Thursday 25 March 2021
- Bible Book:
- Luke
'... let it be with me according to your word.' (v. 38)
Background
Today is the Annunciation of the Lord, so we break from reading about Jeremiah to study the account in Luke's Gospel of the angel appearing to Mary.
Before our reading, in Luke 1:11 an angel appears to Mary’s relative, Zechariah, to tell him that he will be the father of John the Baptist. When Zechariah sees the angel we are told in verse 12 that he was terrified and overwhelmed with fear. In contrast, when the angel greets Mary, she is merely perplexed and ponders what sort of greeting this might be. The angels both say "Do not be afraid."
When Zechariah is told that his wife will have a son he asks in verse 18 ‘How will I know that this is so?’ When Mary is told that she will give birth to a son, she asks in verse 34 ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The two questions are subtly different, with Zechariah asking for a sign because he doesn’t believe the message, whilst Mary is not questioning the authenticity of the message but simply doesn’t understand how it is possible. On hearing the explanation she replies ‘Let it be with me according to your word’ and will go on to sing songs of praise to God whilst poor old Zechariah is unable to speak until after John’s birth.
The response of Mary in contrast to Zechariah is all the remarkable given the impact that the angels' words would have had on them both. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth would be filled with joy at finally having a child following the years of shame that was the experience of childless parents in that community. In contrast, Mary is a virgin and engaged but not yet married to Joseph, and so we can imagine the possible destructive impact and scandal that these events would have on her. No wonder the angel greets her as ‘favoured one.’ Zechariah does not receive such a greeting.
To Ponder:
- Is it possible to simply ‘not be afraid’ as the angels commanded Zechariah and Mary?
- What can we learn about faith and questioning from the stories of Zechariah and Mary?
- Why do you think Mary was so full of faith?