Mary did you know?
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The first line
The first line
The opening lines to William Chatterton Dix's famous Christmas carol ask a poignant question. "What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping?" Dix goes on to answer this question in part during the last line of the repeated chorus. This child is "the babe, the son of Mary." Luke's gospel tells how Mary's son would be conceived and that his name would be Jesus. Mary learns of this news in a unique and unforgettable way as recorded in
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. Then the angel told her:
Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Now listen:
You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you will call His name Jesus.
He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give Him
the throne of His father David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and His kingdom will have no end.
Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”
The angel replied to her:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore, the holy One to be born
will be called the Son of God.
And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
He has so much of his father in him
He has so much of his father in him
Luke clearly states the son of Mary was to be named Jesus. Once she gave birth to her son, this is the name he was given just as the angel of the Lord had foretold. As with any child, attributes and characteristics of both a child's mother and father can be recognized and on display. The angel told the virgin Mary in the passage above, what was conceived in her was not from man, but rather, from The Holy Spirit of God. John's gospel says, "God is spirit…" (John 4:24) And Hebrews 1:3 states the following about who this child is that was born in the manger in Bethlehem.
characteristics of both a child's mother and father can be recognized and on display. The angel told the virgin Mary in the passage above, what was conceived in her was not from man, but rather, from The Holy Spirit of God. John's gospel says, "God is spirit…" (John 4:24) And Hebrews 1:3 states the following about who this child is that was born in the manger in Bethlehem.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
More than human but..
More than human but..
Thus, the child referenced in the Christmas carol is God in the flesh that embodies the exact representation of God the Father who conceived Jesus in the womb of Mary by way of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus is fully God. That is who this child is that is sung about in the Christmas carol. However, Jesus also is fully human because as both the Scriptures and the Christmas carol state, he is "the son of Mary." The Apostle Paul speaks to this phenomenon and unique characteristic of Jesus, son of God and son of Mary, in Philippians 2.
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
Thus, while there certainly are reflections and attributes in Jesus' life that display God the Father, likewise, there are reflections from Mary's life that are seen in her son's being that help answer the question: What child is this?
That’s my mom
That’s my mom
A son having attributes and characteristics of his mother does not make him any less male. Rather, it simply completes the design of who God created this son to be that includes imprints or reflections of his mother as one of her son's parents. We see in the Gospel accounts the way Jesus deals with people, especially children, with compassion, patience, and tenderness. Over and over again Jesus takes the time to value children and people in the margins of life by giving them dignity and reaching out to embrace and bless them with appropriate, meaningful touch. Mary, described by the angel of the Lord as one who has found favor with God, must have displayed similar compassion, patience, and tenderness in her own life as a woman and mother. This child mentioned in the carol is the one who lay sleeping on Mary's lap as a babe, but one day would grow to exhibit care and compassion to others just as his mother displayed to him.
As a mother comforts her son,
so I will comfort you,
and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?
Even if these forget,
yet I will not forget you.
He watches over His nest like an eagle
and hovers over His young;
He spreads His wings, catches him,
and lifts him up on His pinions.
The Lord alone led him,
with no help from a foreign god.
I will attack them
like a bear robbed of her cubs
and tear open the rib cage over their hearts.
I will devour them there like a lioness,
like a wild beast that would rip them open.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
This motherly imagery is stated in the Bible as descriptions of the nature and character of God. Because the Scripture states that Jesus is the exact representation of God, these characteristics are true of Jesus as well. Therefore, these characteristics that would be true of Mary, also are true of the son of Mary who also was the son of God. Additionally, both Mary and Jesus display strong lives that are willing to receive a mission that includes great faith, hope, and trust in their Heavenly Father. When Mary received the mission from the angel of the Lord to conceive and carry the Son of God in her womb, her response in Luke 1:38 was:
“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
His Mother’s Son
His Mother’s Son
When Jesus grew to adulthood and was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying about the mission he had been given to go to the cross to die for the sins of all humanity, he, like his mother, prayed a prayer of humble submission to his Heavenly Father. Again, Luke's gospel records the prayerful and submissive interaction.
Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
[Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.]
It's interesting to observe that while both Mary and Jesus were interacting in prayerful postures concerning the call and purpose of their lives that were sent from Heaven, both encountered angels in these recorded moments. The angel departed from Mary in her scene while an angel arrived to minister to Jesus in his.
A continued comparison reveals both Mary and Jesus lived lives of great consequence that included deep pain. The scene above described a glimpse into the difficulty Jesus endured in those moments before his arrest that would lead to the cross. A brief scene after the birth of Jesus in Luke's gospel shows a prophetic word for Mary that likewise, included pain and sorrow.
His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and told His mother Mary: “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed — and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Living on Purpose
Living on Purpose
This prophecy concerning ramifications surrounding her child also is echoed in the lyrics of the Christmas carol we are examining.
Notice these lines from the second stanza.
"Nails, spears shall pierce him through, the cross he bore for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary."
These lyrics speak to the reason Jesus was in such agony emotionally, mentally, spiritually and soon would be physically when praying in the Garden about the mission he was called to complete. The allusion in the time of dedication in the Temple from Simeon refers to this heart piercing moment on the horizon when Mary, too, would be in great pain as she watched her son finish what he was born to do. Both his heart and hers would be pierced from the cross experience. This is part of the answer to…What child is this?
Regardless of the pain that Mary knew she would experience in watching her son suffer on the cross, she was present in both his pain and hers. John's gospel account notes that it was Mary, Jesus's mother, who was standing by the cross on that fateful day.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Never would Jesus' mother leave him nor forsake him, especially in his hour of need. Likewise, one of the characteristics of Jesus is the one that reminds us of his continual presence with us as his followers. In fact, one of his names is Immanuel: The God who is with us. Jesus, like his mother, Mary, is with us in our darkest hour and deepest pain. Jesus told his followers that no matter what, he would be with them always, even to the end of the age.
One of the most powerful scenes of compassion and care that we mutually see displayed in the lives of Mary and Jesus toward one another is this scene referenced above where Mary is near Jesus when he is on the cross. While Mary seeks to be near, comforting and supporting her son, likewise, we see the compassion and care of the son of Mary back to his mother in this same moment.
When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
What an incredible picture of love and compassion Jesus displayed toward his mother. While he hung there dying, he had the capacity to make sure she was taken care of in his absence. This helps complete one's understanding to the question of what child this is and would grow to be. He would be the one who loved others and loved his family to the very end. He was selfless and sacrificing beyond measure. He was kind and considerate even when experiencing his worst day in the worst way. He was the one who came willingly to go through the worst so that we, too, might be made family and have provision through his death and because of his life. For not only was this child the one who was born in the manger in Bethlehem, but also, he would be the first born from the dead. And his re-birth gives all people the opportunity to be born again and saved from our sins, just as Mary came to understand.