Luke’s gospel account is unique from the other 3 gospels in that it expresses the emotional depth surrounding Christ’s incarnation. So many people were directly affected by His birth: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Anna the prophetess, and Simeon the Godly priest who served at Jesus’ dedication, and they all show up in Luke’s account.
One of the greatest curiosities in his account of the Christ child is Mary’s reaction.
Mary’s minding her own business when…
1. She’s visited by an angel and is told she’s going to have a baby, when clearly she has not had intercourse.
When she asks how this is possible…
2. The angel/messenger tells her that the Holy Spirit (which was a concept not commonly understood by Jews at that time) would come over her and God would overshadow her and she’d become pregnant.
Not only will she become pregnant; there’s more:
3. “Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
And, to show that God means business…
4. Her cousin, Elizabeth who is quite advanced in years, has become miraculously pregnant, too!
Finally, convinced, Mary says she’s ‘on board’ and willingly submits to God’s will.
Her reaction flies in the face of social acceptance and leaves open the potential for her betrothed mate to turn tail and run.
Scripture doesn’t really tell us how well either of them handled the news, but we can only surmise—by faith—that both made a conscious decision to weather any social backlash and trust in God’s wisdom over Man’s.
When Mary goes to see Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy and Elizabeth prophesies over Mary, declaring:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Elizabeth very clearly tells Mary that her immaculately conceived child is to be the LORD, the Savior. Mary declares her faith in God by a prayer known as the Magnificat.
One would think from all this that Mary is completely aware of her role in bringing God’s Messiah into this world.
But, then Mary and Joseph wind up in Bethlehem where she gives birth. Shepherds, who’d been greeted by angels on a hillside came to see the new baby.
“When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean.”
What did they report?
“Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.” and “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”
Mary pondered what their words “might mean”.
How is this possible? She was told by Gabriel, the angel who visited her that she was giving birth to the Son of God.
The Greek word for “treasured” used means to “keep something safe”; that is, in this instance, to not allow anything to undermine her memories.
Despite all of the facts Mary was given, it still must have been a bit mind-boggling to comprehend the depth of Jesus’ birth. Jews had been awaiting God’s Chosen One for centuries and His impending arrival had been skewed by those who believed Him to be a military leader or political heavyweight.
Simeon, the priest, spoke these words to Mary:
“Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!”
Her precious new baby was somehow going to be the upheaval of Israel and would face rejection. The final phrase is an idiom signifying that Mary would feel Jesus’ pain, rejection, and suffering as He rises to serve the world (including Gentiles).
This had to be perplexing at least. Scripture remarks that “the childʼs father and mother were amazed at what was said about him.” (Luke 2:33)
Amazed? Sure, why not? They are, after all, merely human, and they’re trying to get their minds around the fact that, of all the people in the world, they have the Son of David—the Messiah—in their care.
The more I read this account in Luke, the more I’m convinced that Mary’s “pondering” is not about doubt, or even questioning, but rather a sublime act of lifelong meditation on who her son really is.
The only other real-life account of Mary and Joseph being at odds with Jesus is when they “lose” Him, later to find Him teaching in the temple at age 12. They admonish Him and asked Him why he had made them anxious. He responded:
“Why were you looking for me? Didnʼt you know that I must be in my Fatherʼs house?” Yet his parents did not understand the remark he made to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. But his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Yet again, the humans closest to Him did not fully comprehend His reasoning. Often we don’t comprehend God’s reasoning either, even though it may be clearly revealed.
By the time Jesus’ ministry takes off, Mary has come to grips with His position, if not His mission. We see her resolved of Jesus’ power at the wedding of Cana when she simply tells the servants to “do whatever He tells you”.
So…where does all this leave us?
It wouldn’t hurt for us to ponder the truths about Jesus we find throughout scripture. I fear many of us, at one time or another, become complacent in our faith; feeling secure and comfortable. If we don’t take time to consider, and “treasure in our hearts” Who Jesus truly was, and is, we can lose sight of our purpose, our calling, and to whom and what our allegiance belongs.
Consider what God’s Word has to say about Jesus:
1. The Messiah would bring about a new covenant. (Jeremiah 31:31)
2. The Messiah would be the rejected cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22-24)
3. The Messiah would bring redemption. (Isaiah 61:1-2)
4. The Messiah’s role was to be a suffering servant. (Isaiah 53)
5. The Messiah would suffer the full penalty for our sins. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
6. The Messiah would be greater than Israel’s greatest king, David. (Psalm 110:1-4) and…
He would be Israel’s most-revered prophet, Moses, only greater by far. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
7. The Messiah would be the “wonderful counselor”, “mighty God”, “everlasting Father”, “prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
NOTE: this is so-readily quoted it would be too easy to gloss over Jesus’ magnificence recorded here. Notice how each of these titles attributed to Him reflects every Person of the Trinity. There is a tremendous truth being revealed here!
8. Jesus is THE only way to heaven (being with God for eternity). (John 14:6)
9. Jesus is The Word of God. (John 1)
This is not a figurative title. Whenever God’s “Word” is mentioned in scripture it refers to the 2nd Person of the Trinity, incarnated as Jesus. All that God’s Word accomplishes, from the Creation on, is a direct result of the Son’s actions.
10. Jesus holds everything together. (Colossians 1:17)
11. Jesus willingly came to this earth, lived among us, and died for our sakes. (John 10:17-18)
Jesus’ fate at the hands of the Jewish leaders and Roman authority was not happenstance, nor was He ever forced into it. He (the 2nd Person of the Godhead) had freely, willingly, lovingly chose to die for His created ones long before the world was made. (1 Peter 1:20) The man, Jesus, suffered and struggled with His impending death, but chose by the power of His Holy Spirit and the assurance of God the Father’s love to lay down His life without hesitation.
12. Jesus’ death and resurrection set the stage for our eternal forgiveness and victory.
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Ponder that
Ponder it well.
Ponder it often.