NOTE: THESE CHAPTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A MUCH IMPROVED, EXPANDED BOOK, "A SWORD SHALL PIERCE YOUR SOUL" from FriesenPress
Mary thought she was having a wonderful dream. She was suddenly surrounded by so much warmth. But then there was light too, growing ever brighter. Mary opened her eyes and shot up from her mat! The room was filled with so much light she could scarcely see. What was happening? She found herself shaking in fear, and then she noticed it. There was a strange figure standing at the foot of her mat!
““I come to bring you greetings,” the being, who seemed to her to resemble a most handsome young man said, “I am Jehovah’s servant Gabriel and I have come to tell you that you are most favoured by the Most High. The Lord is with you.”
Mary was still trembling as she tried to focus on the figure in the blinding light. ‘What is this,’ she thought, ‘How have I earned this favour, and what does it mean?’
Then the figure, and by now she was guessing it was an angel, said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you really have found favour with Jehovah. What is more, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, whom you will 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 ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Somehow, the angel’s admonition not to be afraid and his confident manner of speaking had stopped Mary’s shaking. She could think again and what she heard did not make sense.
“How can this be,” Mary asked, “Since I am a virgin?”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The angel fell silent, gazing warmly at her. Mary felt she needed to respond. She pulled herself together and spoke a calmly as she could, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” No sooner had she said this than the figure disappeared. Then she knew for certain it was an angel.
Mary ran to her parent bed, “Mother, Father,” she cried, “I just saw an angel!”
Suddenly the whole experience overwhelmed her and she flew sobbing into her mother’s arms. Her mother held her close and stroked her hair, “You must have been dreaming. No angel has come to Israel for centuries. And especially not to a girl.”
Mary pulled herself up and looked her mother in the face, “No mother, I was not dreaming. Didn’t you see the light. It filled the room!”
“What light?” her mother asked, “We were sound asleep.”
Then Mary realized she had been the only one to see and hear all of this. How could she convince her parents of what she now so strongly believed to be true of what she had just gone through. How could she tell them the angel had said she was going to be pregnant?
“Mother,” Mary said, and by now her father had pulled himself up on one elbow too and was listening as well, “I saw an angel and he told me his name was Gabriel.”
That got her father sitting right up and both were now giving her their full attention. Both Anna and Joachim knew that there was an angel called Gabriel. The scriptures spoke of him.
Mary gulped, not knowing how the rest of her story would strike her parents but she couldn’t stop, “He told me I was going to become pregnant, not from a man but from the Holy Spirit. He said the baby was to be named Jesus and that he would 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 would reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
Joachim and Anna were stunned. Their daughter, pregnant, by the action of God’s Spirit! And her son to be a king? Mary was a descendant of their ancestor King David, so that part was right. So was Joseph for that matter. Things were starting to make sense but it was still all too much.
“Oh, and…’ Mary raced on, “the angel also said that cousin Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son. In her old age!” Mary said. “And he said she was already in her sixth month!”
Anna shook her head as if trying to clear up her bewilderment: “Elizabeth? Pregnant?”
“Yes,” Mary gushed, “The angel said nothing was impossible with God.”
Anna couldn’t argue with that. Quickly another thought cropped up. That was something she could check. If Elizabeth was indeed expecting, that would corroborate Mary’s story. And, oh, how wonderful that would be for Zechariah and Elizabeth. They had struggled for years under the shadow if their inability to have a child. And a son to top it all off!
Anna took a deep breath. “Joachim,” she said turning to look at her husband, “What do we do with all of this?”
“Right now, I’m not sure,” he answered.
“Mary, my child,” Joachim said as he leaned forward to place his arm around her, looking into her radiant face “Are you sure about all this?” It did seem too fantastical not to be true. There was so much in it that rang true and he knew he should not doubt his daughter.
As if reading his thoughts, Mary turned to look her father in the eye and said as calmly as she could with the excitement she felt, “Have I ever lied to you?”
“No, no, Mary, you have not. I think right now though, all we can do is keep this in our minds and try to get some sleep and talk about it further in the morning.”
“So, you believe me then?” Mary added.
“Yes, yes Mary, “I do.”
With that Mary flung her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him. “You too mother, she said?”
“Of course, child,” Anna joined in, “How could I not?”
Mary sighed and pulled herself away from her parents, her thoughts still racing. What would they talk about in the morning. And how could she sleep with all of this on her mind?
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