Why Did God Choose Mary?

Photo by:  Hans Weingartz

Why, out of all the girls in Israel, did God choose Mary to be Jesus' mother? I always thought it was because she must have been very devout and close to God. One thing we do know, it was a wonderful blessing.

The angel Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Luke 1:28

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!"  Luke 1:42

Mary herself said, "From now on all generations will call me blessed." Luke 1:48


TDJakes says "Blessed" means the uncanny ability to go through trouble and land on your feet. He says that is one of the reasons why God chose Mary. She was strong, she was brave and she had faith.

Imagine being a young girl engaged to a man in ancient days and it is found that you are pregnant. She may have told her parents and in-laws that an angel appeared and spoke to her - but who would believe her? I doubt anyone did. In fact, when Joseph found out she was pregnant, he decided to write a divorce paper. 
"The thought is of public proclamation of the fact of the divorce, not that of bringing Mary herself forward for public punishment, and so making her a public example." Pulpit Commentary

What shame for Mary to face!

It took an angel from heaven to convince Joseph to wed Mary.

Before she gave birth, the Emperor decreed everyone needed to to return to the land of their ancestors. Mary, nine months pregnant, had to ride a donkey for miles. Then when she looked forward to a bed to sleep on, there was none. She had to sleep in a barn or cave and give birth on the floor.

Joseph and Mary stayed in Bethlehem, but then an angel appeared to Joseph in the night, "An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." Matt. 2:13  Mary had to get up in the middle of the night and go on an even longer and more arduous trip with her baby - to a foreign land she had never seen and where she knew no one.

After Herod died, an angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus back to the land of Israel. Being afraid of Herod's son, they moved north to Nazareth and there they stayed.

I'm sure Mary had years of happiness in Nazareth with Jesus and Joseph. But when Jesus was preaching she also must have heard rumors of how the leaders of the church hated him. I'm sure she worried over Jesus and prayed constantly for him. Then she finally hears of the trial and condemnation of Jesus. She hears he will be crucified by the Romans.

She goes to the place of execution and there sees her beloved son bleeding, suffering and dying on a cross. What heartache for her! But then she hears he is raised from the grave and I'm sure, although the Bible doesn't say so, Jesus saw her again before he went back to heaven.

So, why did God choose Mary? I think T.D. Jakes is right; she was a woman who knew how to be strong in the Lord.