How will this be?
In church today, the pastor mentioned Gabriel's visit to Mary when he told her that she would bear a child and that would be Jesus. One of the first things that Mary says is "How will this be" and then she goes on to say "since I am a virgin." Luke 1:34. We usually only think of this question from Mary in terms of the physical possibility of her being pregnant, but the pastor mentioned that he thinks that she meant more than that.
Mary is another example of how God's choices are not like ours. Mary was not in a palace or famous. She was not wealthy or in a position of influence. She didn't have servants under her or a name that people would recognize. She was a teenager, who was to be married to Joseph. Not just a teenager, but a poor teenager, from a family from a back water town in Galilee, known by nobody, having no real influence with anyone of importance. I doubt that most of us would have given a thought to giving Mary this responsibility.
Yet, the Bible tells us that God does not judge people the way that we do. He saw what was inside of Mary. He saw that simple, childlike faith that she would need to parent and love his son and help him grow up. Gabriel described it this way in verse 28 "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary is going to need that simple faith because Jesus isn't going by the script that the Pharisees laid out in synagogue. He seemed to do things at times not just different from what she expected, but contrary. He seemed to almost enjoy at times making the Pharisees mad. He seemed to enjoy doing miracles on the Sabbath. I think if the disciples were sometimes scratching their heads when they heard Jesus, Mary must have been thinking, "Welcome to my world. I've been listening to his since he could talk and I still don't always understand." And if we are honest about it, that is the same world we are in sometimes too. Because God still doesn't operate according to our script. In fact, he seems to enjoy confusing us sometimes. He seems to do things backwards. It is hard to understand sometimes what God is up to. If you've never thought that then your either not thinking very deeply about things or your not paying attention.
What do you think Mary was thinking on those days that Jesus is told that his family is there to see him. Walking in the middle of the crowd Mary hears the Pharisees saying that Jesus is filled with Satan or that he is crazy. Then seeing Jesus be condemned and crucified? Don't you think there was a moment when Mary thought to herself "It isn't suppose to go like this?" "This isn't what the angel said would happen."
Yes, God still goes off script. Life is messy at times. And we have to embrace that same kind of childlike faith that Mary had that God is still in control, even when it may appear that the war has been lost.
Mary is another example of how God's choices are not like ours. Mary was not in a palace or famous. She was not wealthy or in a position of influence. She didn't have servants under her or a name that people would recognize. She was a teenager, who was to be married to Joseph. Not just a teenager, but a poor teenager, from a family from a back water town in Galilee, known by nobody, having no real influence with anyone of importance. I doubt that most of us would have given a thought to giving Mary this responsibility.
Yet, the Bible tells us that God does not judge people the way that we do. He saw what was inside of Mary. He saw that simple, childlike faith that she would need to parent and love his son and help him grow up. Gabriel described it this way in verse 28 "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary is going to need that simple faith because Jesus isn't going by the script that the Pharisees laid out in synagogue. He seemed to do things at times not just different from what she expected, but contrary. He seemed to almost enjoy at times making the Pharisees mad. He seemed to enjoy doing miracles on the Sabbath. I think if the disciples were sometimes scratching their heads when they heard Jesus, Mary must have been thinking, "Welcome to my world. I've been listening to his since he could talk and I still don't always understand." And if we are honest about it, that is the same world we are in sometimes too. Because God still doesn't operate according to our script. In fact, he seems to enjoy confusing us sometimes. He seems to do things backwards. It is hard to understand sometimes what God is up to. If you've never thought that then your either not thinking very deeply about things or your not paying attention.
What do you think Mary was thinking on those days that Jesus is told that his family is there to see him. Walking in the middle of the crowd Mary hears the Pharisees saying that Jesus is filled with Satan or that he is crazy. Then seeing Jesus be condemned and crucified? Don't you think there was a moment when Mary thought to herself "It isn't suppose to go like this?" "This isn't what the angel said would happen."
Yes, God still goes off script. Life is messy at times. And we have to embrace that same kind of childlike faith that Mary had that God is still in control, even when it may appear that the war has been lost.
