It’s a Girl! That’s the words that this lady was thrilled to hear on November 27^, 1984.  No, we did not do ultrasounds beforehand, so we had generic nurseries. We had no idea of the gender of our baby so there were two name options. Doctors did not help you “pick” your due date.  All we knew is there was a baby on the way, and we wanted “it”! As I was reading through the account of Mary being told she was pregnant today, I tried to put myself back in time and look at her reaction and all she experienced. Her culture was very different. Her medical options were pretty much non-existent. Child birth could be hazardous, many times deadly. What was it like for her? Let’s explore a bit together.

Mary was engaged to Joseph. It was an arranged marriage. Mary was a teen. This was a legal contract between two families. Let’s try to place ourselves in Mary’s shoes for just a bit. Indulge me as I try to “write” a play.

Open scene with Mary working around the house. Angel, Gabriel, “appears” in front of her.

 Gabriel: Mary! It’s so good to see you today.  I have great news for you.

 Mary: Who are you? How did you get into my house? How did you know my name?

 Gabriel: I’m Gabriel, God sent me to give you good news. You’re going to become pregnant soon, but it won’t be after you are married to Joseph. No, this is going to be difficult for you to believe, but the Holy Spirit will cause you to be pregnant.  Your baby will be God. You will call him Jesus, which means THE LORD WHO SAVES.

 Mary: WAIT! What????? I believe in my LORD, but wait…what?? I need to sit down.  What will my parents say? Oh no, what will Joseph think? He’s a good man. He’s a descendant of King David you know. I don’t want to bring shame on him.

 Gabriel: Take a breath Mary. Don’t be afraid. God has got this.

Let’s pause for just a minute in the play. I want to look at some of Mary’s realities here. First, where are her parents? What did they have to say in the matter? I see no mention of them anywhere, so were they embarrassed or ashamed? Were they worried about the contract with the other family? They would have wasted a substantial dowry payment to them if Joseph decided not to marry her. All the money and livestock given for NOTHING.

Next, Mary had the real issue of being stoned to death.  Read Deuteronomy 22:20-21 ²⁰ … no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, ²¹ she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.This “good news” could get her killed. I’m pretty sure that by now my heart would have been pounding and the anxiety level would have pushed my blood pressure to the heart attack point. My NIV says in Luke 1:29 that Mary was confused and disturbed. This may be the understatement of the century. Back to the play.

(Mary sits on stool and takes deep breaths, so she doesn’t hyperventilate.)

 Gabriel: You, Mary. You have found favor with God. Out of all the women in the world, God chose you. You will give birth to our LORD. “He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:32-33)

 Mary: My parents have taught me about this prophecy. I have heard it my entire life. It’s one of the stories that I have been told when we travel, and when we sit around the fire at night in our home. This prophecy said that through the line of King David, the ONE TRUE KING would be born. I have always wondered how this would happen. Gabriel, I’m trying to put this all together right now, but are you telling me that I’m giving birth to the Messiah? Is that what you just said? I’m having trouble taking this in.

 Gabriel:  Yes Mary. That is exactly what I’m saying. But Mary, there’s more news. Your older cousin, Elizabeth, is pregnant now. I know she is very old, and is “too old” to have children, but she is pregnant. Her son will be very important in spreading the good news of the Messiah, the Messiah that you will conceive.

Back to narrative….recently I was given a book called “Giddy Up, Eunice” by Sophie Hudson. It’s a good read for women.  The books premise is the importance of older women teaching younger women and being there for them. One of the sections is devoted to Elizabeth and Mary.  Part of the premise of this section is how much they both needed each other during this time of their life.  Mary needed someone to confirm what she had heard. She needed someone to help her work through all she was told by Gabriel. Mary went to spend time with Elizabeth soon after she heard from the angel and stayed  3 months.

There are two things that Luke uses to show the significance of Mary’s pregnancy. Luke 1:41 ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.I have read these scriptures my entire life, and it was not until today, that I noticed that not only did “Baby John” jump in Elizabeth’s womb, but Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. First, how cool is it that “Baby John” started fulfilling his purpose in life by announcing the Messiah to his mother, Elizabeth. Secondly, I have skipped over the part about Elizabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit every time I have read this verse. How did I miss that? It was her prophetic claim that confirmed what the angel had told Mary. Mary had not had time to tell Elizabeth what had happened to her with the angel.  BUT Elizabeth knew that Mary was carrying the Messiah. With that confirmation Mary broke out in song and praise. Take a minute to read this beautiful song before I wrap this blog up. I copied it from THE MESSAGE because I think many times we are so familiar with verses we just gloss over them.  I hope you take a second to meditate on what she says.

^46-55 And Mary said,

I’m bursting with God-news;
I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

A couple of things to take with you today:

1. When you are faced with things that are hard and you don’t understand, you need to stop and remember Mary. No, you probably did not have an angel come and give you news, but Mary’s world was shaken just like yours can be at times. Just like Mary, you need to realize that God has got it.  You do not need to be afraid.  God has a plan for you. He is all knowing.  He knew that you would go through this time. He will get you through to the other side. It doesn’t mean you won’t be fearful, it means you will trust Him to work in your life and use you for His purposes.
2. As soon as you can catch your breath, you need to stop and praise God for who He is and what He has done. Mary didn’t understand all that was about to happen in her life. She knew that there could be extreme consequences for her pregnancy. Her song showed she looked forward to God’s promise and looked behind to the history of God’s care for Israel. She knew God. She knew He took care of those He loved. She grew strength for her journey from that knowledge.

Thanks for letting me explore this part of the Christmas story with you.  Mary amazes me. I confess when my world is shaken, praise is not at the top of my list. Maybe it should be….

Blessings – Cherie