Mary the Mother of Jesus I: The Gutsy Prophet

Luke 1:26-56

Our passive and almost angelic depictions of Mary in art, music and movies make it difficult to look at her spiritual gifts. It’s as if everything happens to Mary (the virgin Birth, the birth in Bethlehem, the exile in Egypt and return to Nazareth, the death of her husband and her oldest son), and she has little to say if anything. But the closer I read the New Testament, the more dynamic and strong I find her to be.

This passage points to two spiritual gifts in Mary. The first is faith. I am not saying that she had great faith naturally. I am saying that the Holy Spirit gave her the gift of faith that allowed her to say in verse 38,

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as you have said.”

The Holy Spirit helped her believe the unbelievable. It is good to draw the distinction here between the gift of faith and the faith that is the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. As we grow in the love of Christ, our faith deepens and broadens. The fruit of the Spirit is developmental – the building of our Christian character. The gift of faith is given to meet a need in ministry at the time. Such is the case here with Mary.

The second gift is prophecy. “The Magnificat” which is found in verses 46-55 is a powerful presentation of the Word of God through her. It is consistent with the message of the prophets in the Old Testament – the story of God’s great reversal where the humble are exalted and the high and mighty are brought low.

There is a bonus spiritual gift in this passage, the gift of knowledge that is given by Elizabeth in verses 42-45. Having the confirmation of others (as Mary had with Elizabeth) is part of the discernment process we have in figuring out God’s plan for us. Sometimes the confirmation is through the way God blesses people as we share of ourselves. Other times it is because others bear witness that what we are feeling is true.

Sweet little Mary, meek and mild. I’m not sure she ever existed, any more than I think that of gentle Jesus who held lambs all the time. Mary is daring and gutsy. We’ll see more of that in tomorrow’s reading.