Monday, March 19, 2018

I Am the Servant of the Lord

I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” then the angel left her" (Luke 1:38).

The angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth and told her that she was going to have a son and that this child would “be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). He would sit on David’s throne and rule over God’s people forever. In short, He would be the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Mary wondered how this could be, since she had never known a man intimately, but the angel assured her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). After this explanation came from the angel, there was no argument from Mary. She acquiesced in what he told her.

There is a bit of theological controversy about the second half of Mary’s reply. Her statement is sometimes called “Mary’s fiat.” Fiat is the Latin imperative or command form of the verb to be. Some say that here Mary is giving a commandment to the angel, “Be it so unto me.” There are those who say that Mary’s fiat was absolutely necessary in order for Christ to be born. Christ, they say, could not have been born without Mary’s okay, and so Mary contributed to the work of our salvation.

Nothing could be further from the tone of the words of Mary here. Mary is not giving orders to the angel. She is bowing before the orders of God, given her by the angel. It is not power but obedience that is manifested here.

There was glory, to be sure, in being the mother of the Messiah, but there was pain as well. What would it be like to have this tremendous responsibility on your shoulders, to raise a Child who was God Himself in the flesh?

In Mary, we see a true servant of the Lord. The beginning of Jesus’ life is marked by a mother who submits to God’s will, even when it is disclosed by angels bearing an incomprehensible message.

Our obedience is in ordinary circumstances without angelic visitation or divine responsibilities. However, submissive obedience is still the key. In your mundane daily tasks today, complete them with godly obedience.