St. Mary, the Virgin

Who was the first disciple of Jesus other than Andrew? Is it Peter or is it John? In the book of Luke, which most people refer in gospels, it’s written as Peter. But in the book of John, it is mentioned as John himself along with Andrew. A true disciple of Jesus Christ is the one who accepts Jesus as his/her Lord and Master. In the New Testament, the first person to accept Christ as the savior of the world was a virgin teenage girl who was betrothed to a man called Joseph (Luke 1: 27). Her name was Mary, and she accepted the birth of Saviour in her womb (Luke 1: 38). So you can consider Virgin Mary as the first true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Mary, a Jew, was from the little town of Nazareth. In her teenage she got betrothed to Joseph. She lived according to the word of God and His commandments and God choose her to be the mother of the saviour. We can understand how she was close to the scriptures when she sang praise to The Lord in Luke 1: 46-55. It can be compared to Isaiah 61: 10-11 or Psalms 34. It shows how her life was attached with the scriptures. No wonder why the Angel of God appeared to her in the midst of all women and called her blessed.

Even though she was blessed, she understood her son is going to suffer when Simeon took the child and blessed him (Luke 2: 35). When Jesus was in his peak of earthly ministry, he fulfilled the wish of Father God and considered everyone as his mothers and brothers (Mathew 12: 48). But when he was on the cross, he cared for Mary and called his beloved disciple John to take care of her (John 19: 25-29).

Even though Mary had other sons through Joseph (Mark 6:3; Mathew 13: 55-56; Galatians 1: 19), she was taken care and protected by the disciple of Jesus, John. Tradition tells John took Mary to Ephesus in Turkey. She might have spent her last days there. After the council of Ephesus, in 431, she became popular to everyone as with her portrait with Jesus.

Though Mary was a woman like everybody, because of her faith and belief in God, she was chosen to fulfil Old Testament prophecy of giving birth to the saviour. In this day, 15^th of August, as the world remember St. Mary, think about yourself, an ordinary person like any others, following Christ and have faith in Him. Definitely God will choose you as he called Mary and through you the world around you will get saved by Jesus who is inside you.

To have Jesus inside you, repent your sins, believe Christ came to the world to take away all your sins and believe in faith that through Christ’s blood you are saved and is sin free. Walk with Jesus and be blessed like St Mary.