A Need To Know Basis - May 13

Read Luke 1:30-33

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Reflect

If you were Mary or Joseph and had just received the news that Jesus was coming, what questions would you have for God? How do you think you would respond?

The story of Jesus’ birth has become so familiar to many of us that we have stopped thinking deeply about it. After all, we hear the story at Christmas time every single year. But when I stop and truly reflect about Mary and Joseph’s role in Jesus’ birth, I am in awe of their faith.

In today’s passage, God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary. Luke 1:26-28 records that Mary lived in a city in the region of Galilee, called Nazareth. She was a virgin and she was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David.

As angels always do, Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid and gave her the news that she would bear God’s own son. He told her to name Him Jesus. Gabriel also told her that God was going to give her Son the throne of David and that His kingdom would never end. The prophets had prophesied these things about the promised Messiah. These facts would have clued Mary in to her coming Son’s true identity. She was going to give birth to the Redeemer of Israel!

Through the angel Gabriel, God had given Mary all of the information that she needed to know. But I doubt it was everything Mary wanted to know. If I were her, I would have had so many other questions: Why did you pick me for this? What about Joseph? Isn’t he going to assume that I cheated on him? Is he going to leave me? Isn’t everyone going to assume I committed adultery? Will I be punished for that? What about my reputation? Am I going to be shunned or worse—stoned—for immorality? What about Jesus? Is He going to have God’s power right away? How am I going to raise a boy who is God?  And, how is he actually going save us?

Mary’s mind may have indeed been racing, but Scripture records that she only asked one question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). The angel answered that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit so that Jesus would be holy. He also gave her a sign that her relative, Elizabeth, was also pregnant even in her old age! Satisfied with the response, Mary replied: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Now, put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. Understandably, he did assume that Mary had been unfaithful to him so he planned to divorce her. But Matthew 1:18-25 records that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

Again, if I were Joseph, I would have so many other questions! But Matthew 1:24 -25 simply says that when Joseph woke up, he obeyed God. He took Mary as his wife and named the child, Jesus, just as he was told to do.

You see, God tends to reveal information to us on a need to know basis. He doesn’t answer every single question that we have but He does give us all of the information that we need to know in order to do what He is calling us to do. Mary and Joseph had a high and holy calling—they were supposed to parent the Promised Messiah, the Savior of the world! As far as we know, God didn’t tell them exactly how to do this every step of the way. He told them what they needed to know and then expected them to obey.

Likewise, God has not told us everything we may want to know. But in His Word, we can read everything that we need to know. After that, we are called to walk forward in faith, obedient to information He has revealed to us. One step at a time.

Respond

Lord, I confess that so often, I have unanswered questions. But, like Mary and Joseph, I want to have the faith to obediently follow the instructions that You have given me. Help me to walk forward in faith, obedient to Your Word, one step at a time. Amen.

Reveal

Obedience to God’s commands reveals your faith in Christ to a watching world. Seek to faithfully follow the Lord’s instructions everyday.