Mary did you know?

Mark Lowry wrote a beautiful song "Mary did you Know" and this past weekend it was sung at our Church. If you know the song it asks questions of what Mary knew about the baby she was carrying. Some of the words go like this:

"Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy

Would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your Baby Boy

Has come to make you new

This Child that you delivered

Will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy

Will one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your Baby Boy

Is Heaven's Perfect Lamb?

This sleeping Child you're holding

Is the Great I Am! "

As we have been looking at the Gospel of Matthew and Luke for insight into the first Christmas we have not spoken about Mary. After listening to this song, I took time to see what scripture tells us of her...A woman who was chosen by God to deliver the Son of God.
We know Mary was engaged to Joseph at the time the Archangel came to deliver the message that she was to have a son. Luke 1:26-38 says:

"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. "

Back in those days a betrothal was legally binding. It was not like an engagement is today. This Betrothal period was known as Kiddushin and if either one broke the vow of chastity during this time a formal divorce was required. Mary's pregnancy was to occur during the Kiddushin period. God must have known Mary's precarious position to be found pregnant at such a time. But HE would show HIMSELF as the One to protect her and carry her through this time. At the announcement the angel said to her she was favored. Scripture tells us over and over God's favor rests on the humble. He does not chose because of anything we can do for Him. He chooses out of His own independent will. When He chose Israel Scripture tells us in Deuteronomy 7:6-7 that He did not set His affection on Israel because there was anything great about them...they were not more numerous or stronger or even more to "work with". As a matter of fact they were the "fewest" of all nations. He simply set His affection on them because He desired to...God always looks to the weak, poor, humble and it was no different on why He chose Mary.

In Luke 1:47-49 Mary recognizes she is a sinner when she says " My spirit rejoices in God MY Savior." and she states that God has "been mindful" of her "humble state". There is some thinking today that Mary was sinless and even from a virgin birth herself, that is not what Scripture tells us. Mary was just like you and me...a young woman, a mother and a widow. She knew joy, peace, sadness, grief. She experienced all that God had for her with a constant reminder that the son she bore was "The Son of God"

Isaiah 66:2 says "This is the one to whom I will look, he who is humble and contrite in spirit". God chose Mary for no merit of her own...and where He would take her He would show Himself faithful to her and she dependant on Him.

John MacArthur in his book "God's Gift of Christmas" says about Mary " When you think of God's sovereign choice of Mary to be the mother of Jesus is astonishing. Out of all the women He could have chosen---queens, princesses or daughters of the wealthy and influential---He chose an unknown, unassuming young woman from an obscure village. But God's plan and purposes often do not unfold in the manner we humans would have selected."

Back to the question...I think Mary knew something extraordinary was unfolding before her. Maybe not the details but definitely the purpose. That is why when the wise men came Scripture tells us "she pondered these things".

I wonder how many of us ponder the same things Mary did. When we look at our children do we seek to understand what God has for them? We may not know the details He has for them but we do know His purpose. Could one of us be raising the next Billy Graham, Jonathan Edwards? And if there are no children, Do we see ourselves as humbly and meek in even having the honor to be called by God in whatever task He has given us. We did not chose Him, but He chose us to bear witness to Him. What better time to do that than now!