9th May 2025
Mary – the beginning of the story
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
Luke 1:26-29 (NKJV)
Visits from God’s messengers are threads that run through Jewish history, as recorded throughout the Old Testament. So although Mary was ‘troubled’ at the appearance of an angel, it was not an experience she would have dismissed. We are told that she, ‘…considered what manner of greeting this was.’ She could not have been aware, after Gabriel had delivered his message, what it meant. The depth of meaning would unfold with time.
Mary would still have been in her teens – but more mature and responsible than a 15 year old girl would appear today. There would not have been the obligatory school – she was poor and female, the last on the list for education. It was unlikely she could read, and learning from the scriptures was from listening to them being read: constant reminders of where her people had come from and what hope their future held. So Gabriel’s message would have resonated with what she knew from those ancient writings: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33).
Mary’s response is entirely relatable. A young woman, a virgin, asks the obvious, “How can this be…?” Her following, faith-filled, obedient response (v.34) would have embraced the saviours she had heard of in the scriptures so many times: strong men, often charismatic, or prophets confronting wayward rulers; characters who had commanded a faithful following of men prepared to give their lives to throw off oppressors, so the country could return to the true worship of their God. There were the kings who ‘did what was right in the sight of the Lord’ and the nation was often prosperous under their rule. But it didn’t last, and Malachi’s prophecies pointed to a saviour who would bring in a permanent peace (Malachi 3:1). Mary’s baby was going to be this saviour, and the history of Israel was about to undergo a seismic change. Would she live with this king – grown up and ruling in a palace like David? The angel said he would sit on David’s throne. Would he lead an army to overthrow the Roman oppressive rule? These were the models of saviours that she knew of. The months and years ahead were going to be tumultuous, as the story that she could not have predicted, unfolded.
Some Christian groups revere Mary as a saint, and she is pictured in art that sees her, not as a strong, resilient Jewish girl, but as a pale, ethereal figure, often with a halo to signify her sainthood. This can obscure the reality of Jesus’ early life, in relative poverty, while Mary waited for the angel’s words to be fulfilled: “He will be great…”.
Prayer
Father, we pray that we may faithfully say, along with Mary, “Let it be to me according to your word.” Amen.
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Study by: Maggie Mitchell About the author: |
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Local congregation:
GCI Market Harborough
9 The Point
Rockingham Road
Market Harborough
LE16 7QU
Meeting time:
Sunday 4.00 pm
Local congregational contact:
Sinead Henderson
Email: sinead.henderson@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church