birth. For all their education, they fail to grasp a simple truth. As Gabriel put it, “with God no declaration will be an impossibility.” (Luke 1:37) Mary accepted Gabriel’s words as truth, for she was a young woman of great faith. However, that faith was not gullibility. Like any reasoning person, Mary needed evidence on which to base her faith. Gabriel was prepared to add to her store of such evidence. He told her about her elderly relative Elizabeth, long known as a barren woman. God had miraculously enabled her to conceive!

10. Why should we not assume that Mary’s privilege presented no fears or hardships?

¹⁰ Now what would Mary do? She had her assignment before her and had evidence that God was going to do all that Gabriel had said. We should not assume that this privilege presented no fears, no hardships. For one thing, she had her engagement to Joseph to consider. Would their marriage proceed when he found out about her pregnancy? For another thing, the assignment itself may have seemed a daunting responsibility. She was to carry the life of the most precious of all of God’s creatures​—his own beloved Son! She would have to care  for him when he was a helpless infant and protect him in a wicked world. A weighty responsibility indeed!

11, 12. (a) How have even strong, faithful men sometimes responded to challenging assignments from God? (b) What did Mary reveal about herself in her response to Gabriel?

¹¹ The Bible shows that even strong, faithful men have sometimes hesitated to accept challenging assignments from God. Moses protested that he could not speak fluently enough to act as God’s spokesman. (Ex. 4:10) Jeremiah objected that he was “but a boy,” too young to take on the task God had assigned him. (Jer. 1:6) And Jonah ran away from his assignment! (Jonah 1:3) What about Mary?

¹² Her words, so full of simple humility and obedience, resonate for all people of faith. She said to Gabriel: “Look! Jehovah’s slave girl! May it take place with me according to your declaration.” (Luke 1:38) A slave girl was the lowliest of servants; her life was entirely in the hands of her master. That is how Mary felt about her Master, Jehovah. She knew that she was safe in his hands, that he is loyal to those who are loyal to him, and that he would bless her as she did her best with this challenging assignment.​—Ps. 18:25.

13. If doing what God asks of us seems difficult or even impossible, how can we benefit from Mary’s example?

¹³ Sometimes God asks us to do what may seem difficult, even impossible, in our eyes. However, in his Word he gives us ample reasons to trust him, to place ourselves in his hands, as Mary did. (Prov. 3:5, 6) Will we? If we do, he will reward us, giving us reasons to build even stronger faith in him.

14, 15. (a) How did Jehovah reward Mary when she visited Elizabeth and Zechariah? (b) What does Mary’s speech recorded at Luke 1:46-55 reveal about her?

¹⁴ Gabriel’s words about Elizabeth meant a lot to Mary. Of all the women in the world, who could understand her situation better? Mary hurried to the mountainous country of Judah, a trip of perhaps three or four days. As she entered the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah the priest, Jehovah rewarded Mary with further solid evidence to bolster her faith. Elizabeth heard Mary’s  greeting and immediately felt the infant in her womb leap for joy. She was filled with holy spirit and spoke of Mary as “the mother of my Lord.” God had revealed to Elizabeth that Mary’s son would become her Lord, the Messiah. Further, she was inspired to commend Mary for her faithful obedience, saying: “Happy too is she that believed.” (Luke 1:39-45) Yes, everything that Jehovah had promised Mary would come true!

¹⁵ In turn, Mary spoke. Her words are carefully preserved in God’s Word. (Read Luke 1:46-55.) It is by far Mary’s longest speech in the Bible record, and it reveals much about her. It shows her thankful, appreciative spirit as she praises Jehovah for  blessing her with the privilege of serving as the mother of the Messiah. It shows the depth of her faith as she speaks of Jehovah as abasing the haughty and powerful and as helping the lowly and poor who seek to serve him. It also hints at the extent of her knowledge. By one estimate, she made over 20 references to the Hebrew Scriptures! a

16, 17. (a) How did Mary and her son show a spirit that we need to imitate? (b) Mary’s visit with Elizabeth reminds us of what blessing?

¹⁶ Clearly, Mary thought deeply about God’s Word. Still, she remained humble, preferring to let the Scriptures do the talking rather than speaking of her own originality. The son who was then growing in her womb would one day show the same spirit, saying: “What I teach is not mine, but belongs to him that sent me.” (John 7:16) We do well to ask ourselves: ‘Do I show such respect and reverence for God’s Word? Or do I prefer my own ideas and teachings?’ Mary’s position is clear.

¹⁷ Mary remained with Elizabeth for about three months, no doubt receiving and providing a great deal of encouragement. (Luke 1:56) The Bible’s warm account of this visit reminds us of what a blessing friendship can be. If we seek out friends who truly love our God, Jehovah, we are sure to grow spiritually and draw closer to him. (Prov. 13:20) Finally, though, it was time for Mary to return home. What would Joseph say when he learned of her condition?

18. What did Mary reveal to Joseph, and how did he respond?

¹⁸ Mary likely did not wait for her pregnancy to reveal itself. She no doubt had to speak to Joseph. Beforehand, she may have wondered how this decent, God-fearing man would respond to what she had to tell him. Nonetheless, she approached him and told him all that had happened to her. As you might imagine, Joseph was deeply troubled. He wanted to believe this dear girl, but it seemed that she had been unfaithful to him. The Bible does not say what thoughts went through his mind or how he reasoned. But it does say that he decided to divorce her, for at that time, engaged couples were viewed as being married. However, he did not want to expose her to public shame and scandal, so he chose to divorce her in secret. (Matt. 1:18, 19) It must  have pained Mary to see this kind man agonizing over this unprecedented situation. Yet, Mary was not embittered.

19. How did Jehovah help Joseph to follow the best course?

¹⁹ Jehovah kindly helped Joseph to find the best course. In a dream, God’s angel told him that Mary’s pregnancy was indeed miraculous. That must have been a relief! Joseph now did what Mary had done from the start​—he acted in harmony with Jehovah’s leading. He took Mary as his wife, and he prepared to take on the unique responsibility of caring for Jehovah’s Son.​—Matt. 1:20-24.

20, 21. What can married people and those contemplating marriage learn from Mary and Joseph?

²⁰ Married people​—and those contemplating marriage—​do well to learn from this young couple of 2,000 years ago. As Joseph saw his young wife fulfill the duties and cares of motherhood, he was surely pleased that Jehovah’s angel had directed him. Joseph must have seen the importance of leaning on Jehovah when making major decisions. (Ps. 37:5; Prov. 18:13) He no doubt remained careful and kind in making decisions as the family head.

²¹ On the other hand, what can we surmise from Mary’s willingness to marry Joseph? Although at first he may have found her story difficult to comprehend, she waited on him to decide how to proceed, for he was the man who would be the family head. That certainly was a good lesson for her, as it is for Christian women today. Finally, these incidents likely taught both Joseph and Mary much about the value of honest and open communication.​—Read Proverbs 15:22.

22. What was the foundation of Joseph and Mary’s marriage, and what prospect lay before them?

²² That young couple certainly started their marriage off on the best of foundations. They both loved Jehovah God above all and yearned to please him as responsible, caring parents. Of course, greater blessings awaited them​—and greater challenges too. Before them lay the prospect of raising Jesus, who would grow up to be the greatest man the world has ever known.