Ponderings
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:15-19
Did you ever have something that took place in your life that was so dramatic, so life-changing, so significant, that you could not get it out of your mind? In fact, from time to time you still harken back to it mentally, even though many years have passed?
It might be a memory of your first date, or perhaps your wedding day. And then again, it might have been that time when certain feelings overwhelmed you at the birth of your first child. It could even be memories of a spiritual nature–your conversion experience or baptism. Whatever the case, it was worth remembering and meditating upon. Mary had one of those moments that would forever affect her life. Luke tells us in verse 19 of chapter 2 that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
That’s another way of saying that she stored up those precious memories in her heart. In other words, she weighed them over and over in her mind, thinking deeply about their significance. She would draw upon them many times later in her life.
So much had happened to Mary in the last few months that she hardly had time to sit and think about it. Now at last, she takes time to reflect upon everything she had seen, heard and experienced.
What are the things she treasured in her heart? We can only speculate, of course. But some things seem to jump out from this account in Luke. For example, consider the appearance of Gabriel and his announcement to her. He told her five astounding things:
(1) Among all the women of the world, God had selected her to bear His Son–she was highly favored.
(2) The Lord would be with her and she would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(3) When the child would be born she is to give him the name Jesus (Joshua) which means, “Savior.”
(4) He will be great and will be called the “Son of the Most High,” a clear reference to deity.
(5) He will be given the throne of David and will reign forever. His kingdom will never end.
Is it not possible that part of Mary’s pondering might have included her visit to Elisabeth when John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elisabeth’s womb (Luke 1:39-44)? Or perhaps she thought about the long, hard trip to Bethlehem, the lodging in a stable, the visit of the shepherds–their story, their reaction–their sense of awe and act of worship.
In any event, these were in part, memories to be called up from time to time. Consider Mary’s inner feelings in regard to Joseph.
1. MARY’S INNER FEELINGS
She loved and appreciated Joseph deeply. It hadn’t been easy for him and she knew it. There was a lot of trust in their relationship. Even when Joseph thought Mary had wronged him, there was no desire on his part to punish or humiliate her (Matthew 1:18-21). He had an inner strength that Mary must have admired and thought about frequently. This gives all of us pause to reflect on how much our spouses mean to us and how blessed we are to be recipients of their love.
Its true that Mary would nurture great love for her son Jesus and for his half-brothers and sisters yet to be born, but her love for Joseph was a special kind. It was a love born out of mutual respect and shared values.
The church focuses a good deal of attention on Mary, as well it should, but let’s not forget Joseph. He was special to Mary. In the Jewish home it was the father who had the primary responsibility for the religious instruction of the children. If the elders in the temple marveled at Jesus’ knowledge of the Scriptures at age 12, then I say that Joseph did his job well.
Psychologists tell us that our earthly father gives us our clearest impression of the nature of God. If our father was harsh, we will probably see God in the same way. If he was gentle and kind, our image of Him will be the same. Is it possible that Jesus’ concept of His heavenly Father as loving, merciful, and kind was modeled by Joseph? No wonder Mary loved Joseph. Surely her love for him was one of the things she treasured and pondered in her heart.
2. THE MYSTERY OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS
And then there is the matter of the unique birth of Jesus. We are impressed by the star over the stable and the singing of the angels. But neither of these is as impressive as the birth of a child. Could there possibly be an atheist in a maternity ward? Could any mother ever hold her newborn infant in her arms for the first time without feeling something miraculous has occurred?
Henry Ward Beecher said, “I think that the most wonderful book that could be written would be a book in which an angel should write all the thoughts that pass through a faithful mother’s mind from the time she first heard the cry of her child.”
I wonder as Mary held this tiny infant in her arms, what thoughts went through her mind...How can He make atonement for her sins and the sins of her people? The angel had called him great, the Son of the Highest. But he lay there on her bosom, weak and wailing as any other babe. He was to sit upon the throne of David; yet he was cradled in a manger.
Many years ago, a day was dawning on a battlefield in northern France, through a fog so thick that no one could see more than a few yards from the trenches. In the night the Germans had drawn back their lines a little and the French had gone forward. But between the two positions a lonely farmhouse was till standing. As the sun rose, heavy guns began to boom. But suddenly on both sides the firing ceased and there fell a strange, dead silence. For there in the green meadow, crawling on it’s hands and knees was a little baby. It appeared perfectly happy and contented and the baby’s laugh was heard as it clutched a dandelion. Not a shot was fired that day!
And when the babe of Bethlehem lay in his mother’s arms, it signaled the entrance of the Prince of Peace into a hostile world. His coming would eventually cause men to cease their hatred as they looked by faith to Him.
Mary pondered these things in her heart-- the love of her husband and the miracle that lay in a manger before her. Yet I see one more thing that she meditated on–the nearness of God.
3. THE NEARNESS OF GOD
Here was God’s own Son lying before her. Something deep and mysterious must have been moving within Mary’s soul as she gazed upon baby Jesus. Perhaps the words of Isaiah were fresh in her mind: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace...”
Somehow all the power and purpose of Almighty God had been focused on that little stable in Bethlehem. If Moses took off his shoes in front of the burning bush because the ground upon which he stood was holy, and if Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips...” on that day when he first beheld the glory of God in the Temple, how Mary’s heart must have burned within her as she gazed upon her new-born son. God must have seemed very near. He must have been very much in her thoughts.
What do you treasure in your mind? What memories have you stored away that you might draw upon them in times of trouble, doubt, and temptation?
Surely Mary pondered at Calvary as she witnessed her son dying for the world’s sin. Do you suppose she thought about the time when she kissed His face for the first time there in the manger and now realized that she had kissed the face of God?
Or what of those hands that she often held and now looks upon with spikes driven through–hands that healed and blessed?
Do you suppose she thought about His first words, only later to discover that “he spoke like no other man?” He became the greatest teacher the world would ever know. And now she hears Him speak His last words—words of forgiveness and hope.
No doubt Mary thought about the time when He took His first steps–later to walk across Palestine, preaching and teaching the good news–walking into places of danger for love’s sake, and finally taking the dreadful journey called the Way of Suffering.
Pondering is a good thing to do. But it takes time and discipline. Close out the world for a while. Let your mind go back to those eventful moments when God was so real and close to you. Let them inspire you to continue on your journey.
