December 2008 Meditation
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
The central figure for most of the Christmas story is the Virgin Mary. Approximately one billion people around the world greet her daily with the familiar, “Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed areth thou among women!” The object of my contemplation is to discover what lessons can learn from her life.
My first consideration is that she had a divine connection.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:18)
The second point of my consideration is that Mary very much maintained her human status.
Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? (Matthew 13:55)
And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? (John 6:42)
Even though the people had seen very unusual things in the live of Jesus, they tried hard to convince themselves that He was nothing special. In their quest for proof that this hometown boy was nothing out of the ordinary, they documented their evidence with the statement that He was just Mary’s son. Even though she was the divinely appointed mother of the Savior, Mary was still very much in touch with the reality of the everyday world she lived in. Unfortunately, we Christians today often tend to act like we are from a different planet. Although we are taught that our true citizenship is in heaven and that we are to exert the rights and privileges of that citizenship while we live in this world, we must not become alienated form the present world and the people around who we live. We must live lives which are ordinary enough that others can relate to us, yet extraordinary enough to show that we do have something which those around us are lacking.
My third thought would concern Mary’s divine recognition.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. (Luke 1:30)
When we read the story of the angelic appearance to Mary, we can quickly see that God saw more in her than Mary saw in herself. Even though she recoiled in fear at the celestial visitation and, feeling her inadequacy, questioned the validity of his message, the heavenly guest insisted that God had seen something inside her which she had overlooked or failed to consider. So it is with us; we must remember that He looks at us through the eyes of love which thinks no evil and rejoices over truth rather than iniquity. He sees the best in us because He loves us so much. We must learn to see ourselves from God’s perspective--not making excuses for or faults or thinking that we have a license to continue in imperfection--but focusing on the God’s unconditional love and acceptance.
In light of the last thought, we come to the next point in our consideration of the blessed mother’s life: her sanctification.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (Luke 1:34)
Mary had carefully guarded her virginity and knew that she maintained moral purity. The same is true for our lives; even though we must learn to see ourselves thought the forgiving eyes of Christ, we must also do all that is within our ability to establish, maintain, and protect integrity in our moral and spiritual lives.
Probably the most important factor in Mary’s life was submission.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)
Certainly, she had “better” things to do with her life than to submit to an unwanted and untimely pregnancy. It almost cost her marriage, and it certainly cost her reputation in the community; but because she knew that it was the will of God, she humbly submitted to His plan.
In our lives, we often have our own agendas which must be altered. We often have certain things which seem valuable to us, but they must be surrendered in exchange of the invaluable will of God. Submission under the mighty hand of God is the master key to success.
Worship is another characteristic which we see demonstrated in the life of the holy virgin.
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:46-47)
In her soul, her mental capacity, she magnified the Lord--deliberately trained herself to see Him as bigger and more powerful than her natural inclination would be; but in her spirit, the part of her that has direct communication with God, she worshipped Him. Worship is higher that thanksgiving and more noble than praise; it is an expression of intimacy and ultimate abandon. We too must come to that place where our inmost parts continually express adoration to and passion for God.
Another trait we can readily discern in Mary was her meditative or reflective quality.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)
We are commanded to meditate on the Word of God at all times; this incubation process is an important, yet often overlooked, part of spiritual development. Just as the embryo in the egg cannot mature into a chick outside the incubator, the truths of the Word of God will not become reality in our lives unless we give them time to gestate inside our spirit through reverent meditation and reflective contemplation.
Mary also demonstrated divine strength to deal with human conflict.
And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. (Luke 2:34-35)
If Paul who had endured shipwreck, beating, stoning, imprisonment, ambush, and countless other hardships to declare that he could do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthened him, we can be assured that there is a source of strength outside ourselves to enable us to face the perplexities of life. Even though a sword may pierce our very souls, we can rely upon the same strength which sustained Paul and Mary.
Perseverance is the quality which is when that divine strength meets the skirmishes of life.
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25)
When the multitudes who had been healed and fed, the disciples who had been nurtured, and even the inner circle (except for John)who had been mentored abandoned Jesus, only Mary and a handful of women remained with Him at the cross. Our only guarantee for success is faith with the tenacity of a bull which never gives up.
Mary’s vision for the future is demonstrated in her presence on the Day of Pentecost.
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) (Acts 1:14-15)
Our last record concerning Mary’s life is that she was among those gathered in the Upper Room awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She had been a vital part of one era of history, the physical earthly sojourn of Jesus; but it had now ended. Yet, she proactively moved into the next dimension, the church age signified by the coming of the Holy Spirit. Too often, we humans are not willing to accept change and move forward into the future. But if we are to follow Christ, we must have vision enough to see where He is leading and courageously march forth.
Mary’s life also highlighted a careful balance of divine direction and human wisdom.
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. (Matthew 2:13)
Following both the divine messenger and her own common sense, Mary escaped the murderous hand of the king. We must also learn to use our heads and our hearts when making decisions.
The holy mother had a tenacity to reclaim what was lost.
Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. (Matthew 2:20)
As soon as she knew that it was safe to return to her homeland, Mary set out to reclaim her home, property, possessions, and heritage. No matter how easy it might have been to settle permanently in Egypt, Mary was not about to give up what rightfully belonged to her. We must also learn to lay hold to everything which is ours through he promises of God and take back any and everything which has been denied us.
The spiritual relationship between Jesus and His mother was more significant than their physical relationship.
While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! (Matthew 12:46-49)
Although this passage may seem to indicate disrespect on the part of Jesus for His mother, we know that He would not have violated the Ten Commandments by dishonoring His mother; therefore we must look a bit deeper to get its full meaning. In fact the passage never says that Jesus refused His mother; He simply said that the deepest relationship she could have with Him would be to do the will of the Heavenly Father--something that Mary is portrayed as doing continually, though the brothers are pictured in a totally different light because they tried to lure Jesus into a trap early in His ministry. This passage speaks to us concerning our need to seek after spiritual relationships which, like the friend who sticks closer than a brother, are secure and enduring.
In line with the Abrahamic covenant, Mary was blessed so that she could be a blessing to others.
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43)
As soon as she realized that she was pregnant, Mary went to spend time with her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant with John the Baptist. In that she returned to Nazareth during the last months of her pregnancy, it is apparent her trip was not to hide herself from the local community. If it were, she would have waited until she was unable to hide the pregnancy before leaving for her cousin’s house. Instead, she did exactly the opposite and returned home just when it would be impossible for her disguise her condition. Obviously, Mary went to Elizabeth’s home to assist the woman who found herself with child in her elderly years. Not only was she a physical helper, her presence proved to be a spiritual refreshment and encouragement to the saintly woman. As Christians, we must follow the example of Jesus who taught us to serve rather than be served. Whatever resources we have received--finances, talent, etc., were given to us so that we can invest them in others. Paul aptly summed up our position when he said that he was willing both to spend and be spent for the sake of the brethren.
As spiritual as she might have been, Mary’s human side had difficulty comprehending the divine.
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. (Luke 2:33)
We can gain a little consolation at this point because we too have those moments when it is just too hard to really grasp hold of the spiritual dimension that the Lord would bring us into. It is encouraging to see that even the greatest of the biblical heroes had similar moments of hesitation. Our solace is in the fact that the Lord remembers our frame and takes into account the fact that we are made of mere dust.
On at least one occasion, Mary found it easy to level off into her physical nature and neglect the spiritual dimension.
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. (Luke 2:43-51)
When she acted like a normal mother and looked in all the usual places for her missing son--possibly the ball park, the street vender stands, the markets and shops--rather than the Temple, she proved that she was human and that she saw Jesus as simply human. Just as she had to be shocked into the supernatural dimension, we often need to be prodded to get beyond our human limitations and begin to operate with a heavenly mentality.
Mary demonstrated her faith when she directed the embarrassed wedding hosts to Jesus.
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. (John 2:1-5)
Without ever having seen Him perform a miracle, Mary somehow knew that Jesus could supernaturally intervene to solve the problem at the reception. True faith is being able to believe without having previous proof. Jesus told Thomas after he had seen the Master’s nail-scared hands that those who could believe without having seen in advance were the truly blessed ones.
Even though she was His mother, Mary knew that she had to be a follower of Jesus, not His leader.
After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. (John 2:12)
In listening to the prayers we often pray and observing the way we live our lives, it would be easy believe that we think that we are in the “driver’s seat” rather than the “passenger’s seat.” We make our plans and ask Him to bless them rather than asking Him to show us His plans. We chart our course and ask Him to be with us rather than allowing Him to guide us. Mary, on the other hand, chose to walk with Him as He picked the path.
In His dying moments, Jesus pointed out Mary’s interdependence with others in the family of God.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. (John 19:26-27)
Mary needed John, and he needed her. As members of the Body of Christ, we are all dependent upon each other. Just as any individual part of our physical anatomies cannot exist independently of the rest of the body, so we as members of the spiritual Body of Christ must give to and receive from all the other parts.
The Madonna and Child is unquestionably the best loved portrayal of the virgin Mary because it so graphically pictures the most recognized characteristics in the virgin mother: compassion, love, and tenderness.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)
At first mention of her name, our minds always picture the mother with the swaddling-clad baby in her arms. Before we force ourselves to see her desperately seeking her lost son in the winding streets of Jerusalem, before we envision her begging for admission to the house where Jesus in ministering, before we imagine her sobbing at the foot of Galgotha, before we glimpse her speaking in an unknown tongue in the Upper Room--we must always pass through the Bethlehem stable. How fitting it is that Jesus said that this one quality is also the one by which we as Christians are to be identified: love.