Mary – Luke 1:26-56 One Detail
No one, at the time of Jesus’ birth, was impacted by the birth of the Messiah more than Mary.
First of all, she began seeing angels. Then she felt life inside of her, knowing she had never been physically intimate with a man.
After having the miracle confirmed by her cousin, she had the dubious job of going home and telling her parents and the man she was suppose to marry. She lived with the whispers, the shame, she knew was not true. Then she gave birth, and for the first time in history, saw God in human flesh.
All this was entrusted to a young girl, what we would consider a child.
And what was her response to the angel? Interestingly enough, she had one question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
I guess she assumed if God could handle that question, he could handle all the other details. The “shadowing of the Holy Spirit” would not just happen once, resulting in a pregnancy, but he would continue to overshadow her, protecting the life within her, protecting the life after it was born.
I’ve often wondered what prepared her to respond in such a submissive, humble manner? Her parents are not mentioned in the story, but obviously they had taught her scripture as her song of praise (Luke 46-55) is filled with it. Maybe she had seen them long and earnestly pray for the Messiah. She knew her cousin was godly and went to be with her for encouragement. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for their conversations!
Mary had no sense of self-sufficiency. With child-like faith, she leaned into the Spirit.
In this challenge, she knew God would be with her. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
God would protect her and the Messiah. She didn’t know how. She only knew one detail, how the baby would be conceived, and stepped out in faith into a world that could have been her death.
But one detail was enough.
