In Reality, Mary Didn’t Know What She Didn’t Know

What’s your favorite Christmas carol? “O Little Town of Bethlehem”? “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”? “The First Noel?” “O Come All Ye Faithful”? “Silent Night”?

 

The latter has long been my favorite, for many reasons. But lately I’ve found myself captivated by “Mary, Did You Know?” written by Mark Lowry. This beautiful tune is heard everywhere now, covered by singers ranging from Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton to Pentatonix and CeeLo Green. 

 If you’re not familiar with it (maybe you’ve been vacationing in Fiji trying to escape COVID and the relentless election advertising?), “Mary, Did You Know?” poses an intriguing question about how the earthly mother of Jesus responded to what her child, conceived by the Holy Spirit, would do, culminating with His crucifixion and resurrection. Here’s a portion of the lyrics:

 

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
… would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
… calm a storm with his hand?
… When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God…

Mary did you know? 

 

I’ll not venture into how Christian traditions regard Mary differently, but can you imagine? A young woman, probably still in her mid-teens, entrusted with the responsibility of parenting the Son of God – God incarnate? Especially when so many teenagers these days can’t even be entrusted with the task of cleaning up their rooms.

 

It's recorded in Luke 1:26-38 how the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was betrothed to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. When the angel said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” In response, it says, “Mary was greatly troubled with his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” Can we blame her? Here she was, looking forward to her wedding, and suddenly an angel appears with a very special message, one she never could have anticipated. 

 

Then came the big news: The angel declared, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Wow! Not words she was expecting to hear.

 

Humbly she asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Sounds like a reasonable question to me. The angel didn’t beat around the bush. He replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Then, sensing Mary might have been thinking, “Say what?” the angel added, “For nothing is impossible with God.”

 

Never before – or after – has anything like this happened. Probably overwhelmed with awe, wonder, and a bit of confusion, Mary humbly answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left, leaving her to sort through a range of thoughts and emotions we can only imagine.

 

Obviously, most of the details weren’t addressed in this divine encounter. The angel didn’t tell about the many miracles Jesus would perform, or the profound and unparalleled teachings He would present. The persecution He would face, or how she would witness His horrific, sacrificial death on the cross, fulfilling His destiny to save His people from their sins. Or His resurrection, declaring once and for all God’s victory over death.

 

So Mark Lowry aptly asks in his wonderful song, “Mary did you know?... The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb. Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?...that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?”

Surely Mary could not have known any of this, or many other things that to this day challenge our understanding. We’re told that as more was revealed to her, from the lowly shepherds, the Magi, John the Baptist and many others, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). We would be wise to do the same.

Carols That Communicate

With this post being scheduled to appear on Christmas Day, I’m wanting to say, “If you’re reading this on Christmas, don’t you have something better to do?” But perhaps you’ve unwrapped the gifts, had a nice meal, enjoyed visiting with family and friends, and are choosing to unwind in front of your computer, tablet or smartphone. (Wow, how things have changed since I was a boy!)

Anyway, in the event someone has a few spare minutes to visit websites and blogs and such, and this is one of your brief stops, I wanted to ask a question: What’s your favorite Christmas carol?

One of mine has always been “Silent Night,” written in 1818 by Franz Gruber. Literally an oldie but a goodie. I especially remember hearing it in the Hungarian Reformed Church I attended as a boy, sung simultaneously in English and Hungarian. What a great memory.

On their Christmas album, the vocal group
Pentatonix sings "Mary Did You Know."

You might also be partial to songs like “The First Noel,” “Away in a Manger,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” or “Deck the Halls,” all Christmas classics. Or you might prefer the more generic tunes like “The Christmas Song” (who doesn’t like chestnuts roasting on an open fire?), “Jingle Bells,” “White Christmas” (especially the Bing Crosby rendition), “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” or even “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Or the unforgettable, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” written by Randy Brooks and performed by Elmo and Patsy.

In recent years I’ve adopted a new favorite: “Mary Did You Know,” written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. It’s really a artfully conceived tune, using an economy of words to tell the story of Christ from the crèche (the familiar Nativity scene) to the Cross. Most recently a singing group called Pentatonix has made a wonderful recording of it, one I’ve been enjoying throughout this Christmas season.

Throughout the song, Mary – the human mother of the Christ Child – is asked a series of questions, ones like “Mary did you know that your baby boy will some day walk on water?...that your baby boy has come to make you new?”

In an amazing note of irony, “Mary Did You Know” makes the statement, “This child that you’ve delivered will soon deliver you.” Then it adds, “And when you kiss your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God.” Wondrous, almost imponderable truths for those of us who profess to be followers of Jesus, God incarnate.

I especially like the final verse:

“Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am.”

Each of these concepts is worth far more than a fleeting thought. Because as I wrote in my earlier post, without the Cross and what it represents in terms of God’s love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and final verdict on sin, we’d have no reason to celebrate Christmas or join in singing cherished Christmas carols.

But because of these events – true, historically documented events – we can trust in the declaration from the Scriptures that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1,14).

So once again may I wish you, not “happy holidays” (although I wish you that, too), but Merry Christmas!