When I read the bible, my eyes and heart are always drawn to the women in the text. There is so much to be learnt from them, and at Christmas, Mary's story is no different. Her story of how she came to be the mother of Jesus is told in Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-56 and Luke 2:1-40 but this is not the last we hear of her. As you would expect, as his mother, Mary was one of Jesus greatest human advocates here on earth, tending to him his whole life, confident in who she knew him to be. In this reflection I'd like to take a closer look at the character of Mary and see what we can learn from her.
Early on in our journey with Mary we get an insight to who she really was. She was probably young, perhaps around 14 years old and betrothed to Joseph, a descendent of David. She was a young woman who feared God and knew the stories of her peoples ancestry. This is evidenced by her response to the angel Gabriel who appeared in her home and turned her whole life upside down, so it is no surprise that Mary was 'greatly troubled'. Mary knew that to be singled out by God and chosen for something was not a greeting to be taken lightly. Her people, a chosen nation, had suffered hardship, what might God have in store for her? The message she was given was extraordinary, to conceive by the Holy Spirit and be the mother of the Saviour of the world? What could it mean?
The implications for Mary were potentially extreme. In the first century, to conceive a baby outside of marriage should ordinarily spell the end of her standing in her family and community, and perhaps even her life, such was the shame sex outside of marriage could bring. However, her good, calm and thoughtful character shines through though with a simple question "How will this be, since I am a virgin?". I can only imagine what my response to this celestial message might have been and so I can only commend her for her faith in response to this life changing message; "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled".
It is heartening to see that God had such compassion on this young woman. When she went to stay with her cousin Elizabeth, now pregnant with John the Baptist, Elizabeth's reaction to her presence and the child inside her reassured her of His plans. Marys song which followed is a beautiful expression of the faith she had. Her humility is seen in her song, she realises that she will from now on be called 'blessed' but she is fully aware of her sinful humanity and the saving grace of the Holy one, her Saviour.
The next time we learn a little more about her when a crowd of shepherds appear at the door of the stable where she has recently given birth. They tell amazing stories of stars and angels singing Hosanna in the highest and she treasures every word, turning them over in her heart, adding them to the promises she has already been told. A week later she and her husband marvel at the words of Simeon the priest and Anna the prophetess. They heard promise after promise and these promises strengthened them for the years ahead and their parenting of Jesus was blessed as he grew up wise and strong. Even when Jesus put his parents through the trauma of losing him during the Passover feast and he responds to their anxiety with the first century equivalent of "It's no big deal, of course I'd be here silly", Mary treasured the experience in her heart, building a picture of her son.
Fast forward to Jesus adulthood and we see Mary present at, no, 'active' in Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast. For many years now Mary has been treasuring these promises up in her heart. She has also seen the promises to Zechariah and Elizabeth about their son, John the Baptist played out in Galilee where they live as he stared to proclaim the coming of the Saviour. Jesus had started to gather disciples together and so she had a sense that things were starting to shift and change. Otherwise why indeed would Mary tell Jesus that there was no wine left? What otherwise could he do about it? A carpenter by trade, he probably was not exactly rolling in disposable cash to spend on wine. "Woman!" he says to her, an affectionate term in the Greek, I wonder if it was said in that exasperated but affectionate way, rolling his eyes at his mum because he 'knows that she knows' something extraordinary is about to happen.
Later, when Jesus ' ministry on earth is drawing to a close and he is hanging on the cross, Jesus' love for his mother is apparent and he ensures that she will be looked after (John 19) but can you imagine the anguish of Mary seeing her firstborn son so brutally murdered. I wonder if she was remembering the prophesy of Simeon (Luke 2:35) when he revealed that a sword would pierce her own heart. In her wildest imaginations she would not have thought it would come to this.
And yet still she treasured, and pondered and prayed. In Acts 1:14 we see her constantly in prayer in the upper room, along with Jesus brothers, the other women and his disciples. Because of her faithfulness she got to see the fruition of Jesus work on earth when the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. A part of the early church, she saw the miracles, the healings, the church born. She must have felt blessed but bittersweet. The echo of Gabriel's first message to her, to be prepared to lose everything to bear a son. Then to see that son lost his life to bear salvation. How extraordinary to have been a part of the greatest story ever told. We don't know what happened to Mary after this, the reality of first century life expectancy being that she may not have lived that much longer, but we do know that she lived to see God's promises and was indeed known as 'blessed' by all generations. But she also taught us so much about what it is to have faith, to believe, to pray, trust and to live in community.
I hope you've enjoyed this advent reflection about Mary, mother of Jesus. Wishing you a wonderful and restful Christmas holiday and hope to see you soon at our Christmas services.
Michelle Tant
Thankyou Michelle. Avery thoughtful reflection.