Mary Demurred, Then Obeyed

What Did Mary Do?

“How will this be, since I am a virgin...Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1.34, 38

I know I am supposed to be talking about what Jesus did, but it just seemed right at this time of year to consider Mary as we prepare to again celebrate the birth of her son. While I wouldn't say that Mary is the Queen of Heaven, there is no arguing that she was chosen by the Father to be the mother of our Lord.

Of course, it was most startling to be greeted by an angel sent by God. Not that Mary didn't believe in angels; she knew that God employed the divine beings as messengers. But the last thing Mary would have said, if asked what she expected that day, would have been, “I'm going to be visited by Gabriel!” Things like that just didn't happen to folks from Nazareth, and they certainly did not happen to inconsequential young women.

Yet there the angel was, greeting her directly, and not with a message of condemnation or warning, but to tell her that she, of all people, had “found favor with God.” Poor Mary, she couldn't even say, “Who, me?” because the angel spoke to her by name. And the angel's message, well, it was incredible. Sure, Mary had hoped, as had all Israel, for the Messiah; never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the Messiah would be her son!

Not yet married, how it could be that she could give birth to anybody's son, much less the Son of the Most High? It wasn't so much that Mary had any objections, she just wasn't sure how she could have a baby, never having been with a man, not even Joseph her betrothed. While we might imagine the incredulity of most teens, Mary was more than satisfied with the explanation that the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High would come upon her, so that the child she would conceive would be—the Son of God. In an instant Mary's demur, “How can this be?” was transformed into the humbly obedient, “let it be to me according to your word.” And, rightfully, Mary has ever since been known as the most blessed among women.

Not that her life as the mother of the Lord was easy, or free from terrible sacrifice and pain. How many mothers do you know who could quietly look on as their beloved son was crucified for the sins of others? How she surely must have longed for a legion of angels, foe even one angel, to come and deliver her son from the cross. But then Jesus wasn't merely Mary's son, he was also the Son of the Father. And, more than anything, Mary was committed to the Father's will, even when it meant her son had to die on a cross. Mary's faith was rewarded, as no other mother's when, along with the other women and the disciples, she learned on the first day of the week that Jesus was not dead, but had risen from the grave, just as he said he would!

Here's why I think it is a good thing for us to remember Mary. First of all, we have permission to wonder, even to question, when God call upon us. Mary was quite startled and overwhelmed at first, and God knows we will likely be as well when he calls upon us. But, like Mary, our faith needs to lead us to obey, even beyond our questioning. You see, a servant, as Mary understood herself to be, can have doubts and questions as long as obedience is the final disposition of the heart. Even prayers containing questions and expressing doubts can be faithful, when spoken from an obedient heart.

We can trust the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and bring us more and more into conformity with the person of Jesus; but we might also ask the Spirit to help us to trust and obey as the Lord's mother did. After all, we could hardly have a Christmas if not for Mary, who demurred, then obeyed.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4