Talking Points with Pastor Lucas: And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Luke 2: 46-47
What was it like to be pregnant with the Son of God? Have you ever considered what it was like for Mary? Being a male, I don’t have the privilege or the joy of experiencing pregnancy. Those of you who are mothers have a bond with one another that is greater than anything we males can lay claim to. Carrying life within your own body is an amazing miracle of creation.
To be sure, every mother experiences pregnancy a little differently. Some women crave pickles and ice cream, others have bursts of energy and vitality, and others, if they are like my wife, are sick all day and all night for all nine months (a condition called Hyperemesis gravidarum). In fact, as we are now expecting our seventh child in February, my wife has once again been experiencing a constant nauseous reminder of the blessing of life growing inside of her.
Do you ever wonder how Mary experienced pregnancy? Did Mary have morning sickness? Did she have all day sickness? Was she full of energy and vitality? Did she crave kosher pickles?
The Scriptures don’t say. But what they do say is that she rejoiced at the life within her. “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Within her was God in the flesh. The creator of the universe was in her body growing tiny little hands and tiny little feet—quite possibly even giving her morning sickness.
Do you ever wonder where morning sickness came from? It is true that not all women experience it. But neither do all women experience the pains of labor and delivery the same. Nonetheless, Scripture gives us insight into where all pain and discomfort come from.
On the day Adam and Eve sinned, God declared to Eve in Genesis 3:16 “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing, with pain you will give birth to children…” Morning sickness was likely a part of this added pain.
Even more, as Eve was given added childbearing pains, Adam was told, “17Cursed is the ground because of you, through pain and toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” Because of the Adam’s sin, there would now be rough and treacherous land, violent weather, and inhospitable environments; there would be thorns, thistles, and all kinds of threats to human life—all because of their sin.
Eve was given pain. Adam was given pain. You and I still experience pain today. As Adam and Eve felt the consequences of sin, so we continue to feel the consequences of sin today. Whether it’s morning sickness or labor pains, fieldwork or office work, headache or heartache, there is pain. The addiction that afflicts, the past that punishes, the disease that destroys, the decision that deceives; the curse of sin is painful. And we want it to stop!
But the Good News is that God says it will. In fact, it is rather ironic, if we think about it, that the way God promises to end all pain was only through pain.
Yes, Mary rejoiced at the child within her womb, for that child would be the savior of the world. However, the way in which this Savior was brought into the world was ironically through the pain of pregnancy and labor. Even more, the way that salvation was brought to this world was only through the brutal pain of this child suffering on the cross.
Yes, Mary glorified the Lord for the child in her womb, but what mother wants to see her child suffer pain? What mother wants to see her child die? We can only imagine what Mary must have been thinking as the baby she once held in the protection of her arms was viciously beaten and violently nailed to a cross.
We find no words of rejoicing as Mary watched her son dying (see John 19:25). How could a mother rejoice at such a sight? What mother wouldn’t sob in anguish? Her baby was dying a horrific death.
The joy of his birth was now long forgotten. It was replaced only by the pain of his suffering and agony. It was a pain that was necessary to bring us forgiveness, life, and salvation. But when Jesus was raised from the dead there can be no doubt that the words of Mary’s rejoicing came back to her in all their fullness! Now they are permanently etched in the Scriptures for all to hear and for all of us to join in saying: “46My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” (Luke 2).
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Woodford