I couldn’t decide what to study this morning – I’m kind of at loose ends for a bible study right now – so I went back to my favorite gospel, Luke. And I received exactly the message I needed, given that we’ve heard from God about changes in our lives, but are finding it hard to reconcile that with daily life. It’s the “walking it out” that is so hard. But there’s nothing new under the sun, as Solomon said, and my struggle is far from unique.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew better than anyone that his conception and birth was a miracle. She saw an angel. She knew the circumstances of his conception. It was confirmed again by her visit to Elizabeth, and she praised God for it:
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
(Luke 1:41-55)
It was confirmed by Joseph, who had seen an angel and received instructions to marry her in spite of her pregnancy. Later, when Jesus was born, it was confirmed again by the shepherds, and she did not take it lightly:
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:7-19)
It was confirmed again a week later by Simeon in the temple. So what happened in the subsequent twelve years for her to arrive at this point?
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
(Luke 2:46-52)
It gets worse. Jesus began his ministry, and returned to his hometown. Now, whether you believe that the brothers referred to in this section were Joseph’s children from a prior marriage, as many Catholics do, or the product of Joseph and Mary’s marriage, as Protestants do, is irrelevant. These are people who saw Jesus grow up in the same house and who knew him intimately. If your brother, after having been away, came back to your small town to preach, you would be there. It defies common sense to think that Jesus’ brothers were not present when Jesus spoke in the synagogue. At first his reception by the people was good but they soon became angry as he continued to speak:
When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.
(Luke 4:28-30)
This was someone they knew – “Joseph’s son,” the kid next door, someone who had played with their children, or with them, someone they had spent a lot of time with. And there is every reason to believe that his brothers were present. But not one person defended him when the crowd tried to throw him off a cliff. As it says in John 7:5, “For not even his brothers believed in him.” Later, his family, including Mary, came to interrupt his preaching:
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)
Had they remembered who he was, they would have recognized the importance of what Jesus was doing and respected it. They could have squeezed in with the rest of the crowd and listened, or they could have waited to speak to him later. But his own family, including Mary who was the one person who should have known better, doubted him. In spite of the fact that the angel had specifically told Mary the outcome of Jesus’ life, she worried about him when he was “lost” as a twelve year old, during his ministry, and at his death. In spite of the fact that it was confirmed by Elizabeth, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, and the shepherds, she doubted. So what happened between the miraculous beginnings and the ignominious end? The grinding distractions of daily life.
I’ll be studying this for a while – how to avoid being distracted by small things and prevented from seeing the bigger picture – but in the meantime, it’s a comfort to remember that everybody, even Mary, is subject to this problem.
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