MARY TO CARRY MESSIAH
So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” . . . “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:30-34, 38
Let us set the scene: Mary was a young, devout, Jewish peasant girl going about her daily chores. She was pledged to marry a man named Joseph, but they were not even to the point of setting the wedding date. An angel suddenly appeared out of nowhere—not the norm in the obscure village of Nazareth or anywhere else for that matter. Mary shivered with fear because, in reality, angels are scary. The angel’s opening line is that of most angels when they appear to mere humans, “Do not be afraid.” Just when she is feeling a little bit better about the situation, he drops a bombshell on her. You’re going to have a baby! And this is going to be no ordinary baby. Gabriel made it abundantly clear that she was to bear the Messiah. First, Mary was to name her baby “Jesus” meaning “Jehovah is generous. Jehovah saves.” Then he said that Jesus would be called “Son of the Most High” meaning He would be God’s Son as foretold in Psalm 2:7. He tops it off by declaring that her son would reign on David’s throne forever and ever fulfilling the prophecies of Jeremiah 23:5 and Isaiah 9:6-7. If you read on a few verses in Luke chapter one, you will see that Mary was too overwhelmed to take all this in. She asked how this could happen since she was a virgin—a logical question from a human standpoint—but this was a mighty angel of God she was talking to. Gabriel patiently explained that God’s Holy Spirit would accomplish placing the embryo in her womb and that with God nothing is impossible. Then in Luke 1:38, we have Mary’s beautiful response to this unsettling announcement, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.”
God reveals His purposes for believers in His word, through godly preaching, and by the prompting of His Holy Spirit within. Mary was asked to risk her reputation and her relationship with Joseph and even give up her rights to her own body to carry God’s Son in her womb. None of us will be asked to sacrifice in that exact same way. However, whatever God is calling us to do, we pray we will humbly reply, “May it happen to me according to your word.” Mary did not achieve fame or fortune in her lifetime but has been remembered with reverence throughout history. We may receive no recognition for our obedience to God while we reside on this ball called earth. However, in Heaven, may we hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Father, we love and trust You. May Your will be done in our lives.