DID YOU HEAR WHAT SHE HEARD?
Mary is in Nazareth and the angel Gabriel is sent from God to talk with her.
That's pretty impressive in and of itself. The details of their conversation are located in Luke 1:26-38,
so you can eavesdrop on them.
Much of it is familiar to those who have been immersed in the Christmas story for years. But I heard
something I hadn't noticed before.
Gabriel has dropped the bombshell about her impending pregnancy, the gender, and even the Child's
name: Jesus. And then he adds this nugget:
"He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
Mary's response is "How can this be?" She's thinking about the birds/bees aspect of child bearing, and rightly so. Our attention is often drawn immediately to the miraculous nature of this virgin birth - which sets Jesus apart not only narratively, but in a purity standpoint, too. It's an essential doctrine of Christianity...but that's not what caught my attention today.
Did YOU hear what she heard?
Gabriel is telling us about WHO Jesus is:
* He will be GREAT - it's the Greek word "megas." It's the ultimate status description.
* He will be called SON OF THE MOST HIGH - Jesus will be known as the Son of God - Messiah.
* The Lord God will give Him the THRONE of his father DAVID - The Davidic throne is the ultimate kingdom, and affirms Jesus' royal lineage.
* He will reign over the house of Jacob - Another kingly assignment, as the ultimate ruler over all of Israel.
* His kingdom will have NO END - Emphasizing "forever" and "no end." His is an eternal kingdom, superseding all others past, present, future. And it will never, ever stop. Ever.
It's a jaw-dropping list, one we might agree with but might not completely grasp...
Mary's response is "how can this be?" She's not asking "how can this amazing kingdom happen?" but rather "physically, I'm not engaged in normal baby-making activity, so explain the biology here."
Understandable. God is interrupting her life, and she'd like to know what that entails. We do that, too, don't we? I'm always in a "me-first" mindset, which is the natural human condition.
But listen to WHO HE IS!
Christmas is a great time of year to stop and listen - not only the carols and the laughter and the commercials - but to what Gabriel said about Who Jesus was, is, and shall be. But you can listen to the Angel detailing the Greaterness of Jesus any day of the year.
Be it done to me according to Thy will...
