Introduction
There are many different aspects in Mary’s life that influenced her growth. In
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems, three systems that influenced Mary were the microsystem,
the exosystem, and the macrosystem. According to the spiritual elements of the ecological
system, Mary grew into maturity through her emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of life.
Social Elements
The three social elements that influenced Mary are in the microsystem, the exosystem,
and the macrosystem. In the microsystem, Mary was influenced by Joseph, her husband. Mary
became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, something that would be considered scandalous as
many people would believe her to have cheated on Joseph. Therefore, Joseph decided to divorce
her quietly, until an angel showed itself to him in a dream and told Joseph to take Mary home as
his wife. Had Joseph decided to not do so, Mary’s life would have turned out to be so much
different then what it was. In the exosystem, Mary was influenced by several people, namely her
cousin Elizabeth and the Roman Empire. At six months of pregnancy, Mary visited her cousin
Elizabeth. Elizabeth encouraged Mary, giving her kind words and calling her “Blessed among
women…” (Luke 1:42)1 The Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, had ordered a census to be taken
of the entire Roman world, and so Joseph and Mary had to travel to Joseph’s hometown,
Nazareth, and toward Bethlehem since Joseph stemmed from king David’s line. This resulted in
Mary having to give birth to Jesus in a manger, surrounded by animals. Furthermore, Herod, king
of Judea at that time, ordered to kill every single boy in Bethlehem that was two years old and
younger. This made it so that the family of Joseph had to escape all the way to Egypt and live a
part of their lives there. Finally, in the macrosystem, Mary was influenced in a couple of ways.
1 Unless otherwise noted, all Biblical passages are in the New International Version
1
Firstly, the fact that she became pregnant a virgin and through the Holy Spirit was a great
scandal, almost making her husband-to-be divorcing her. Doing so would potentially disgrace her
and her family, making no one else want to marry her or even allow her to continue to be a part
of their society. Secondly, at that time, it was common to bring gifts to royalty or someone
destined to rule. And so, when the magi came and visited the family, they brought, “…gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11), gifts fit for a king, although they did not expect
to find such a simple living place. These gifts, however, probably allowed them to fund their
escape to Egypt, allowing them to survive king Herod’s atrocities.
Spiritual Elements
The three spiritual elements that influenced Mary in growing towards maturity are the
emotional, intellectual, and social aspects of her life. In her emotional life, Mary is shown to be
extremely dependent on God and what He has for her life, not allowing her own feelings cloud
her own judgement or actions. In Luke 1:38 it says, “’I am the Lord’s servant’, Mary responded,
‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.” It is a stark contrast to Zechariah’s
response to his own son’s promise, to which he laughs at the angel. Furthermore, Mary is never
seen complaining about her circumstances. Giving birth in a manger does not seem to bother her,
nor does running away from Herod and so on. She trusts fully in God and His plan for her. In her
intellectual aspect, Mary is seen to have done a great job in teaching her son, Jesus, the Bible and
fulfilling the laws. In Luke 2:22-40, both Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple and present
Him according to the Law of Moses, offering Him to the Lord as well as a sacrifice. In verse 40
it says, “And the child (Jesus) grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the
grace of God was on Him.” Obviously, a great deal of Jesus’ growth comes from His own desire
to know the Bible and what it teaches, but it also comes from his parents and their desire for Him
2
to know it too. Finally, in the social aspect, Mary is seen to interact with tons a new and old
faces. First, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and Zechariah, exchanging words and praising God
for what He did. She then meets several shepherds and angels as they all congregate to worship
the newborn Savior. She then meets with magi, Egyptians, and many more people.
Mary’s Influence in the Local Community and the Kingdom
Mary influenced her local community by being a great role model as a mother. To start,
Mary is described as being “highly favored” and that the Lord was with her (Luke 1:28). Mary
was in communion with the Lord and obeyed His commands. This is seen in Luke 1:46-55, the
Magnificat. She remained humble, despite giving birth to the savior of the world. She took care
of her newborn baby, “She wrapped Him in cloths…” (Luke 2:7). Displaying her care and love
towards her son. She also protected Jesus by fleeing to Egypt. Along with Joseph, Mary
presented Jesus to the priests of the Temple, consecrating Jesus to God, acknowledging that her
son was not hers, and that the Lord’s will is sovereign. Mothers should always consecrate their
children towards the Lord, allowing God to do what He pleases in their lives, no matter what that
may mean. God has His plans and Mary trusted in Him. Mary also took Jesus to the synagogue
on the Sabbath, as was customary (Luke 4:16) as well as taking Him to the Temple in Jerusalem
once a year for Passover (Luke 2:41). Finally, Luke 2:51 states that Jesus was obedient towards
His parents, inferring that Mary was firm and had standards that she requested Jesus to follow.
Mary influenced the Kingdom of God through several ways, the most notable and
obvious one being that she was chosen among all the virgins to be the mother of Jesus Christ.
Mary was seen as favorable in God’s eye. Furthermore, she allowed the Lord to do His will in
her life. She did not grow bitter, or prideful for holding the position of the mother of Jesus. She
called herself a servant (Luke 1:38), humbling herself. Mary also fulfilled the prophecy that
3
Jesus was going to be born from a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), confirming that Jesus was the Messiah
that everyone was awaiting.
Conclusion
It is no surprise to say that Mary played a huge role in the story of the Gospel. She
affected the lives of so many people around her, even to this day. She displays how to be a
mother, a follower of God, how to be humble and serving, and so much more. Her willingness to
let God use her life for His plan is something that Christians should aim for. Mary was not afraid
to be thrown into the fire because she trusted that God is a sovereign god, one that will never let
anything catch Him by surprise, one that can use even the most “unimportant” people, someone
that was possibly shunned be those around her due to an unexpected pregnancy, to bless the lives
of billions of people.
4
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
