WHAT WAS ON MARY’S MIND?

From the moment that Mary conceived Jesus in her womb, she already knew that her baby would someday grow to be the Messiah, the awaited savior of Israel.  This is what the angel, Gabriel, said to her:

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of  his Kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1: 32-33)

You’ve probably already reflected on this incident, as I have many times in the past, and meditated on it, focusing on the greatness of the greeting to Mary, the innocence of her wonder at how this would come about, and the humility of her acceptance. 

A fresh reading of Luke 1 recently, however, led me to ask some questions.  First, I wondered: while she was raising Jesus or going around Galilee and Jerusalem with Jesus, did she keep it to herself or did she ever tell anyone about what Gabriel said of Him?  Did she tell Jesus himself? When did she tell Luke about it?

And then I wondered what was on Mary’s mind as the child Jesus grew up, as she and Joseph raised him up into adolescence.  Did Mary think that she and Joseph were going to have to raise Jesus and prepare him to be a king someday? 

In verse 34, Mary asked Gabriel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”  I wonder, what was on Mary’s mind as she was raising Jesus, as she was following Jesus through His ministry until His walk on calvary and death on the cross.   I wonder how many times in her life, if ever, did she ask God in prayer, “How can this be?”  “How can Jesus be the Messiah?”  Was she not perhaps tempted to doubt, given her circumstance in life, and given the circumstance in Jesus’ life and passion and death? 

I wonder how many times Mary would stay awake at night, remembering what Gabriel had said, about Jesus being called great, and receiving the throne of David, and ruling over the house of Jacob forever.  And finally with the dead body of Jesus in her arms, I wonder what was on her mind, and how she reconciled that blessed announcement of Gabriel with the fateful life and death of her son?

I think of the promises of God that accompanied His call to great and blessed people: to Abraham (to birth a nation) and to Moses (to lead the Israelites to a land flowing with milk and honey).  The call of Jesus to Peter and Andrew, to be fishers of men.  How far the vision was from realization.  I remember Hebrews 11:1 that says, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” 

I pray that if, and when, God would call me to obedience with a promise, that I would — as Mary, Abraham, Moses and all the “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) did — have enough faith to act in obedience to the call from our Father, who is faithful and true to His word, no matter the circumstantial evidence to the contrary.