Luke 1:34–38 (NIV)
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
CONSIDER THIS
The name “Mary” can mean rebellion.
That’s not an idea we normally associate with the Virgin Mary. We think of her as a stained-glass saint, a one-dimensional icon of holiness, prized role in the annual children’s program.
Truth be told, we don’t often think of her at all until it’s time to unpack the nativity set again. Our tradition protested against the abuses of the papal institution and sought to reform the church in the image of its radical beginnings. So we tend to shy away from focusing on Mary at all out of fear of past misconceptions. But this is to our own great loss. Through this humble woman from a backwoods village, far out of the sphere of power, the Almighty draws near to us. As the baby kicks in her womb, empires tremble and a rebellion—yes, rebellion—is set in motion.
In today’s passage, Mary is greeted by the impossibly good news that she will conceive the long-awaited hope of Israel. Even though she can’t understand how this will happen through a virgin, she defies her doubt and responds with trust.
Mary’s response in Nazareth stands in direct contrast to Eve’s response in the garden. Faced with that first temptation, Eve’s response of doubt leads to insurrection. Mary’s response of trust leads to surrender. Eve is tempted to see herself as the Lord’s equal. Mary responds, “I am the Lord’s servant.” Eve is tempted to doubt the words of God. Mary responds, “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
In Advent, Mary launches the counter-rebellion against sin and death through this radical act of trust. The Way of Jesus is, in fact, just that. It’s a holy rebellion against the way things are. It embodies the culture of a different kind of kingdom that threatens to upend the conventional order of things and usher in the customs of heaven on earth.
Still uncomfortable with the word rebellion? Then consider this as well: In the Museum of the Bible located in Washington, DC, there is a popular exhibit known as the “Slave Bible.” That thought alone should pierce your heart. But it gets worse. This English translation from the 1800s was specifically designed for the conversion of slaves to Christianity and to assist in their education. But in order to protect the status quo power dynamics of the plantation, this version was heavily edited. The goal being to remove any reference that might incite rebellion or awaken a longing for liberation. As you might expect, the end result was a Bible hardly recognizable.
According to the associate curator of the exhibit, there are 1,189 chapters in a standard Protestant Bible. This one contains 232—half of the New Testament is missing, and 90 percent of the Old Testament is missing.
Because across every page is a story that incites rebellion and awakens a longing for liberation. And now, as waiting becomes arrival, the Author of this story is stepping into it to become the Protagonist.
And like Mary, we delight in this impossibly good news. And we echo, “May it be to your servants as you have said.”
THE PRAYER
Prince of Peace, reconcile the impossible divisions that still exist in my life. Make my life look like your kingdom.
THE QUESTION
Does your life look like a rebellion against sin, injustice, oppression, racism, hate? Or are you propping up the status quo? What is one way your life would change if you joined his rebellion? What act of radical trust is Jesus asking of you today?
For the Awakening,
Matt LeRoy
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5 Responses
It would be impossible to read the Scriptures with an open mind and not see the truth revealed that Jesus came to destroy the work of Satan, and to establish the kingdom of God here on earth. With His sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus was given authority over all creation. Upon His ascension, He gifted His followers with that same authority in order to extend the expansion of His kingdom. One of the most successful tactics that the Enemy of our soul’s has employed is the division of Christ’s Church into literally thousands of individualistic sect’s. One of the features of this rebellion that we’re called to participate in will be to fight against the status quo of the body of Christ at war within itself. As Jesus once said, “A house divided can not stand.”
Mary, did you know? That the baby you will deliver will one day deliver you?
Mary, did you know? That when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God?
Christ, literally and spiritually, was alive in Mary. She had never been pregnant before—nothing to compare it to, until she had other human-made babies that carried the sinful nature.
Do you think she could feel the difference between pregnancies?
How could she not?
For when Christ moves in, we are different!
I must say that when Christ grew in Mary, she grew in Him!
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 8:10
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
If someone says they are “Christian,” yet they remain the same, I’d venture they are living in the carnal knowledge of Christ. They are content with Jesus’ shadow, missing the substance source of a life of abundance.
Staying 💪’n Christ
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
The voice of bold, consistent, and courageous rebellion against the sin that seeks to seduce and subdue us from within and without is seldom heard in a Sunday sermon. The voice of radical Christianity is the risen Jesus speaking inside a human heart. Listen to Him. (“My sheep hear My voice.” John 10:27.)
Bob..I cannot tell you how you have confirmed over and over to me during this Advent series the weapon of division Satan uses to destroy God’s sons and daughters. And, we must remember that the church is made up of families, of which division is cutting and dividing rapidly. We must not bow to the idol of complacency, which in my life tends to be nourished with doubt due to the enormity of it all. “Oh Lord burn away my unbelief.” “The things that are impossible with man IS possible with God.”
The Holy Spirit illuminated the reality of this tactic when I reread in Acts the criticism by the leaders of the 1st church (and his closest friends!) Peter received for just “entering” the house of Cornelius after the POWERFUL outpouring of the Holy Spirit!
Yes! A house divided against itself cannot stand! Can two walk together unless they be agreed?
Kelli, I truly believe that two can truly walk together even when initially they have differing opinions concerning the proper interpretation of Scripture, as long as both are truly united in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and are undergoing inner transformation of the heart. When the Church is primarily populated with this type of believers, then true renewal of the institutional church will be begin.