Continuing on my series titled “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, here is part two where we will dig in to find out, “Did Mary know?”. If you have not yet read part one, I encourage you to check it out first.
Can you imagine a world without Christmas? Can you imagine a world without Jesus? As a follower of Christ, I often write about how depressing the world has become. And with roughly 2.4 billion living inhabitants having professed at some point in their life to be Christian, we still live in a very dark world.
For some, Christmas time is a struggle due to their mental health. I suffer the most during the holiday season given my past family history. And based on feedback I received from this blog, I am definitely not alone. Also, and let’s face it, we are subjected each and every year to some downright depressing Christmas songs. Songs, like I’ll be Home For Christmas and Christmas Shoes, come instantly to my mind. And why do the lyrics in We Wish You a Merry Christmas have to be so demanding regarding the figgy pudding?
There is a popular song co-wrote by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene entitled Mary, Did You Know?. The song’s lyrics are written to Mary, Jesus’ birth mother, asking her several questions about the baby she had carried and birthed. Here are the lyrics:
Mary, Did You Know? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new? This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you. Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand? Did you know that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God? Mary did you know. Ooo Ooo Ooo The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The dead will live again. The lame will leap. The dumb will speak The praises of The Lamb. Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.
The lyrics pose a few questions to Mary asking if she knew her Son would perform great miracles. Miracles like giving “sight to a blind man” or calming a “storm with His hand”. In addition, the author asks if Mary had any inkling of the responsibility placed on her shoulders. A responsibility to care for, to love, and to protect the very Creator of everything.
Mary’s Magnificat
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His name. And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever." - Luke 1:46-55
Mary’s Magnificat – sometimes referred to as “Mary’s Praise”, follows sometime after her meeting with her elder cousin Elizabeth. In Mary’s hymn, she boldly proclaims the significance of her coming Savior. She emphasizes the importance of the poor and the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Jewish customs of the time likely meant that Mary was a young teenager. Additionally, the Old Testament writings must have been familiar to Mary even in the male-dominated world of ancient Jerusalem. In ancient Jerusalem, there were no bibles like we have today. The Jewish people would instead attend services at the temple where the rabbis would read from the scrolls which make up the Old Testament we have today. So, we can clearly see from this passage that Mary regularly attended those temple services.
So, Did Mary Know?
Yes! Of course, she knew. It was obvious to her that the baby placed under her care was the promised Messiah. Did she fully grasp and understand everything? I’ll leave you to ponder that one for another part coming soon.
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