December 18: The Mother
Did you know that some scholars believe Mary was just 14 years old when she became pregnant with Jesus?
It’s crazy to think about! Most of us–when we were 14–were struggling through pre-algebra, asking our mom for rides everywhere, and finally getting our braces off. Giving birth to the Messiah was certainly not on our bingo cards! But for Mary, that life-altering, kingdom shaking miracle was her reality.
Read Luke 1:26-38.
Mary’s responses to the biggest news a person could receive show us a lot about the kind of woman she was. Certainly, if an angel had appeared in our room we wouldn’t have responded in the same way. Let’s take a look at these three moments and see what we can learn from them.
Here’s the first one:
“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.”
Luke 1:29
The Greek word used here for ‘troubled’ is diatarasso. You could also translate it to mean confused or perplexed. Well, can we blame Mary for being a little flabbergasted? She was just a teen girl and an angel just told her she was highly favored by the Lord!
But we wonder… How often do we get confused when God chooses us for a big task? How often do we doubt that He picked the right girl to do His work? What if the insignificance we feel is a scheme of the enemy? You (yes, you!) are highly favored by the king of the universe! He loves you, just like He loved Mary!
We think Mary’s next response to the angel’s pronouncement is actually pretty practical.
“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’”
Luke 1:34
God is all about working miracles and moving in ways we can’t explain or we don’t expect. Case and point: Mary the virgin being told she was about to be pregnant. She easily could have just swallowed her questions and waited until after the angel left to go consult her friends or Google to see how this immaculate conception was going to happen. But Mary knew something we should know too.
God isn’t scared of our questions!
It’s OK to seek understanding. God is so good and He loves to share His secrets with His children! He might not always give us the total clarity we were hoping for, but we don’t need to be afraid to ask.
OK! Let’s look at our last Mary soundbite.
“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’”
Luke 1:38
Acceptance is a loaded concept. How do we say yes to God when His plans are different from ours? How do we swallow our pride when our lives get redirected? How do we humble ourselves before Him and let Him do His good work in our stories?
God, please make us more like Mary. You speak, and we will listen. May your word to us be fulfilled.
Pray: God, remind me today how you see me and help me to trust your plans.
Further Study: Check out other Mary moments in the biblical narrative! (Luke 2:42-50, John 2:1-11, John 19:26-27)
Interact: Which of Mary’s responses did you relate to the most? Why?
