Whatever she was doing, or thinking, was interrupted when she heard an angelic voice saying, “Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28). And so, in that moment, the future of Mary of Nazareth was changed.
It is possible to know the Christmas story so well, and sing the carols so glibly, that we do not take time to ponder what Mary’s thoughts and fears might have been when Gabriel spoke. It had been four hundred years since God had spoken to anyone in Israel and, to Mary’s knowledge, no one had received an angelic visit in that time. No wonder she was anxious and confused when he appeared to her. But the right moment had come in God’s calendar, the time for Old Testament prophecies to be fulfilled had arrived, the next stage in God’s great plan of salvation had begun: the promised Messiah was coming. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4 NIV). Gabriel’s unique and awesome message was this:
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30-32).
The revelation that she, a young girl not yet married, was going to conceive and give birth to a son was overwhelming. Her question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (v.34 ESV), was a very legitimate one! Gabriel had an answer for her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (v.35). Knowing how hard it would be for Mary to understand this, Gabriel reassured her that nothing is impossible with God. He revealed that her cousin Elizabeth, who had been unable to conceive and was now well past the age of having children, was already six months pregnant by her equally old husband; here was proof that God could work miracles in the conception of a child. You can read more about Elizabeth’s remarkable story in the earlier article in this Women of The Bible series.
Mary’s final words to the angel before he left her touched my heart and challenged me: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (v.38). I had to ask myself, if the Lord revealed to me that I would have to put my relationships and reputation on the line so that His will would be fulfilled, would I respond as Mary did? She is a remarkable example of a young girl who had total trust in God.
There would be those, like Elizabeth, who would remember the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah and believe Mary, making the connection that she was the virgin chosen by God to bring Him into the world (Isaiah 7:14). However, knowing human nature, there would be many who would think the worst about Mary and assume she had been unfaithful to Joseph. Even years later, when her Son, Jesus, was debating with the Pharisees, “they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication’” (John 8:41), referring to gossip at the time of His birth. I am sure she carried the stigma of these insults for the rest of her life.
It is a testimony to Mary’s personal relationship with God that she not only believed His difficult message for her and submitted to it but actually praised Him for it! She burst into song at Elizabeth’s house, and that song gives us an insight into this godly young girl’s heart and thoughts (Luke 1:46-55). She knew her God and had an exalted opinion of Him but a humble opinion of herself. She thanked Him that He was her Saviour and she had received blessings from Him. She remembered God had a plan for Israel and the other nations, and with expressions of great faith she worshipped Him.
Her circumstances had become uncertain and probably quite scary, but she trusted in an unchanging God. Not once did she say, “Why are You doing this to me?” but rather, in effect, she said, “Thank You for using me to Your glory.” What an example to us; if we have a proper grasp of the greatness of God, we will be confident that everything He asks of us, however difficult, has purpose and will ultimately be for His glory. How wonderful it would be if we could have the spirit of Mary and be worshipful despite uncertainty, and grateful that He uses unworthy sinners like us to fulfil His plans.
I love hearing the children sing, “Little donkey, little donkey had a heavy day. Little donkey, carry Mary safely on her way.” One of my favourite carols says, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright, round yon virgin mother and Child.” However, the songs we sing and the pictures we see at Christmas can leave us with the impression that Mary had a comfortable trip to Bethlehem and that the baby arrived in a pristine stable where a manger was prepared with lovely soft hay. I think the reality would have been quite different!
Can you imagine the moment Mary realised that she would need to travel for about a week from Nazareth to Bethlehem just at the time the baby was due to be born? In truth, we do not even know for sure whether she had a donkey to ride on or whether she had to walk. What fear she must have felt, as she was in labour without a proper house to stay in, preparing an animal’s feeding trough for her newborn Son to lie in when He arrived? The conception of her baby was miraculous, but everything else was natural and Mary would have felt every bit of discomfort, every pain, and every sensation that is normal in childbirth. Not a picture for the front of a Christmas card! Luke simply says in his account: “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
It may have seemed to Mary as though she had walked “through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23 :4) but consider the joy she must have felt as she swaddled this promised baby Boy in the cloths she had readied for Him, and held Him in her arms. Willingness to submit to God, and faithfulness to see His purpose through to the end, can come at a high cost to us but, if we do, there is joy and great reward, if not now certainly in the future: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12 NIV).
Mary and Joseph eventually went back to Nazareth and set up home. They had other children but none like the One who had been born in Bethlehem. Apart from Jesus, their children were just like them, sinners who needed forgiveness for their sins. The angel had told Mary what to expect from her firstborn Son and she was never disappointed. Throughout His whole life she watched Him, right up to His death on the cross. The angel had said He would be great, the Son of God and holy, and He proved worthy of all these titles and attributes: He showed His greatness in His teachings and compassion, His deity in His power over nature and disease, and His holiness in a perfect, sinless life. Mary was at the wedding in Cana with Jesus when He performed His very first miracle (John 2:1-12). She prompted Him by telling Him that they had no wine left, and He had to gently remind her that He was moving to a divine timetable. Mary had to realise that, although she was His natural mother, she was not His equal and He was here to fulfil the will of God His Father.
Mary knew before Jesus was born that the purpose of His coming into the world was to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) but I am unsure whether she realised exactly what that would look like. Not long after the start of His public ministry it became clear that the religious people hated Him and were trying to kill Him for saying He was the Messiah and the Son of God. On a few occasions, He made it clear that He would have to suffer and be put to death, but that He would rise again from the dead. Whether or not Mary fully understood what it would take for Him to be the Saviour, it all became horribly plain when she saw Him on the cross.
For three hours, in the middle of the day, the sun was covered in complete darkness as God poured out His judgement against sin on His sinless Son. Mary had already acknowledged her need as a sinner and “rejoiced in God [her] Saviour” (Luke 1:47). When we do the same and repent of our sins, her Saviour becomes ours as well. Mary knew that, despite God using her greatly, she was not the dispenser of grace but, like every other person, she still needed the grace of God in her own life. Jesus alone – as the only One who is fully God and became fully man – could bring God and humankind together: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5).
So what can we learn from Mary of Nazareth? Two things have challenged me as I looked at her life – her acceptance of God’s will, despite it taking her down a hard road, and her complete trust in Him. I think the heart of both are found in her beautiful song (Luke 1:46-55); she had the right perception of God and of herself. She heard the word of the Lord, believed it, submitted to it and praised God for it . . . then she lived it out. Hannah Hurnard puts it beautifully in her poem:
In acceptance lieth peace. O my heart be still;
Let thy restless worries cease and accept His will.
Though this test be not thy choice;
It is His – therefore rejoice.
In His plan there cannot be aught to make thee sad:
If this is His choice for thee, take it and be glad.
Make from it some lovely thing
To the glory of Thy King.
Cease from sighs and murmuring. Sing His loving grace.
This thing means thy furthering to a wealthy place.
From thy fears He’ll give release,
In acceptance lieth peace.[1]
[1] https://key4quoting.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/in-acceptance-lieth-peace-hannah-hurnard/
