“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
The Bible does not give us Mary’s life story. (The Bible doesn’t give any biographies.) But it does give us a brief account of some of her experiences. We are given a golden chain of unusual incidents and miraculous happenings that began when the angel Gabriel brought her the news that she was to be the mother of the Messiah. These accounts are given us, not to cause us to worship Mary, or pray to her, but that we, too, may learn to know who her physical son really was, the very Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate in this month. It is these few accounts that we want to consider briefly in this meditation.
She was a young girl, perhaps not yet having reached her twentieth birthday. Secular history tells us that people married young in those days, so that a single girl at twenty was already considered an adult. We can imagine the girl, perhaps not too big, with long hair, with a normal interest in the opposite sex, engaged to Joseph in her teens. According to law engaged couples were really married, pronouncing their vows. They were fully married when they began living together at a designated time later.
When one reads about Mary one stands amazed at her faith as a young girl. We catch glimpses here and there of her character, calm and deep, spiritually receptive and strong. One wonders what unique experiences she may have had in bringing up a child who was the perfect Son of God in the flesh . The apostles had three years of living with the Son of God in everyday life. John speaks of their amazement when he says that they heard, saw and touched the Word of Life. Mary and Joseph lived with Him many years.
For Mary it all began when the angel Gabriel came into her home one day in Nazareth, greeting her with t he words, “Greetings, you are the highly favored one, the Lord is with you.” No wonder that she was deeply disturbed, and afraid at what she saw and heard. She was going to have a baby without any sexual relations. How could that be? The angel gave the answer, which implied it would be a miracle. This she accepted in faith. Already here we see faith realizing that the work of salvation is the work of God, not of man, a miracle of love.
Soon after that she left on a journey for a visit to her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, who lived “down south” in the hills of Judea. Elizabeth was pregnant, the mother-to-be of John the Baptist. As soon as Mary entered the door the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, we read. The Spirit explained to Elizabeth that she was being greeted by the mother of her Lord. Strange, isn’t it? This is but one of Mary’s many extraordinary experiences. She treasured t hem all and pondered, considered and, no doubt, questioned what they would mean. Serious problems must have faced her when it became evident that she was pregnant. Must this not arouse suspicion of her transgressing the seventh commandment? Matthew 1:18–20 tells of the reaction of her fiancee, Joseph. Isn’t this just another example of t he difficulties Christians often have in accepting the miraculous? Joseph decides that in a quiet way he will leave her, but this is the work of God, and the Lord intervenes at the right time. He “takes over,” and informs Joseph what is going on. As a Christian man he believes it.
Israel at that time was a part of the domain of Caesar Augustus, the emperor of that day. Because he wanted to know the number of people living in the various countries, a census had to be taken. For this, people had to return to their native town or city to be registered. It was a long journey for Joseph and Mary, especially for Mary in her condition. About to deliver a child, she perhaps had to ride on a donkey for at least a hundred miles! In Bethlehem there was no room in the “motel.” If they wanted lodging they’d have to find it with the donkeys, cattle and sheep.
And there it happened, the wonder of all wonders, the birth of the Immanuel. Who helped Mary? We don’t know. Notice the tremendous contrasts. On the one hand, this child is called the very Son of God, He is the promised Messiah King, and, on the other hand, He is born in abject conditions of poverty, where the stench of animal manure was ever present. What the people likely did not realize was that this stench was a fitting symbol of the stench of the sin of the world, into which the pure, holy soul of the Son of God had come and where He was to live for thirty–three years, “smelling” it all the time.
Joseph and Mary were astonished and amazed by their experiences with this child. Recall the coming of the shepherds. What a story they told of the visitation of angels from heaven, and their announcement of the.birth of Christ the Lord—to be recognized as this baby, wrapped in rags.
On the forty-first day · after Jesus’ birth, after the purification of the mother, according to the Jewish law, they took Him to the temple. Bethlehem was only a few miles from Jerusalem where the temple was. As poor people they bought two turtle doves, for perhaps sixteen cents, for their offering. The presentation ceremony there was, in effect, a buying back of a first-born son, who normally would have to give his life for temple services. More bewildering experiences awaited them. An old man, Simeon, a total stranger to them, knew about the baby, and gave a shout of triumph and victory as he held the baby in his arms. Now he could die in peace. An old lady named Anna, who had been a widow for eighty-four years, approached them, expressing her great joy because of the birth of this child. All these things Mary treasured, remembered, pondering them in her heart.
There followed the surprising visit of the wisemen from the east. Who were these strangers? How did they know about the birth of their baby? Through the star in the sky? How did they know the connection between the star and the birth of the Messiah? And what faith these men had, venerable, educated men bowing down before the baby, recognizing Him as their King!
Itappears that the family had stayed in Bethlehem for some time. Now, before the child was two years old, Joseph was given another revelation, an angel instructing him to flee to Egypt with his wife and child, whose life was in danger because of the jealousy of Herod the king. Egypt was some two to three hundred miles southwest from the land of Israel. It must have been a big trip for them with their very primitive means of traveling. Where would they live in Egypt? How could they afford to make such a journey? They had the costly gifts of the wise men. Whatever questions they may have had, they must simply trust and obey the Word of the Lord.
Upon their return from Egypt at the God-appointed time, they returned to Nazareth. The Bible tells us very little about Jesus’ life during the next thirty years. We get only a small glimpse of Him when He went along to the temple for the first time, at the age of twelve. Missing on the return journey, He was found discussing theology with the educated, older men. Later, when He began His public ministry, the family was amazed by Him when, as a teacher, He spoke with unique authority, performing hundreds of miracles. One noted His remarkable love and compassion for people in need as He even ate with those who were considered to be the scum of society. Because He was holy, honest and righteous, many became offended in Him, and hated Him bitterly. Soon most of the leaders in the church, the theologians, the “pastors” and elders, had no use for Him. Even His friends at one time came to the conclusion that He might be mentally deranged (Mark 3:21).
By this time we no longer read of Joseph and we read of Mary only occasionally. His being rejected by the leaders must have hurt her deeply. She, with His brothers and sisters, just didn’t understand Him. And the prophecy of old Simeon really was fulfilled when she saw Him, as her own son, nailed to the cross. How that sword pierced her soul! And He no longer called her “mother,” but “woman,” in the second cross word. How many things there were for her to ponder in her heart. But the Spirit of Pentecost must have opened her mind and heart, as it did those of the apostles. How long Mary lived after all this we don’t know. The last we read of her is that after Jesus’ ascension to heaven she was among the praying believers anticipating Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Whatever Joseph and Mary could have written about Him from the very time of His birth, we have only these brief accounts in the Book which tells us all that we have to know. From it we learn to appreciate, in the words of Paul when he wrote later, “Great is the mystery of godliness. He was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world and received up into glory.”
And let us never forget that we know much more about Him than Joseph and Mary did. We have the complete revelation, applied by the Spirit to all believers. Tho$e who really know Him as their Saviour and Lord are much more richly blessed than those who merely lived with Him physically while He was with us for a little while. Astonishment and amazement are the words that describe Christians’ experiences and blessings as they believe with Paul, what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, what God has prepared for them that love Him. And that’s what Christmas is really all about. In history, the greater a person becomes the more attention is often given to his birthday. To the saved sinner who knows and loves his Lord, who is greater than He who willingly was born in that barn, but today is Lord and Saviour, to whom he belongs with body and soul, in life and in death?