Although
parental responsibilities are more gender equal today, Mary’s duties as a
mother were certainly no different
than those of her peers. She wiped her baby’s tears, fed him, whispered hope in
his ear, taught him, sang songs to him, and changed his diapers. As he grew,
I’m sure she assured him of her love, taught him, nurtured him, and watched
over his play, like mothers everywhere.
On
a deeper level, there were issues that were important to Mary? What did she
teach Jesus during His formative years? God certainly chose her for a reason.
It would be reasonable to believe that God would pick someone to be the mother
of His Son, whose heart, soul, mind, and spirit, were compatible with His own.
We
don’t have many clues, but in Mary’s Magnificat she gives us a small window
into the heart and mind of this remarkable teenager who was no older than sixteen
or seventeen years old. Her Magnificat has many beautiful and significant sides,
all of which belie the age of its author. E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist
missionary to India in the last century has called it “the most revolutionary
document in the world.” In it, she speaks freely about her beliefs, her
values, and her passions. The first thing she taught Jesus was to…
Obey and Praise Yahweh (1:46-49)
Mary arrived
at Elizabeth’s home soon after the angel’s announcement to discover that
Elizabeth was six months pregnant. As Elizabeth greeted Mary, she burst into
song, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She was an illiterate maiden out of a
poor town in the backwaters of Galilee. She realized that God, the Holy One of
Israel, had given her a place in history, and she praised Him for His kindness
to her, and His holiness. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months.
At the end of
her time there, she went home to face whatever would happen to her. In the
meantime, God had already spoken to Joseph. When she arrived in Nazareth, he took
her into his home as his wife. She learned that if God calls, no matter how
difficult it may seem, no matter how bleak the future may look, God is working
behind the scenes to bring His will to pass in our lives.
So, as Mary
was raising Jesus, she taught Him to listen to the voice of God and to stay
true to God’s direction no matter what cost. I can hear her repeat over and
over, as Jesus was growing into a young man, “Jesus focus on God’s voice and
His plan for your life, listen to Him, praise Him, and do what He says no
matter what might happen.”
Many times in
Jesus’ ministry this advice can be observed. At no time was it more evident
that Jesus found joy through obedience than in the upper room following the
Last Supper. Only hours before His crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples, “I
have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be
complete.” He not only speaks of His joy, He tells them His joy will make
them complete. Then in He prays in John 17, “I am coming to you now, but I
say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full
measure of my joy within them.” Jesus was experiencing a joy that wasn’t
linked to His circumstances, but to doing the will of His Father.
William Law
writes, "Do you want to know who the greatest saint in the world is? It’s
not he who prays most or fasts most; it’s not he who gives the most, or is most
eminent for justice, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills
everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God's
goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it."
The first
thing we read that Mary taught the young man Jesus is that true joy comes
through listening to and obeying what God says. One of the secrets of being a
credible alternative to the dominant culture is our personal commitment to obey
and praise God in all things.
If Christians everywhere
were to concentrate on living out obedience and praise to God, as Jesus did,
what could He do through His Church?
Churches full
of genuine praise to God seldom die.
No comments:
Post a Comment