Obedience is not a soft, syrupy word. It’s a gritty, stubborn word. Obedience challenges us to do what God commands, to go where God leads, and to speak what God inspires. The story of Mary and Joseph gives us a picture of obedience in its fullness and reveals to us the difficulty and delight of obedience to God.
Obedience in Spite of Circumstances
Nazareth was a small, obscure village nestled in the hill country, halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. Nazareth had little to offer. Compared to Athens, Rome, Cairo, or even Jerusalem, it was merely a dull, monotonous dwelling place where nothing exciting ever occurred.
Mary lived in Nazareth
Mary was an ordinary teenage girl; but in the heart of God, she was an extraordinary person whom God chose to favor. God’s grace is always a result of His initiative, not our merit. Having received God’s grace, she obeyed God in spite of the difficulties she inevitably would face.
Mary was a virgin
Mary kept her body pure as an expression of obedience to God, and she kept her mind alert with Scripture as a defense against sin. The angel Gabriel told her what would happen, but she didn’t know how it would happen. After all, how could a virgin give birth? We, like Mary, find ourselves facing circumstances that require obedience, even when we don’t fully understand the details. Mary apparently considered the entire situation to be impossible, but Gabriel’s final statement affirms that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
At the heart of obedience is faith that God can make the impossible possible. Mary did not demand an explanation. She did not complain that she had insufficient information. Mary simply obeyed. She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).
Obedience for believers is not an option that depends on the circumstances. It is a duty in spite of the circumstances. If we obey only when we want to and believe only what is understandable, we do not trust God; we trust only ourselves.
Circumstances can throw long shadows over our lives. But we have the choice to shine in the shadows or to be engulfed by the darkness. We can spend our days living under the circumstances or above them.
An elderly woman I once knew had endured great personal sorrow and pain. Her circumstances were difficult. She was quiet and unpretentious, but she trusted the heart of God even when she could not trace the hand of God.
“Pastor,” she said, “I choose to place my trust in a God whose plan does not require my approval.”
Mary demonstrated confidence in God’s method, although she did not fully grasp the total meaning.
Obedience in Spite of Conflict
Circumstances can make obedience perplexing, but conflict can make it painful. When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, the news must have been painful. He assumed the worst. He thought that she had been unfaithful. According to the Law, Joseph had two options: he could break the engagement and shame her publicly in court, or he could put her away quietly. He decided not to “disgrace her.” In the midst of his own hurt, he was thinking of her feelings and welfare.
Before Joseph could act, an angel of the Lord informed him in a dream that Mary was pregnant by means of the Holy Spirit and that he should take her as his wife. Joseph obeyed the angel’s message in the midst of conflicting feelings.
Obedience is rarely easy or convenient. Conflict, struggle, and agony frequently are present. Obedience is not a formula. It is an attitude in the heart of the person who says, “I want to follow God.” The act that follows that attitude is one of faithfulness to God.
Joseph’s obedience is a refreshing testimony to anyone who has experienced the distress of conflict. His action reminds us that obedience does not afford us the luxury of being neutral.
Obedience in Spite of Society
Mary and Joseph probably believed that the society in which they lived would not embrace the idea that she was going to give birth to the Messiah. Society can exert a powerful influence on people and hinder them from following the Lord. For example, several years ago in a revival, I was extending the invitation when a young woman came forward and said, “I want to become a Christian, but I don’t want anyone to know it.” At first, I thought she was kidding. Unfortunately, she was serious. I told her that if she was committed to Jesus Christ as Boss of her life, others will know it.
If Mary and Joseph had waited for society to approve their faith, they never would have taken the first step toward obedience. If they had depended on the approval of religious priests and the socially elite, they would not have traveled the road to Bethlehem. A sad, but certain commentary on some individuals today is that they raise the flag of conviction only after they have determined the prevailing wind of cultural opinion.
William Murray lived his teenage years in the presence of godlessness and oppression. He admitted that the only time he heard the word “God” was when his mother used it to curse someone or something. William was the 14-year-old plaintiff of record in the 1963 Supreme Court case that banned prayer in public schools. At age 33, however, Murray rejected the atheism of his mother, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, and turned to faith in Christ. Despite an environment that fostered doubt, cynicism, bitterness, and strife, Murray obeyed the Lord.
Mary and Joseph submitted to God’s purpose and accepted the embarrassment from a society that would spread despicable rumors and count the months from marriage to birth. They likely noticed the stares and overheard the whispers. They learned that obedience is a profound social battle concerning people’s thoughts and actions as opposed to God’s thoughts and God’s way. Mary and Joseph were willing to move against the current of society to honor God.