Wednesday, April 16, 2014

What Did Mary Know


They (disciples) brought the donkey and the colt,
placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees and spread
them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of
him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was
stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered,
“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
                                           Matthew 21:7-11 NIV 

      Thirty-three years earlier a baby boy came from heaven to walk upon earth and proclaim that His Father sent Him to bring salvation to a sin-sick world. His mother, Mary, knew God had entrusted her with heaven’s most precious gift—God’s only Son.

     As Jesus began to walk and talk and work in His earthly father’s carpenter shop, surely Mary wondered how it would all end. Perhaps her heart filled with joy as the crowd shouted hosanna. If so, her joy would soon turn to sorrow. It is likely that she had heard of Zechariah’s prophecy that Zion’s King would come “gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”. (Zechariah 9:9) It is also likely that she knew the prophecy of Isaiah 53—He is the Lamb…bearing the sins of the world.

     During the week approaching His crucifixion, Jesus told many parables, discussed taxes and revealed God’s greatest commandments—love God and love your neighbor. He warned against being religious, and He grieved over Jerusalem. He continued to teach and advise His followers to be watchful. He spoke of His return—in all His glory with the angels of heaven by His side.

     As His week of preparation continued, He was anointed with oil from an alabaster box, betrayed by a disciple, shared His last Passover Supper with His closest confidants and arrested as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Lest we forget, He knew what He faced.

     Mary’s heart must have ached as the news of her son’s arrest spread throughout Jerusalem. I wonder how much her human mind could comprehend in the weeks that followed. Did she regret being chosen of God to bear the bearer of good news? Did her mind flash back to the times of runny noses and dirty faces and laughter around the dinner table? Did she think about the actuality that she had cradled God in her arms?

     Thirty-three years after the birth of her baby boy Mary came face to face with the reality of His coming—born to die. Today, you and I must face that same reality and determine whether we reject or accept the salvation of the Lord. The world is still asking, “Who is this Jesus?” Mary knew.  He is heaven’s most precious gift—God’s only Son.

© Joyce Powell
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