Read: Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-24
Did you miss 400 years? It is not specifically mentioned in these passages that 400 years of silence led up to the day that the angel visited. We read this like the rest of the Bible stories where miraculous things are common place. The stories in the Old Testament may have felt as distant to Mary and Joseph as they do to us because they had happened so long ago. Think about it, 400 years ago there was no such thing as Canada (144 years old), or the United States (235 years old). In 1611 the King James Bible was first published, Henry Hudson was abandoned by his mutinous crew and Galileo was just beginning his discoveries. 400 years is more than long enough to create a huge disconnect with the past.
So for an angel to appear was not a common thing. Mary had never seen one before, nor had anyone she knew. No wonder she was ‘greatly troubled’ when she heard the angel and ‘tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be,’ - translation “she was terrified and had no idea what to think.” She didn’t have weekly meetings with Gabriel or have friends to coach her on talking to an angel. She likely knew some stories from the Old Testament and would have found herself amazed to be in the same category as the heroes of Israel.
What the angel told her was exciting, she was having a baby! But also alarming because she would have this baby as a virgin. This was usually clear evidence of adultery - a capital offense. By accepting this task from God she was risking being expelled from her future marriage and community at a minimum, and at worst, being stoned publicly. God called Mary out of her obscurity to a calling with great responsibility and risk.
But God also called Joseph in a dream. So Joseph is called to include himself in the potential risk and shame of Mary’s pregnancy. I’m not sure how divorcing Mary quietly would have worked with the hyper conservative small town dynamics but that seems to be his honourable plan. There would have been some tough months before they left for Bethlehem with Mary being really pregnant and the whole town would have had opinions if they believed in this ‘virgin pregnancy’. Imagine the whispers as they passed by, the disapproving glances and the backhanded comments all because they were faithfully following the path that God had for them. I wonder how often Mary wished for another angel to reassure her, or how often Joseph lay awake at night longing for just another dream. I wonder about the strain on their relationship as they may have not been that close in age in an arranged marriage.
It’s easy to gloss over this because we know the end of the story. There are amazing promises about this baby. He would “save his (God’s) people from their sin” and would “rule on the throne of his father David forever.” But that must have seemed a million miles away in the days and months before Jesus was born.
Questions for Reflection
•Has God called you to something difficult for his sake? What are you willing to risk?
•How can Mary and Joseph be an example of obedience to you?
•Do you think that if an angel showed up you would never doubt again? Reflect on the Old Testament example of Abraham, Moses and Elijah and Mary’s own doubts in Mark 3:20-21, 31-35.
tomorrow is Day 3 – Prego Party
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