Last week I said that Luke was an excellent storyteller. Not only are the words that he put on the page capable of inspiring our hearts and souls he has a way of making the story extend beyond what he actually wrote. In other words, what he does not say can carry just as much meaning as what he does say. Today as we look at the story of the announcement of the conception of Jesus to Mary, often called the Anunciation, we’re going to discover a lot of things by what is not there.
Luke crafted this scene with many
parallels to what we read last week.
That was the announcement of the conception of John the Baptist to
Zechariah, the man who would be his father.
Consider:
Luke 1:11-20 Luke
1:28-38
“he was troubled” (12) “she was much troubled” (28)
“the angel said to him” (13) “the angel said to her” (30)
“Do not be afraid” (13) “Do not be afraid” (30)
“will bear you a son” (13) “you will… bear a son” (31)
“and you will name him” (13) “and you will name him” (31)
“he will be great” (15) “he will be great” (32)
“said to the angel” (18) “said to the angel” (34)
“and replying the angel said” (19) “and replying, the angel said” (35)
“Gabriel… God… sent” (19) “Gabriel… sent… God” (26)
“and now” (20) “and
now” (36)
Commentators
note that each story interprets the other.
So, what is missing in the second that is so important?
You’ll
remember the story about John’s conception starts this way, “…there was a
priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her
name was Elizabeth. Both of them were
righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and
regulations of the Lord.” (Luke 1:5b-6)
Turning
to the story of Jesus’ conception what does Luke tell us about Mary’s background?
Does
Luke tell us about her ancestors or family line?
Does
Luke tell us anything about her faith?
Does
Luke tell us anything about her righteousness according to the religious law?
The
answer to all of those is, “No.”
John
the Baptist will be born to very deserving parents. What has Mary done to deserve the honor she
will have? What made her special? The only thing we get from Luke is when the
angel Gabriel says, “…you have found favor with God.”
There
are many traditions and stories about the background of Mary. They mostly come from the Roman Catholic
Church. There’s no way to verify or deny
any of them. But as far as Luke is
concerned, they don’t matter.
Commentator Joel Green notes this, “God has given favor to one who had
no claim to worthy status, raised her up from a position of lowliness, and has
chosen her to have a central role in salvation history.” (New International Commentary on the New
Testament, Luke, Pg. 87)
This
is not just about noticing what is not in Luke’s text. He reinforces it with
what is there.
Last
week we read about the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah. The location of the event couldn’t have been
more precise. The city is
Jerusalem. The building is the
temple. The room is the sanctuary within
the temple. Then we are told that
Gabriel appears while Zechariah is at the incense altar. While few people ever set foot inside the
temple proper those few who did could tell precisely – to within a square foot
– of where this amazing event took place.
How
about Gabriel appearing to Mary? We are just
told it is a town in Galilee called Nazareth.
Nazareth is only significant today because of the Bible stories about
Jesus. In those days it was completely
obscure. Ask a resident of New York City
where Victor is and they’ll probably give you a blank stare. Ask a Jew of those days where Nazareth is and
they’d probably never heard of it.
Nazareth was “nowhereville”. So
this time Gabriel appears in an unknown place in an unknown town to an unknown
and completely unremarkable girl.
What
makes Mary remarkable? God decided to
favor her. Why? Luke doesn’t say. This is God’s business done in God’s own time
and in God’s own way. What made Mary
remarkable was God’s work, not hers. I
believe there is something deeply significant for us in this.
We
are in the season of frantic buying for Christmas. Perhaps this year is a bit more frantic than
most because people are concerned about supply chain issues. This buying can tell us something about
ourselves. Now I’m not talking about
those who make a Christmas list of all practical things, and then they buy
practical things for others as well. I
don’t mean to knock the idea, in fact I like it a lot. However when it comes to exchanging gifts on
Christmas day all you’ve really done is have someone else buy you something you
were going to buy anyway, and you’ve bought them something they would have
bought anyway. It ends up being a wash.
No,
I’m talking about the stuff that we ask for because we think it’ll improve us
in some way. Or perhaps its stuff we like
or are excited to have. Stuff like a
piece of jewelry to make us look glamorous, or perhaps a tool to make us look
capable. And going beyond typical
Christmas gifts, things like houses and boats and cars and all the things that
people have to create an image of themselves.
Most
people want to look capable, successful, and meaningful. They try to accomplish it through the
possessions they surround themselves with and the lifestyle they seek to
present.
If
Luke told us that God chose Mary because she lived in a prominent city, or was
from a wealthy family, or was well connected, or because she had an outstanding
education, or that she had nice clothes, or…
…even that she was somehow particularly holy or righteous, then we could
understand that there was something she could do about herself to earn such a
favorable place in God’s plans. But
again, everything about Mary herself is unremarkable.
I
believe many people believe that by their own power they can give themselves an
important place in the world and have a life that is meaningful. But that is a recipe for emptiness.
So
much of what people work for, and buy, does not give lasting satisfaction. How many Christmas gifts this year will be
giving joy for a short term, but then they will break or their owners become
bored with them, or they simply go out of style? People want ever more in their search for
meaning.
This
story of the announcement of the conception of Jesus is more than just a
story. It carries deep meaning for
us. Its message is one that is central
for living a meaningful life.
Last
week I joked that when Gabriel told Zechariah that he would have a son
Zechariah said something that was very reasonable but completely stupid, “How
will I know that his is so?” I said
don’t ever ask an angel for proof because you just might get it! Zechariah got his proof. He lost the ability to speak until the birth
of John.
Contrast
that with Mary’s response. Though what
Zechariah was promised was improbably what Mary was promised was impossible. Yet she says, “Here am I, the servant of the
Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
That
is among the deepest and most profound statements of faith of all time. It comes from the mouth of someone scholars
believe was only 12 or 13 years old. While
that is criminally young by today’s standards it was adulthood for a woman
then. Mary basically says that she will
let God define her. She’s not looking
for clothes or jewelry or a fancy car or a powerful marriage, or an amazing
circle of friends. She is not looking
for a place in history or has any interest in making a name for herself. She is a completely unremarkable person who
is simply letting God define her.
There
are going to be risks! In fact her life
could be ruined. But she accepts because
‘who she is’ will be defined by God and God alone.
As we light more candles of the
Advent wreath and draw ever close to Christmas, may we let God define us. May we realize that God will probably not do
anything through us that people think is particularly remarkable, but it will
still be fulfilling. May we say to God,
“Let it be with me according to your word.”
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