It was the Sunday before Christmas, when a young brother and sister were singing their favorite carol, "Silent Night," in church. Everything was going well until the final line.
The little boy, full of enthusiasm, belted out the conclusion with total conviction: "Sleep in heavenly beans!"
His sister quickly elbowed him and whispered, "No, not beans, you dummy, it’s peas!"
Anyone here ever listen to a song and you’re singing along with it… and you think you’ve got the words right… but later found out that you were singing them wrong.
When I was in elementary school, the movie Grease was a huge hit, partly because the music was really good. Now… forget about how terribly inappropriate that movie is…
I watched it as a kid and thought it was great. I watched it as an adult and thought… “why did my parents let me watch this?”
Anyway, there is one song in there called, “The One that I Want” by Olivia Newton John.
The song starts out by saying, “I’ve got chills, they’re multiplying.” I thought she was saying, “I’ve got shoes, they’re made of plywood.”
Olivia wasn’t saying that at all! - Hey… I was 10!!! Cut me some slack.
You ever listen to a song or sing a song in church… in worship and you think… what does that even mean?
A little while back, we did a series called, “What Did I Just Sing?” In the series, we took some well known worship songs and hymns and dove into what the lyrics actually meant…
after all, we’re singing them in church… right? We should know what we’re singing!
We tackled songs like, “Graves into Gardens”, “Tabernacle”, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”, and wrapped up with “Honey in the Rock.”
So… I thought it would be fun to do the same thing with Christmas Songs. So for the month of December, our series is… “What Did I Just Sing – Christmas Edition”.
We start off with a song that we’ve all heard… and David Wilson just sang – Mary, Did You Know?
Every Christmas we hear that question: “Mary, did you know…?” And if we’re honest, we think… “yeah, she did know.” At least there are some things she knew.
But what did this young Hebrew girl truly understand as she was carrying the Savior of the world in her womb?
Now… I think that Mary knew far more than most people give her credit for. After all, she was a Jewish girl raised on the Scriptures and the promises of God.
But on the other hand, there is no way she could have grasped all that was coming. There is no way she foresaw all the miracles, all the heartbreak, and all the glory that would play out right in front of her.
So… I want to first of all… dive in and see…
1. This is what Mary definitely knew:
Mary wasn’t walking blind. She had the Scriptures, the prophecies, the history of Israel in her heart.
So when Gabriel appeared, she didn’t start from zero… she already knew the Messiah was coming.
And she knew that first of all…
• She knew the Messiah would be born of a virgin.
Isaiah 7:14 told her…
The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[a] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Mary was a young Jewish girl and I’m sure that she had heard from the time she was a little girl this prophecy from Isaiah.
Now… I’m sure that Mary, in her wildest imagination… would have never imagined she was that virgin, but she knew the prophecy.
She also…
• She knew the Messiah would come from the line of David
Mary was engaged to Joseph… a son of David. She likely knew her own lineage connected back to David as well. So she had this dual-Davidic lineage… if you will.
And that’s incredibly important because there is prophecy in 2 Samuel 7…
For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever.
This is a prophecy that Nathan give to King David and Samuel records it. And it’s incredibly important to us for a few reasons. One… It clearly points to Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Two… It reveals God’s heart for a permanent Kingdom that was made available through Jesus. And Three... It shows that God was revealing our redemption all along.
And Mary knew this. This was ingrained in her at a small Jewish girl.
• She knew that the Messiah’s name would “Immanuel”.
Again, we go back to Isaiah 7:14…
She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Mary knew that someday, God was going to send the Messiah, and the reason the Messiah was coming so that God could be with us forever.
Now… this was the way the world was originally intended to be. However, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sinned and that changed everything.
Remember in the Garden, God walked with Adam and Eve in perfect fellowship but due to their sin, Adam and Eve separated themselves from God.
And in the Old Testament, God promised a messiah, a second chance for humanity, a second Adam if you will. Through the Messiah, we would have fellowship with God again.
I think Mary knew this truth. She also knew this painful truth.
• She knew the Messiah would suffer.
Isaiah 53 was taught in synagogues. Psalms 22 was sung in worship. Mary knew the Messiah would be rejected, pierced, bruised for our iniquities.
She may not have known the timing or details, but she knew her kid was going to experience incredible pain.
Can you imagine what that would be like. You’re expecting a child, and you know before they are ever born that they are going to experience rejection, pierced by a sword, bruised, and die.
But there was one other thing that Mary knew that made all of this situation tolerable for her.
• She knew she could trust God
When the angel came and said, “Mary, you are that virgin girl that was prophesied 700 years ago in the book of Isaiah.”
Mary didn’t say… are you kidding me… nope… not gonna do it.
She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
She didn’t know how it was all going to go down but she trusted God. The famous, make-up entrepreneur, Mary Kay Ash said this once.
“God does not ask your ability or your inability. He asks only your availability.”
Mary Kay Ash – Mary Kay Cometics
Now… Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew she could trust God. And then… as she trusts God and everything happens just as the angel said… Jesus is born, He grows into a man, and He starts his earthly ministry.
And when this happens, I believe there are some things that Mary had no idea would happen.
And this happens sometimes, when we make ourselves available to the Lord’s service. When we say, “Yes, God”… fasten your seatbelt, because He’s going to do some remarkable things in your life.
Mary said, “Yes” to the God… and there were some things that she knew… but…
2. This is what Mary probably didn’t know:
So… Mary knew all the promises… she knew the prophecies… but she didn’t know how wild and how miraculous this story would get.
• She didn’t know He would walk on water
Prophecy didn’t mention that. No rabbi taught that.
Imagine Mary hearing the disciples say,
“We were in a storm, and He came walking out to us on the water!”
Mary probably said, “He did what?!”
Now… my mom said that a lot. My siblings would say, “You’re not gonna believe what Ronnie did.” My mom would say, “He did what?”
But they weren’t for wonderfully miraculous things that I had done.
• She didn’t know He would turn water into wine.
Although there is no record of Jesus performing miracles for others while growing up, Mary had kept many significant things about him in her heart since his birth.
I’m sure she kept the angel's prophecy in her heart that He would be the "Son of the Most High"… and she trusted God… so…
She knew Jesus was destined for greatness and had confidence in his power and goodness, and I think she knew that He could do something about the situation.
So when she nudged Him at Cana, I don’t know if she wasn’t expecting that kind of miracle… but Mary saw Him turn water in the wine.
• She didn’t know He would feed thousands with a boy’s lunch.
No prophecy said the Messiah would multiply fish sandwiches!
And I can imagine that Mary heard about this and might have thought… “That sounds like something only God would do…”
• She didn’t know He would raise the dead
She knew the resurrection was promised at the end of days, for sure. But Lazarus walking out after 4 days? The widow’s son? Jairus’ daughter?
No mother imagines her child doing that.
Another thing that I don’t think Mary knew would happen is this…
• She didn’t know how much it would cost her heart.
Simeon warned her:
“A sword will pierce your own soul.”
I don’t think she really grasped what saying yes would eventually cost.
After being in ministry for 32 years, I have witnessed nothing more heartbreaking than someone losing a child. And it doesn’t matter how old the child is.
It could be a young child, it could be an adult child, it could be a child not even born yet… and it’s hard stuff.
Imagine watching your son, mocked, betrayed, nailed to wooden cross, and then just to make sure He was dead, have a spear run through his side.
Mary knew He was going to suffer but I don’t think she ever imagined just how much it would rip out her heart in the process.
And that leads us to the third point of this sermon based on the lyrics of this incredible Christmas classic song.
3. This is what Mary knew but still shocked her anyway.
I think there were some things that Mary probably knew in theory but when they came to fruition, she was pretty shocked and maybe even overwhelmed.
• She knew the Messiah would be the Son of God
There’s a line in this great song that asks “Mary did you know that when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God.”
Think about that! She was holding the God of the universe in her arms. When that reality sunk in, it had to be incredibly awesome and humbling at the same time.
She knew the prophecy of Immanuel. She knew the angel’s words: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you…”
But how do you prepare yourself to kiss the cheeks of the Almighty? How do you wrap an eternal Being in swaddling cloths?
She knew that Jesus was God in the flesh… but I don’t think anything can prepare you for God becoming flesh in your home.
I also imagine that while she knew that the Messiah came to save sinners, she must have been somewhat shocked that He came to save those sinners.
• She was shocked to learn He came to save the really bad sinners.
Tax collectors, Prostitutes, Samaritans, Roman officers.
Mary likely grew up hearing rules about these people… who was clean, who was unclean. But Jesus broke every barrier.
Even Mary must have thought at times, “Is He even allowed to do that?”
Jesus demonstrated for us what it means to show love, mercy, and grace to all people. He said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’[a] For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13
• She knew He would rise from the dead.
But she still had to be pretty astonished when she saw the empty tomb.
Jesus had told His followers plainly. Mary had heard those teachings echoed. But resurrection isn’t a casual event.
Even though she knew… when she saw Him alive again…
when she heard the disciples’ testimonies… when she realized the grave was defeated…
Awe must have flooded her heart in ways she could never describe.
Maybe my favorite line in the entire song says, “And this child that you delivered, will soon deliver you.”
She knew the Messiah would deliver God’s people from their sins. But she didn’t really know 100% what that was like until she passed away.
Now the song doesn’t go into this detail, but can you imagine what it must have been like, when Mary took her last breath on this earth, and then her next breath was in heaven in the presence of the child that she delivered on that first Christmas 2,000 years ago.
She watched Him die. She saw Him come back to life. She knew that He ascended into Heaven… but when she took her first eternal breath in His presence well…
As another song says… “I can only Imagine.”
So, Mary, did you know? Yes… she did. And no… she didn’t.
And some things? She knew… but didn’t fully understand until they unfolded before her.
And isn’t that like us? We know God is faithful…
but we still get surprised when He answers prayers.
We know God is provider…
but we’re still shocked when He shows up right on time.
We know God works all things for good…
but we can’t see the good until years later.
Like Mary, we walk with a mixture of understanding and mystery… knowledge and mystery… faith and wonder.
Today, God may be asking you to say the same words Mary said:
“Lord, I am Your servant. Let it be to me according to Your word.”
Even if you don’t know all the details.
Even if you can’t see the ending.
Even if you only understand a piece of what God is doing.
If God could work through the faith of a girl in Nazareth who was somewhere between 14-16 years… I’m pretty sure He can work through you.
• Trust what you do know about Jesus—even when what He’s doing surprises you.
Mary knew He was the Son of God, but she was still stunned as those prophesies unfolded in real time.
In the same way, there will be seasons when you understand what Scripture says, but the way God brings it to pass feels unexpected, overwhelming, or completely outside the categories you were prepared for.
When that happens, lean on what you know of His character even when you can’t predict His methods.
• Don’t limit who God can save or how He can work.
Mary knew the Messiah would save, but it must have taken her breath away to watch Him reach out to people she never imagined would be included…
people on the margins, people with reputations, people everyone else wrote off.
If the Son she raised shocked her by the scope of His mercy, then we can expect Him to shock us too.
That neighbor you think will never change? That family member who seems impossible? That part of your own life you’ve stopped praying about?
Jesus still steps into the dark places and brings light.
• Expect God to surprise you with His power.
Mary knew the Messiah would rise… but she was still stunned by the empty tomb.
And here we are, knowing Jesus conquered death, yet we’re still caught off guard when He breathes life into things we thought were dead—dreams, relationships, callings, courage, joy.
Don’t be shocked when God starts writing resurrection stories in places where you’ve only seen loss.
• Obedience now leads to awe later.
Mary didn’t understand everything when she said, “I am the Lord’s servant.” But that simple, surrendered yes became the doorway to a lifetime of wonder…
some of it beautiful, some of it painful, all of it meaningful. Your obedience today may not feel dramatic or glamorous, but your future self will look back and see how every faithful step became part of God’s greater work.
• You don’t need to know the whole plan to walk in God’s will.
Mary certainly didn’t. She knew enough to trust God, and that was enough for God to use her.
Maybe today God is asking you to take one step… not ten steps, not the whole journey, just one. And as you move forward, He reveals more. Your job is obedience; His job is outcome.
And now is an opportunity for you to surrender to His will.
