Mary Could Have Said, "No".
In the first chapter of the Book of Luke, verse 26 an angel appeared unto Mary, a young girl who was espoused to Joseph but had never known a man. He presented a plan and a proposal to Mary. Let’s read verses 28 through 33.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Undoubtedly, Mary had a decision to make. Some of the things that might have gone through her mind:
- If I say yes to God, the people could kill me as a fornicator. Er, you do know, Mr. Angel, that pregnancy outside of wedlock is a justifiable reason for me to die, right?
- Joseph will think I played off on him and I would lose a good man.
- My parents would banish me.
- My baby could be known as a “bastard” child.
- How would I be able to raise a child all by myself?
- If I told the people what this angel just told me, I would be laughed to scorn.
- For the rest of my life, I would live in shame and rejection.
- This is the only child I might ever have because who would want damaged goods?
- This could just be a nightmare.
- This could be a trick of the enemy.
But Mary, who knew the voice of God, bowed her will to the will of God and yielded to His Holy Plan. She only had one question for the angel, which is found in verse 34:
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
The answer that she was given by the angel calmed her fears. Heaven gave her more information than she asked for in verses. 35-37.
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
With the information that she was given, Mary responded positively in the 38th verse:
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
As a result of her response, God’s plan for man's salvation was activated. We have the history of Jesus’s birth, His life, death for our sins, and then His resurrection and ascension, just as God had planned. He is the greatest of the great and the best of the best, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Mary will forever be known as His Mother simply because she stepped out on faith and said “Yes” to Her Heavenly Father.
But Mary could have said, “No”. She could have avoided the verbal and societal abuse, the shame, and the false accusations that she endured. She could have avoided the horrible pain of having to view her oldest Son’s crucifixion. If she had said no, our Savior’s mother’s name could have been Betty, Susan, or Jeanne because God could have chosen another. But this humble servant girl said “yes” to the will of God. Just look where she is now in the grand scheme of life, simply because she yielded to the will of God.
A popular song entitled “Mary Did You Know,” written by Mark Lowry in 1984, tells us these things about Mary’s baby:
Her baby boy walked on water.
He saved our sons and daughters.
He came to make her new.
And Mary, the baby you delivered, came to deliver You.
He gave sight to a blind man.
And he calmed a storm with His hand.
He walked where angels trod,
And Mary, when you kissed the face of your baby
She kissed the face of God.
But! What if Mary had said NO! She could have. She had every right. God created us all free moral agents, you know. Her "no" would not have stopped God’s plan, but she would have missed an opportunity that impacted every living creature that ever existed and whose impact affected eternity.
In the same way, dear hearts, God will offer each of us an opportunity to say “yes” or “no” to Him. For some of us, it may be a call to ministry or an encouragement to sing in the choir or to go on the mission field. It could simply be a decision to say yes to salvation to others. BTW, He has promised each of us an opportunity to be saved. The Bible says in Titus 2:11:
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Every man will be given a chance to say “yes” to God. When Mary’s opportunity to respond positively to God’s call came, she could have said no. She could have told Him that He made a mistake and that she was not equal to the task. Looking at all the problems she could have avoided, it would have made good common sense, based on human wisdom, for her to say no. But she didn’t. The Bible tells us that the just shall live by faith. Mary trusted that the God of her salvation, who chose to include her in His great plan, could see her through any trial or tribulation. She believed this was His plan for her life and decided to walk by faith in God. Look at the outcome of her decision.
But what about you? Whether you are saved or unsaved, how will you respond to God? Are you wrestling with God’s plan for your life? Some of you were told to stop drinking the sodas that are killing your kidneys. Others were told to stop watching the porn that’s destroying your soul. Are you the one who was told to leave that woman’s husband or that man's wife alone? What will your answer be? What are you going to say to God when He speaks to you? Will your answer be "yes" or "no"? It’s up to you.
