Mary, did you know?

Dear Timothy,

I started reading through Luke during Advent. I didn't make it all that far and Christmas has come and gone. But that doesn't mean I haven't learned a thing or two. I believe that if you willingly and earnestly engage in God's word, however irregularly, He is faithful and gives you insight.

I want to tell you a bit of what I learned from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Mary is a Jew who has, up until this point, a pretty good - albeit poor - life. She's betrothed to Joseph. This means she's going to marry him at some point in the future. And this, along with having children, basically ensures that she will have a decent life.

When an angel visits Mary and tells her that she will become pregnant with the Son of God, even though she is a virgin, here is her response:

“I am the Lord’s servant ... May your word to me be fulfilled.” Luke 1:38

These words are heavy with meaning, and in a sense she is basically throwing her life away. Let me give you a bit of context.

Mary is a Jew who lives in a society with a lot of very strict laws. A good number of them surround sexual activity, but the ones we are most concerned with here involve who a person can have sex with. There's only one correct answer: their spouse. Mary and Joseph are not yet married, so Mary is a virgin and expected to stay that way until their wedding night. And according to the laws of nature, there is only one way a woman can get pregnant. So when her family and friends find out that she's pregnant, they'll come to one of two conclusions: either 1) Mary and Joseph have slept together, or 2) Mary has been unfaithful to Joseph and slept with someone else. I mean, up until that point, no one had ever even heard of a virgin getting pregnant. A married woman way past childbearing years suddenly finding herself pregnant had happened before (see the story of Abraham and Sarah). But someone who had never even been with a man? Nope. No precedent for that. Therefore, when her community discovers that Mary is pregnant, everyone will think she is lying to save herself.

And boy, will she need saving. A woman who finds herself pregnant out of wedlock in Jewish society at that time will be, at the very least, shunned and excommunicated by her family and friends, and, at the very worst, she faces death by stoning.

But here's what is interesting. Knowing full well what will most likely happen, and even before she learns that Joseph will stand by her, Mary utters the phrase mentioned above: "May your word to me be fulfilled." In other words, "I accept what you tell me; I'll get pregnant and bear God's child. No doubt it will be hard, but I'll do it anyway."

There's really only one logical explanation for Mary's acceptance of the angel's words: her faith in God is so strong that she accepts what she is told, regardless of the consequences she will undoubtedly face.

The really neat thing is that God doesn't leave Mary all alone. After an angel visits him, Joseph decides to marry Mary after all. Also, if you look closely at the words the angel uses when talking with Mary, you'll notice that he mentions her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age (see Luke 1:36). Here's an older relative who is also experiencing a miraculous pregnancy. So almost as soon as the angel disappears, Mary hightails it over to Elizabeth's and this is where she spends the first few months of her pregnancy. Here, Mary's story is believed. Here, she is cared for, she is appreciated and loved on. And here, Mary's faith is affirmed. In fact, Mary's faith is so strong that she composes her own song praising God while visiting her cousin (see Luke 1:46-55).

I find the timing of Mary's visit with Elizabeth interesting. It's as if she realizes that she's about to face all kinds of problems and needs to prepare herself for it, so she spends time with someone who is experiencing a similar miracle and who will believe her unbelievable story. And consider this, too: Mary arrives at Elizabeth's when the latter is 6 months pregnant. She stays for 3 months, which means she is most likely there when Elizabeth gives birth. It's already impressive that a woman past childbearing years gives birth, but the story around Elizabeth's pregnancy and delivery has some other miraculous twists, including yet another angel's visit (see Luke 1). Mary probably sees it all.

Can you imagine what a faith booster that is for Mary? When she gets back to her own family and friends, life will become very difficult. But at least she'll have what she experienced and saw while at her cousin's to remind her of God's faithfulness and power.

Bear with me as I mention the obvious here: Mary's faithful following of God's leading results in the birth and raising of an incredible boy into a man who makes a resounding, positive impact, not only on the society around him, but on the world as a whole.

And that's putting it mildly.

So here's what I want you to understand from this, Timothy: faith sometimes means going against what others say or believe. It means following God, regardless of the consequences. And believe me, there will be consequences. And, like Mary, you may not see the results of your steps of faith. This is why it's important to find people who will support and believe in you in the tough times. Because it's those people who will have your back and remind you of God's faithfulness.

I share this with you, because I need to remember this, too.

Maybe some day, we can remind each other of this truth.

Love,

Mama.