The Mary of the Bible vs. the Mary of the world or
Which Mary is it going to be?
Whenever I hear a person say, “Just imagine the pain and shame Mary must have had being pregnant out-of-wedlock. Do you think she ever doubted that the Child was from God? How do you think she made it through that time?” And most people will answer, “It was a terrible time for her and she had to hide. Yes, of course there was doubt and fear and of course Joseph didn’t completely trust her at first. How could he?”
I think you get the picture; so often before I have listened to and quite frankly followed the view that sees any character of old as being put into our contemporary world thinking. I am using Mary as an example; there are many other characters of the Bible that this applies to also.
What was Mary thinking while walking around with a belly full of God? Was she scared? Yes, I believe she was. Did she doubt? No, I believe she didn’t. Was she convinced? Yes and yes again; when you hear from God, you do know that you know that you know! In Luke 1:38 her answer clearly states it.
The Mary of the world
It’s kind of natural for us to relate to a person who is in an equally bad or worse position than we are; it’s easy to relate to. The natural martyr (or dreamer) in us says, “Yes, I can do that”, and there is no end to our imagination until…. well, until reality hits us and we see we are not a Mary, not a Paul, not a Peter. The other point of view would be: she is as weak as I am. It’s okay to be weak, it’s okay to fail and consequently it’s okay if I can’t get a handle on this. Don’t we always root for the underdog?
Some teachers trying to bring the Bible closer to us by using the human way of thinking have actually been building distance between God and man. I do not believe that this kind of teaching is from God. At times it is nice to consider and can be a good thing to do to keep us compassionate, but be careful where it leads. Never be satisfied with the words you hear from others; always go back to the Father and to His Word for deeper understanding!
Some teachings today bring Bible characters down to our doubtful level in order for us to relate to them, instead of trying to raise us up from our doubtful level to the character’s so we can relate to them on the level that they walked, touched by the presence of God and anointed to do the job they were called to do.
The Mary of the Bible
Let’s take a look at faithful Mary. It is a whole lot harder to put yourself in the shoes of a person who is strong and persistent in their belief that God can and will do what He said He would do (or - do the impossible). Follow along with me to meet unshakable Mary. She was confused for a bit and worried that she would lose Joseph, but only for a moment, because her Master and Lord had told her the amazing news in person through the angel (Luke 1:26-37). Shortly after that she got confirmation that what God said was true from her relative Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-45). Even to this day, the Lord often confirms the words spoken through the Spirit through an ordinary person, so we can have this unshakable faith.
I do believe Mary was strong and delighted to carry her Baby. She was glowing and probably kept her enemies at a distance just by her joy, because to anybody who knew she was pregnant, she should have been hiding in shame. Mary surely heard a few cruel words, but I believe she humbly turned away, knowing in her heart the overwhelming loving truth. She must have prayed for a lot of people in that time, longing for them to understand the real circumstance. Imagining caring a secret like hers, I bet she was about to burst! But instead she humbly endured and was fed by her Father’s love, along with her husband’s support. This is what I call a faith-building environment!
I am not sure about this, but I think it is extremely hard to be able to relate to a Mary like this if you haven’t had this personal touch from God in one way or another. But taking a good look at a story so unbelievable can cultivate the longing for a touch from God, don’t you agree? To see the characters of the Bible for who they are and for what God intended them to be is a blessing. Of course looking at them will spotlight our shortcomings, but even this can inspire us to seek Him more.
Which Mary is it going to be?
Who would you rather be like, a person who knows who they are in Christ with an unshakable faith or a rather doubtful servant of the Most High with lots of unanswered prayers, wavered about by teachings and opinions? I believe the answer is an easy choice if we are committed Christians. I challenge you to take a new, closer look at the characters of the Bible and read their stories in the light in which it was intended. I believe as you do you will become the Warrior for Christ you have always wanted to be and will be doing greater things than they did! (John 14:12-14)
““Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14”
