The Gospel lessons this year come predominately from Luke, thus this is where my studies have been focused. It is well known that Luke is constantly showing how the marginalized are exalted in God’s Kingdom as clearly displayed in life of Jesus, showing that the lesser will be greater. It is intriguing how Luke constructs the story in the first few chapters to show the reality that the lesser will be greater in the interplay between the birth of John and Jesus. I will highlight a few of these areas in what follows.
First, Elizabeth and Zechariah, though commoners, are a married priestly family, thus having some status in the community. On the other hand Mary, probably around 12 or 13 years old, and Joseph (Joseph plays little to no role in Luke’s narrative besides that of being a descendant of David) are not married, though betrothed, and are relative nobodies, with Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit (imagine explaining that one to your mother). Though both Elizabeth’s and Mary’s pregnancies are miraculous, Mary’s is much more scandalous do the fact that she is not legally married, thus pushing her closer to the margins. Moreover, John is born earlier than Jesus, thus being the elder of the two (echos of the Jacob/ Esau story). John’s birth is somewhat normal in that family and friends are witnesses and celebrants, as would be expected – though it is certainly mixed with the miraculous. Jesus’ birth is celebrated by angels and lowly shepherds in a small town barn – again to a now newly wed, preteen girl who became pregnant before married. Yet, out of this “nothingness,” being born to a faithful “nobody” the Son of God has come to “proclaim good news to the poor…freedom for the prisoners…sight for the blind…set the oppressed free…(and) proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (4:18-19) – take that Caesar. Surely, Mary’s prophetic song become reality in that “(God) has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (1:46-55). Jesus emerges from these stories as the greater, though being born in a more humble state, of course setting the stage for John playing his part as the one who “prepares the way of the Lord.”
glad you’re finally posting…good stuff.
It’s nice to see that you are writing again. Do you know, I don’t think I ever knew Mary’s age when she was pregnant with Jesus? Wow… 12 or 13… That’s incredible. That’s very interesting to me, considering that’s the age of the children I teach. Notice, I called them “children” because that’s how I have always seen them. However, I also expect so much more from them than many of my colleagues. I know times were very different then, but if God saw fit to choose someone so young to carry and raise His Son, it just reinforces what I’ve always felt, that these young men and women I teach are capable of greatness, too. “The lesser will become the greater.” That really gives me something to think about. I will certainly hold onto that promise in my classroom, for my own children, and for myself. Thanks for the insight.
Dawn,
We are not absolutely sure what the age of Mary would have been, but it seems to be clear that women would have been engaged at a very young age in most cultures of that time. It would seem more likely that if Mary did not fit this custom, we would have been told. This is certainly hard for us in our society to imagine, especially in the East where many people don’t get married and start a family until they have been able to do what they wanted in life (have their careers and their fun), pushing marriage and raising children into their 30′s and 40′s.
I’m always encouraged to hear God makes great the lowly things of this world. It gives me hope that someday God will use me or my children for a higher cause in His kingdom. It’s hard to remember that we are never underdogs in our Lord’s eyes whenever we are hard on ourselves and feeling insignificant.