"You're pregnant." These two little words really pack a punch, don't they? Even if we add the words "going to be," pregnancy is an emotional roller coaster as everyone knows.
 |
| Painting by Mary Ellen Diedrich |
Not everyone knows what it's like to struggle to get pregnant. Knowing about "the birds and the bees" and acting on that knowledge, whether it results in pregnancy or not, doesn't mean you'll know the gender of the baby or the significant details of its mortality. There are some things we simply do not know.
When the angel Gabriel leaves after his conversation with the virgin Mary, there are still a lot of unknowns. And frankly even the certainty of her pregnancy might not have been very reassuring.
In the writings of Luke, we read what is known as the Magnificat. It is Mary's testimony to her cousin Elizabeth, and it begins, "My soul doth magnify the Lord." It is a beautiful witness of what she knows. She emphasizes God's mercy and power and concludes with her knowledge of the Abrahamic covenant. She is leaning in to what she knows. When her fiancé Joseph receives an angelic message in his sleep, he chooses to act on the knowledge by supporting Mary through her difficult pregnancy and ultimately raising the Son of God as his own. What beautiful examples of faith in the face of uncertainty!
One chapter later, we read of the testimony and prophesies of Simeon and Anna at the temple. They emphasize the central role of baby Jesus as the promised Savior of the world.
As young teenager, Jesus goes missing for a few days. When his parents find him in the temple learning and teaching, Mary confronts her son. He responds with a question that shows his growing knowledge of His own role in His Father's business: His work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)
Many feel understandably uncomfortable with uncertainty and opposition. It is, however, part of the universal experience of mortality. Some mock the faith of others as blind. Others forget that even the faithful have doubts or questions they're choosing to live with.
When Mary asked, "How can this be?" the angel's answer certainly left room for faith as this saintly young woman bravely replied, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord."
Yes, Mary knew the prophecies concerning the Messiah. She knew "this child that you delivered will soon deliver you." She couldn't have known all the miracles He would perform during his mortal ministry. She couldn't have known that magi would travel from afar bearing royal gifts for the toddler Prince of Peace or that these gifts would aid her family in their imminent relocation to Egypt.
The scriptures don't tell us all of her thoughts and feelings. But we do know that she treasured and pondered much. (Luke 2:19) For me the song "Mary, Did You Know?" is not a patronizing example of mansplaining. It's an awe-filled study of how she lived with what she didn't know by treasuring the truths she knew and the truths others shared. Even knowing who Jesus was and is doesn't mean you know all that He did and we yet do or how He does those things. That is, in a nutshell, the celebratory power of faith.
