I really appreciated reading the surrounding chapters of Luke 2:1-20 and seeing the lives that were involved in Jesus' entry into the world. The last few years I've watched The Nativity Story (click to watch trailer) around Christmas, and it has really enriched my appreciation and understanding of Mary and Joseph and their journey by making the context (historical and relational) real to me. I definitely recommend it if you haven't seen it. I also liked the reminder that Jesus and John the Baptist are related--and reading the prophecies and John's birth story along side Jesus'. But, I don't have time to write about all of that, so I'm just going to reflect on Mary and Joseph, these young parents faced with a very challenging situation in the midst of the amazing blessing for themselves, and all people past, and present, in the gift of Jesus Christ.
Mary
If you were a 13-16 year old girl, a virgin, and engaged, how would you
react to the news that you're pregnant? I'm amazed at Mary's reaction to this information. She asks a clarifying question (how is this possible?) and then says, "I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:37). What an amazing response to give in that moment. Not once she's had time to process, not after she's weighed pros and cons, immediately, she says, "Ok, God, I'm yours."
She's been promised that this child will be the Son of God, and sit on David's throne, which yes, is an incredible honor. But she's also being thrown into an incredibly difficult situation. By becoming pregnant, she brings shame to her family and betrays the man to whom she's engaged. Who would believe that she's done nothing wrong? While I'm sure there were plenty of times during the pregnancy when she questioned and struggled as she was ostracized and misunderstood, here, Mary responds with praise and wonder at this blessing God has given her.
Encouragingly, God is with her in the struggle (as he always is) and graces her with a safe-haven at Elizabeth and
Zechariah's home, and not only that, Elizabeth knows and believes Mary
(through the Holy Spirit) before Mary even says a word! How great that
must have felt for Mary! I loved reading her song (below), particularly as we're reading through Genesis. What a great prayer.
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Joseph
Luke mostly tells Mary's story, but we see elsewhere that it wasn't a walk in the park for Joseph either. In Matthew, before the Angel came to Joseph, he planned to
divorce Mary quietly. He is called righteous for this because he shows
Mary grace--not further humiliating her, or taking his 'dues' in court. According to some sources, he actually was legally required to divorce Mary for infidelity. By not doing so, he shared her shame by essentially 'admitting' he was responsible for the pregnancy himself. So Joseph not only experiences embarrassment because of Mary's 'unfaithfulness', he's counter-cultural in breaking the laws and practices of the time, and chooses to share in her 'shame'. He too chooses to follow God's will, despite the consequences.
In reality, they are both righteous, faithful followers of God, and yet in the eyes of their community, they were shameful and disgraced.
The Early Years
Mary and Joseph figure it out together, the baby is born, and then they are raising this kid. They know great things are in store for him but don't know quite to expect. Will he be a ruling king? What does it mean to be the Son of God? How do we parent the Messiah? As he grows they marvel at him, their
baby, their son who has incredible wisdom and does amazing things. And sometimes he drives them crazy, by, for example staying at the temple at age 12 to teach, without telling them. Like any mother whose son seems to be out of
line, Mary says, "Son, why have you treated us like this? [We've] been
anxiously searching for you" (2:48). That little troublemaker... how many times do you think he responded (honestly, legitimately) with something like, "Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house?"
Too often I think I'm stuck with that picture of the family in the stable, all clean and serene (and the totally wrong ethnicity) and I don't think about these very real people with human challenges, problems, and fears. Reading these chapters, I couldn't help but wonder, in my (by comparison) usually significantly less challenging situations, do I trust God enough to say, "I'm your servant, let it be done to me according to your will"?
P.S. This little video is a brilliant retelling of The Nativity Story by adorable kids with New Zealand accents. Watch it for a little bit of belated Christmas cheer.
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