Last week I described Luke as an historian. He indeed did work the way we would think of an historian today. He studied multiple sources and weighed the merits of competing claims to truth. That being said, Luke was not perfect. We know from what he writes in the Acts of the Apostles that he gets some things wrong about Paul’s missionary journeys. And we always have to remember that he wrote in his context using the images and ideas of the time. Those things change over time.
I say that because
when Luke talks about things like angels coming to deliver messages to humans
it can easily sound like a fairy tale. I
believe many Christians inadvertently suspend reality when they read the Bible
and enter into a sort of fairy tale understanding of God. Or they wish that God would act today the way
God acted in olden days. That is a
mistake.
Central to
Christianity is the idea of the Incarnation.
That is, that God was born into human form and lived a lifetime like one
of us. God knows human fears, doubts,
frailties, successes, and pains. What
you feel in your life God has felt too.
We make a profound mistake when we think that old saints were somehow
holier or more enlightened or privileged by God over us. Not true.
Our gospel reading
today may sound fantastic. We have an
angel named Gabriel visiting a woman for whom it is impossible for her to be
pregnant. It’s like a fairy tale. But don’t read it as such. In fact, it is intended to be as ordinary as
something can be. To understand that
let’s look at 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.
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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