At the time the angel met Mary, she was betrothed. She had been engaged. This means that she was busy planning her future with Joseph. She had other things on her mind. The last thing she wanted was a baby because it would mean an end to her dreams. Yet in the brief while the angel was with her, she had to make up her mind to let the Lord do as He pleased even when she could not see the way or understand why she was required to pay the price. It may have been an honor looking back but at the moment, it was ignominious, shameful and inconvenient. It wasn’t the thing an engaged woman would want to do because her life would be reduced to rubble and wouldn’t be the colorful joyful experience she looked forward to.
Her fear is made evident to us for we are told that the greeting of the angel greatly troubled her and she wondered what kind of a greeting this was. When the angel revealed his purpose in visiting her and replied to her question, he added an extra piece of information that gave Mary the hope she needed. Even Elizabeth who was barren and in her old age was in her sixth month opened her eyes to the fact that God could do the impossible and nothing was difficult for Him. God was preparing her for what lay ahead of her. He gave her a glimpse of His greatness by sending an angel and by pronouncing the vision He had for her. She was overjoyed and was glad that God had set her apart for the very special purpose of redeeming mankind through His Son Jesus which means to deliver or rescue. This cause was very important to God which was the reason He sent an angel to inform Mary about the wonderful events that He had planned.
The customs of the day required that women having children before marriage be stoned to death. Therefore to be asked to bring forth the child of God was nothing short of self-destruction (she did not have the political clout to support her). Her question, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” is pertinent because she is a virgin and she has not yet been married. She had only been engaged to Joseph and therefore giving birth to a child outside wedlock would lead her into a very precarious situation with her family and her relatives as well.
Often we do not understand why God chooses to bring forth his work in us at the least convenient time. He could have chosen other virgins or asked Mary after she had been married. Why did God require her to take the plunge when her time had finally come? We do not know how old she was or how long she had waited for the right person. But just when everything is perfect God requires an impossible task of her — to bear a child and give her life a ransom. The answer is found in John 12:24 which Jesus says to His disciples while preparing for His death: “Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it stays alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.”
She might have been afraid of what could transpire if Joseph refused to marry her after she had had her baby. All these considerations could have made her afraid and fearful of the future. Most of us would need a lot of time to consider the pros and cons. We might need to consult with others and ask our elders if this was the right step to take. But not Mary!
In submitting to God’s work in her life against all odds, she was giving Him complete control over the situations and circumstances that her submission would bring. She was surrendering herself and her entire life in the hands of the master and proclaiming humbly out of the very depths of her heart that she was a servant of the Lord and she was willing to do as He said because she had faith in her wonderful master who cared for his servants. She knew in the depths of her heart that if God had promised to take care of her, He would do it no matter what the custom of the place demanded. She knew that God was beyond all these limitations.
The only thing that mattered was that she was highly favored and God was with her. It is only because of her willingness to give herself completely to His will that God favored her greatly. He greatly esteemed her loving surrender and total trust in Him. Mary had solid faith in her loving Father to become instantly willing to submit to God’s will even when it was impossible for her in the natural to even consider becoming a mother prior to her marriage to Joseph. This is the reason He chose Mary to bring forth His Son.
This is the beauty of submission. It goes against all human logic—it renders the law futile and it makes a way where there is no way. It is only fully satisfied in unconditional obedience and total abandon to the causes of God. This is why Mary sings, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She delighted in God who had done mighty things for her and had filled the hungry with good things. She exhibited tremendous insight and knowledge into the ways of God and knew in her spirit that God was mindful of her. He had been merciful to Abraham and would be merciful to her — she was right because all generations call her ‘blessed’ and God blessed her with a truly abundant life.
Joseph gladly married Mary and they had many children. Her dreams did not become smaller as a result of accepting God but they became so large that she became a wonderful example of courage, submission and obedience to every believer (contrary to Eve who is the mother of the disobedient). Eve became the mother of the disobedient when the seed of the evil one impregnated her soul. God needed a virgin, whose heart was fully devoted to Him to herald the seed of God and open the way for those who would obey Him and become sons and daughters of God.
Through her alone, could the Messiah be birthed because her knowledge and surrender and love were complete. God gave her the greatest revelation as the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. When she was overshadowed by the Most High, her wisdom was overshadowed by the wisdom of the Most High: What was born was indeed holy beyond measure because Jesus our Lord was not born of human wisdom but of wisdom from above. Amen.