Advent 10 (2012)–The Mystery Deepens

Warning:  I revised yesterday’s devotional for clarity purposes—just to make sure that no one attributes Jesus’ conception to anything other than the virgin conception recorded in Scripture.   

In my effort to put myself in Mary’s sandals and think about what may have been going through her mind, I mentioned the biological father of Jesus wasn’t the point of “his father David.”  It was pointing to the Messiah coming from the Davidic line (from which both Mary and Joseph were descended).

When we come to the text, we must remember we stand on the other side of the Incarnation.  Therefore we know the Incarnation is a mystery and that God did a surprising, new thing.

Mary, however, was living it.

She was present on the before and during of the Incarnation, not just on the after side, as we are.

For her, it could have been logical or mystifying.  Logic always makes more sense than mystery.  Logic would have involved Joseph since he’s the one to whom she was already betrothed.

Think about it: in all of Mary’s life (and in all of the history about which she knew), God had never brought about a baby in anything other than the normal reproductive way.  Even Adam and Eve weren’t created as babies, but fully grown reproductively capable adults.

The human mind is an amazing thing.  I picture Mary rapidly adjusting puzzle pieces of information, trying to make sense of what the angel was saying.  Particularly that “with child” part.

Meanwhile the angel continues speaking: “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever… (Luke 1: 32-33b)

This is the fourth hint that the baby the angel is talking about will be the Messiah and further confirmation now that he will be a King.  Forever, however, is a long time.  Would this baby live forever or would he be the beginning of a new dynasty that would always be from David and the house of Jacob, the chosen people?

Mary would have been hearing and absorbing and trying to make sense of all these things.  Logical or mystifying?  The more information the angel gives, the more the mystery deepens.