Mary, Did You Know?
By Tracy Smith
But
Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Mary, Did You Know?” The
imagery has always spoken to me: the way the song frames who Jesus was and what
He did as questions, wondering if Mary understood.
After becoming a mother to sons myself, the song took on new
meaning. As I looked at the faces of my sleeping boys, it made me think of Mary
looking at the face of baby/toddler Jesus. What did she truly comprehend of who
He was?
We know that an angel told her that she would give birth to a
Son, conceived through the Holy Spirit and that He would be called the Son of
God. We know that Mary accepted what the angel said (Luke
1:29-38). But what did she really understand? Did she know that her
“baby boy would give sight to a blind man?” [1]
or
that her “baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?” [1]
I can’t imagine how Mary looked into the helpless face of her baby, who at the
time, was dependent on her for everything, and could truly understand that He
would one day save us all from our sins.
We know that she understood something about His power as she
came to Him at the wedding in Cana expecting He could do something about the
fact that the wine had run out (John
2:1-5).
Yet, at the same time, when Jesus was 12 years old and He stayed
behind in the temple, Mary and Joseph were frantic to find Him and seemingly
did not think to look there. When they confront Him about the fact that they
did not know where He was, He responds in Luke 2, “’Why were you searching for
me?’ He asked. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’”
When He says this, they do not understand what He means.
I can’t even imagine what Jesus’ parents were trying to figure
out/understand as He grew into adulthood. Could they ever really comprehend
that the child they used to rock to sleep “is the Great I Am?” [1]
What about you? Who do you
understand Jesus to be?
GOING DEEPER:
1. Listen to the Pentatonix version of “Mary Did You Know?”
Focus on all that it says Jesus is. (Click HERE to listen to
it.)
FURTHER READING:
Along with being
a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is a ministry assistant at Oakwood
and works with a great group of High School girls.
