Mary: Our Exemplification

‘Yes’ is the most powerful word in the Christian lexicon. Yes is indeed more than just a word. Yes is an act, a moral response to the universe. Yes far exceeds all other words in that it embodies verbally and indeed initiates a receptive heart in obedience to the invitation of our Savior to come unto Him, not just for salvation, but also from our labors and weariness. (Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

For, unless we say, “Yes” to Christ as God’s “Divine Yes” to our finiteness we will never find a lasting solution to the human predicament. By this, I mean that humanity must face its finiteness, and the only proper response is “Yes.” Yes, I am human. Yes, I will die. Yes, there are limits to technological achievements. Yes, civilized society requires moral restraints. Yes, sexuality has purpose that overrides pleasure. Yes, the sexes do have a vital and meaningful role in societal stability other than the perpetuation of the human species. Yes, financial exploitation is wrong. Yes, war is an amoral answer to an immoral quandary—but, ultimately a non-answer.

Mary, the mother of our Lord, in my opinion, exemplifies the purest response—at the annunciation she gently, yet bodly declares: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:26) Her volitional response was only possible in that she was fully prepared in a functional grace that only God can give; albeit, not without our humble acquiesce.

Consider for a moment her response in full. In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in the book of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26-38 (WEB), as follows:


Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name ‘Jesus.’ He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?” The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For everything spoken by God is possible.” Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her. (Italics mine)

This exemplification is best understood in the following ways:

Firstly, if God ever sent an angel on a mission impossible, this was it. Mary fully understood this. She, therefore, responded with an incredulous “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”—which, by the way, shows maturity, even for a teenager. Gullibility is not a saintly trait.

Therefore, Mary’s response is best understood as one whose heart had been prepared through Grace. I use through, rather than by, because this was a cooperative partnership between her and God. God in his part blessed her, but she was beyond reproach because God found favor in her. So, for each of us there is only one proper response to Grace—that is, “Yes.” Her reply, however, was only the final initiating response; the conditioning response came much earlier. She had prepared herself by remaining chaste in thought and deed. Because of that, she found favor. Only the righteous shall see the Kingdom.

Saying yes, however, is never enough. We must acquiesce to His purpose. Therefore, she responded, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” Hearing from God is not the same as obedience, however. Many have heard God’s message; few are willing to fulfill his purpose. Not so with Mary. No wonder, as the song goes, they call her blessed.

Now, at this point in the narrative, nothing has happened except the encounter and the promise. The best is yet to come. But, not yet. The angel has departed from her. Now, the mundane cries for immediacy. Yet, she must wait. She must trust. She must believe. Faith can only take her to the River of Jordan, so to speak, only God can carry her across. Therefore, she finds comfort in her reoccurring spiritual anxiousness in the words of the angel that at the given time, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

That, however, will take a miracle. So, understandably there are times in our lives that we too must ponder these personal encounters with the Divine in our hearts. Reason, logic and the carnal mind is not capable of such spiritual preponderance.

The promise to the mother of our Lord, however, is clear, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.”

In this case, it is interesting to note that God’s promises are never without provision. Therefore, to affirm God’s purposes is to expect Divine intervention to fulfill His intention. So, in a real sense, God’s intention is our potential.

Jim R