Pondering the Mysteries of God

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:15-21 ESV). The Bible could never be accused of whitewashing the heroes of the faith. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Peter all had some pretty serious flaws and failures. When we come across a biblical personality who had no recorded obvious flaws and sins, we take note. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is one of those who was always found faithful. And what faith she had! She was a Jewish teenage virgin visited by an angel, and told she would give birth to God’s son. I love Mary’s depiction in the Gospel. She is portrayed as genuine and very human. She initially responded like any teenage virgin would today. Disbelief, shock, bewilderment, and probably wondering what her betrothed and her family would think, she asked, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” But after the initial shock, she chose to believe God’s Word.

There’s a great word Luke uses in our reading to describe her reaction to all the things surrounding Jesus’ birth. He says she was “pondering” them. The Greek word is συμβάλλουσα (symballousa). Strong’s says of this word, only used six times in the Bible: “I throw together, hence: I ponder, come up with, encounter, with or without hostile intent; I dispute with; mid: I confer, consult with, contribute.” I like the definition online too. It says it is to think about, contemplate, consider, review, reflect on, mull over, meditate on, muse on, deliberate about, cogitate on, dwell on, brood on, ruminate on, chew over, puzzle over, turn over in one's mind, or overthink. I found a blog titled “justsomethings” that had this wonderful rendering of what Mary might have looked like as she considered all that had happened. I’ve had those moments in my life. Circumstances and events begin to unfold in my life and I am forced to just wonder. Most of the time I ask the question: “Why?” Unfortunately that’s always the wrong question. Mary is a great example for us. She asked, “Who?” Her answer was ultimately the root of her faith. It was God who had overseen all the events surrounding the miraculous birth of her baby. It would be enough for her to take the next step. Her anxiety was softened knowing God had brought these things into her life for good. That’s our promise as well. Spend some time pondering your experiences with that truth in mind.