A Treasure to Ponder

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:15-19

God’s Word does not record the many details between Joseph’s dream and this holy day in Bethlehem.  I am looking forward to the heavenly version of the DVD to answer some questions.  Did her parents support Mary, or were they ashamed?  Was her labor quick and easy?  What was Joseph’s reaction when they arrived in Bethlehem to find there was no room for them in the inn?  Did he berate himself for not taking better care of his family?  Was he sulking in self-pity thinking he could not do anything right since he allowed the Son of God to be born in the animals’ quarters with a cattle feeding trough for a bed?  Or was he full of faith knowing that every part of the journey was as God had planned it?  Either way, they had the baby in their arms.  There was no news from God yet.  How emotional for them when the shepherds arrived.  Until the shepherds arrived, they thought no one else knew the Savior of the world had just been born.  The shepherds shared in their joy.  Their spirits must have leaped with joy listening to the story of the angels in the fields praising God for the Savior who had been born.

How good of God to send them confirmation on this day!  It had been nine months since Gabriel’s visit to Mary.  It had been many months since Elizabeth greeted her, and John had leapt in her womb.  Joseph’s dream of the angel was many months ago, too.  God was not obligated to speak to her again.  Yet, He did through the visit of the shepherds as they worshiped and gave glory to God.  It must have reassured them that God was pleased with the circumstances of His Son’s birth.

Through the shepherds’ visit, God also encouraged them.  I’m sure it was tough to journey to Bethlehem while Mary was in her last days of pregnancy.  She either felt every bump on that road or was too excited about the days to come to mind her discomfort.  Can you imagine the pressure that she must have felt to be the perfect mother?  There were no secret mothering mistakes from the all-seeing, all-knowing God.  He knew her every deed, word, and thought – yikes!  I don’t know any woman who feels that she could pass that mothering test!

Scripture does not record the conversations between the shepherds and Joseph and Mary.  However, verse 19 tells us of Mary’s reaction to their visit.  It says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

The Greek word for “ponder” is sumballo which means “to throw or put together, casting many things together and considering them as one.”  Mary was recounting the many events of the past year and considering them as one.  She mulled over everything that had happened to Joseph and to her.  She was pondering what Almighty God had done.  I think it was a moment where God took Mary’s breath away.  She might have said, “Who is this God?  So this is how God operates in people’s lives.  You did it, God.  You did it in style.  You amaze me.”  In my Bible study group, my friend Wilma described this verse as Mary crafting her mental baby book of Jesus.  Mary was collecting her mental snapshots from the angel’s first appearance to the shepherds’ visit.

Just by being a child of God, you and I also have mental snapshots of the times that He has acted in our lives.  These moments are a treasure.  The Almighty God of the universe has acted in our lives!  When was the last time you pondered what God Almighty has done in your life?

Pray with me:  Father God, You were so tender with Mary and Joseph.  You knew that they needed confirmation.  You knew that they needed reassurance and encouragement.  You are so good!  The story of Your Son’s birth is exquisite!  Every detail was meticulously planned.  Every moment was in accordance with Your perfect plan.

Lord, we know that You have been active in so many ways in our lives.  Some of them may be concealed to us today because You have done so much, but let us ponder what You have done.  Let us be in awe of how You work in people’s lives.  You carefully craft the experiences.  You arrange everything perfectly.  You accomplish what You desire.  Just like Mary was willing to let You do whatever You saw best, so are we.  Lord, we give You the freedom to fulfill Your perfect plan for our lives.  It’s in Your precious Son’s Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Highly Favored

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin's name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.’

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son.’ ”  

Luke 1:26-31a

God Himself sent Gabriel to Nazareth to a virgin pledged to be married.  He summoned His angel Gabriel who stood in His presence to approach His throne.  In the holy place where lightning flashes, seraphs continuously give Him praise, and colors unparalleled to this world dazzle and dance, He imparted to Gabriel another message to be delivered.  So Gabriel torn back the veil once again between the spiritual realm to the natural realm.

Previously, Gabriel was sent to the temple where Zechariah was serving or to Daniel, who was a ruler over an entire province of Babylon (Daniel 2:48).  They were both men in high positions.  Now, Gabriel was being sent to a young teenage girl in a small village in the hill country.  This common girl received the most majestic message from the holy throne room of God.

The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth is a modern Catholic church built over the remains of Byzantine and Crusader churches.  It incorporates the cave where the Catholic Church believes that the Virgin Mary received the news from Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus.  However, we are not certain of the true location.  Was she in this cave?  Was it her home?  Was she cooking dinner?  Was she sweeping the floors?  Or was she still in bed and in her night clothes?  Or was she outside getting water from the well or some other chore.

Likewise, we could think of many questions about her reaction to the angel Gabriel’s appearance.  It is doubtful that she was giddy and ecstatic, wondering what an angel looked like.  She was not thinking about how she couldn’t wait to tell all of her friends.  She probably was not relaxed and welcoming the angel because she was not expecting his visit.   She knew about the angel’s news to Zechariah and how Elizabeth’s barren womb was open with the child who would “go on before the Lord” (Luke 1:17).  However, she could not have guessed that Elizabeth’s baby would go on before the Son of God who had come as the Son of Man born from her womb.

Mary was bestowed with the highest honor among women.  We know that God esteemed her because Gabriel said that she was highly favored in verse 28, and then, he said it again in verse 30.  God was pleased with her.  Then, the angel goes on to say, “The Lord is with you.”  Oh, what words of comfort!  When God assigns someone a mission in the Bible like Moses or Joshua, He also assured them with these precious words, “I am with you.”  Remember He is Immanuel, the with-us God.  The angel had not told her yet her assignment.  He first told her that she was able to do what God had called her to do.  Then he told her what was going to happen.

In a matter of moments on an ordinary day, the entire direction of this teenager’s life had changed.  The angel told this young girl that she would be responsible for the precious Son of God.  He told her to accept this unprecedented miracle.  He told her to embrace motherhood, which was not the life stage for which she was preparing.  He told her to endure scandal.  The community would know that this baby was not Joseph’s child.  She would have to endure their cupped whispers in their friends’ ears as she passed them on the roads.  She would have to tell Joseph, and yes, she would have to tell her parents!

But God gave her two encouragements so she would know that even though she was called to a hard road, all would be alright for she had won the favor of God!  Even though she was not perfect and made some mistakes, she knew that she was living right and that her heart was for the Lord.  Secondly, she had the promise that the Lord was with her.  With God on her side, she could endure whatever the neighbors said and find the wisdom needed to raise the Son of the Most High.

Precious one, with God on our side, we also can endure whatever He has called us.  If we set ourselves apart for Him, then we are also highly favored and have placed ourselves in a position for Him to work in our lives.  Our Lord will be with us through whatever life throws at us.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  Others may forsake us, but He won’t!  O, how we praise You, LORD!

Pray with me:  Father God, what an amazing story!  You sent Your messenger with a divine message that had waited throughout all time to be uttered.  The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary on such an ordinary day.  We also desire to be highly favored by You, too.  Teach us how to be favored by You.  Convict us in areas that do not please You.  We never want to go anywhere without You.  We want every path of our lives to be marked by “The LORD was with us.”  Show us Your way.  It’s in Your precious Son’s Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.

Near the Cross

By Shirley Mitchell

^“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”

John 19:25-27

I’m playing the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Lexington Passion Play this year.  To prepare for the role, I have read every Scripture about her, commentaries, books, and watched movies.  So much about Mary is not recorded in God’s Word and left to our imaginations.  It has been my constant prayer for God to show me how to connect with Mary and to reveal to me her thoughts and feelings.

We know that she was the first to hear the voice of the Son of God, and she was one of the few who heard His last cries from the cross.  She was only a young teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had found favor with God, and the Holy Spirit would come upon her and give her a child. 

We can imagine that when Jesus was a child, she probably saw Him meditate on Scripture or spend His time praying in the garden.  She had probably wondered how Jesus would bring redemption to the Jewish people.  How would the angel’s words be fulfilled that “the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32b-33)?

The day finally arrived when the Jewish people welcomed her Son into Jerusalem.  Palm branches were waving, His Name was cried out, and garments were thrown down on the ground for Him to ride the donkey over.  Perhaps after this excited day, she had heard her friends speculate what Jesus would do next.  She might have heard or even seen Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders who could not hide their contempt and hatred for her Son.  In the play, I followed the disciples into Jerusalem as the crowd sings Hosanna to their King.  I wonder what Mary thought about that day.  Did she think that the moment was coming when Israel would repent and be delivered from the Roman oppression?

However, she was forced to watch the plan of God unfold in ways that she never imagined.  We are left to wonder when she heard that Jesus was arrested in the garden.  When did she first lay eyes on His battered and beaten face that she had once held in her hands so tenderly?

In the movie The Passion of the Christ, she is there hidden in the mob that demands Pilate to crucify Jesus.  In the passion play, so am I.  I feel the horror of Jesus’ followers when Pilate brings out the beaten Jesus.  I feel the confusion over why Peter, John, or even Jesus doesn’t do something.   The fear of the angry mob with clubs and the Roman soldiers with sharp swords comes over me.  Mary Magdalene and I are bewildered that the same crowd that welcomed and celebrated his arrival to the city the week before is now against Him.  I flinch at His scourging and cannot bear to hear the sound of the whip.

 As hard as that is, it is even harder to be at the foot of the cross as “Jesus” is gasping for His last breaths.  On His head is that nasty crown of thorns, and red “blood” runs down His body.  As I cry openly from deep inside me, I hear moans that are coming from my own voice, and tears fill my eyes to the point where I can’t see.  Then Jesus rises up to take a breath and say, “It is finished.”  And with His last breath He says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  Then the ground shakes, and the veil is torn in two.  That is when it happens.  For these few moments through many plays, my heart is connected with Mary.  My heart is pierced with the sword like Mary’s was that day at the cross.  

The disciple John was by Mary’s side at the cross.  Jesus knew what the future held for other possible candidates to take care of His mother.  He knew the other disciples would be martyred, and John would live the longest.  So He made provisions for her while He was dying. 

In the play, John tries to console me at the cross.  When the disciples come, he helps me to my feet as I grieve.  The disciples take Jesus off the cross and pass John the crown of thorns.  Their clothes and hands are covered with the blood.  They carry Jesus’ dead body to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  Somehow I stagger to follow them to the tomb.  Through their tears and grief-stricken faces, each one of them hugs me.

I wonder every time whether Mary thought right up until the end that He would come off that cross or that God Himself would come down from heaven to save His Son.  I realized that once again Mary was asked to endure shame.  Word must have spread outside the family about the timing of Joseph taking Mary as a wife and the birth of Jesus.  People most likely found out that He was conceived before the wedding ceremony.  Her reputation was ruined, and she was the source of gossip for years to come.  Now her Son died as the lowest of criminals on a Roman cross.  People would have whispered about how her eldest Son was nothing but a blasphemer who deserved death.  Yet, to Mary, He was her precious Son who had never done anything wrong.  She always knew that He was the promised Messiah.  However, she didn’t know that He came to sacrifice His life until later.  She could not have lived with the knowledge that her sweet baby boy would be nailed to the cross.  Even though she didn’t fully comprehend what was happening that day, she showed her deep love for Him by staying at His side, near the cross.

Pray with me:  Oh, God, when we don’t understand Your plan, give us the fortitude to stay near the cross no matter what.  Lord, how beautiful of You to choose sweet Mary.  She was so brave.  How great that Your plan was not just to establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem in Israel for that was too small a thing, but it was to establish a throne in the hearts of men for Israel and for the world.  Mary’s hopes have come true in so many ways grander than she ever imagined.  Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It’s in Your Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.

Near the Cross

Near the Cross

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."

John 19:25-27

I'm playing the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Lexington Passion Play this year. To prepare for the role, I have read every Scripture about her, commentaries, books, and watched movies. So much about Mary is not recorded in God's Word and left to our imaginations. It has been my constant prayer for God to show me how to connect with Mary and to reveal to me her thoughts and feelings.

We know that she was the first to hear the voice of the Son of God, and she was one of the few who heard His last cries from the cross. She was only a young teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had found favor with God, and the Holy Spirit would come upon her and give her a child.

We can imagine that when Jesus was a child, she probably saw Him meditate on Scripture or spend His time praying in the garden. She had probably wondered how Jesus would bring redemption to the Jewish people. How would the angel's words be fulfilled that "the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:32b-33)?

The day finally arrived when the Jewish people welcomed her Son into Jerusalem. Palm branches were waving, His Name was cried out, and garments were thrown down on the ground for Him to ride the donkey over. Perhaps after this excited day, she had heard her friends speculate what Jesus would do next. She might have heard or even seen Jesus' confrontations with the religious leaders who could not hide their contempt and hatred for her Son. In the play, I follow the disciples into Jerusalem as the crowd sings Hosanna to their King. I wonder what Mary thought about that day. Did she think that the moment was coming when Israel would repent and be delivered from the Roman oppression?

However, she was forced to watch the plan of God unfold in ways that she never imagined. We are left to wonder when she heard that Jesus was arrested in the garden. When did she first lay eyes on His battered and beaten face that she had once held in her hands so tenderly?

In the movie The Passion of the Christ, she is there hidden in the mob that demands Pilate to crucify Jesus. In the passion play, so am I. I feel the horror of Jesus' followers when Pilate brings out the beaten Jesus. I feel the confusion over why Peter, John, or even Jesus doesn't do something. The fear of the angry mob with clubs and the Roman soldiers with sharp swords comes over me. Mary Magdalene and I are bewildered that the same crowd that welcomed and celebrated his arrival to the city the week before is now against Him. I flinch at His scourging and cannot bear to hear the sound of the whip.

As hard as that is, it is even harder to be at the foot of the cross as "Jesus" is gasping for His last breaths. On His head is that nasty crown of thorns, and red "blood" runs down His body. As I cry openly from deep inside me, I hear moans that are coming from my own voice, and tears fill my eyes to the point where I can't see. Then Jesus rises up to take a breath and say, "It is finished." And with His last breath He says, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Then the ground shakes, and the veil is torn in two. That is when it happens. For these few moments through many plays, my heart is connected with Mary. My heart is pierced with the sword like Mary's was that day at the cross.

The disciple John was by Mary's side at the cross. Jesus knew what the future held for other possible candidates to take care of His mother. He knew the other disciples would be martyred, and John would live the longest. So He made provisions for her while He was dying.

In the play, John tries to console me at the cross. When the disciples come, he helps me to my feet as I grieve. The disciples take Jesus off the cross and pass John the crown of thorns. Their clothes and hands are covered with the blood. They carry Jesus' dead body to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Somehow I stagger to follow them to the tomb. Through their tears and grief-stricken faces, each one of them hugs me.

I wonder every time whether Mary thought right up until the end that He would come off that cross or that God Himself would come down from heaven to save His Son. I realized that once again Mary was asked to endure shame. Word must have spread outside the family about the timing of Joseph taking Mary as a wife and the birth of Jesus. People most likely found out that He was conceived before the wedding ceremony. Her reputation was ruined, and she was the source of gossip for years to come. Now her Son died as the lowest of criminals on a Roman cross. People would have whispered about how her eldest Son was nothing but a blasphemer who deserved death. Yet, to Mary, He was her precious Son who had never done anything wrong. She always knew that He was the promised Messiah. However, she didn't know that He came to sacrifice His life until later. She could not have lived with the knowledge that her sweet baby boy would be nailed to the cross. Even though she didn't fully comprehend what was happening that day, she showed her deep love for Him by staying at His side, near the cross.

Pray with me: Oh, God, when we don't understand Your plan, give us the fortitude to stay near the cross no matter what. Lord, how beautiful of You to choose sweet Mary. She was so brave. How great that Your plan was not just to establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem in Israel for that was too small a thing, but it was to establish a throne in the hearts of men for Israel and for the world. Mary's hopes have come true in so many ways grander than she ever imagined. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It's in Your Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.

Poured Out

Poured Out

"Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
John 12:3

In the first story about Mary in the Bible, she is found sitting at Jesus' feet while He is teaching. Her sister Martha is distracted by the preparations and complains to Jesus that she is not helping her. Luke 10:41-42 says, " 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' "

In the last story - which includes today's Scripture - about these two sisters, Martha was giving a dinner to honor Jesus six days before the Passover. The week before, Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Since Martha had just witnessed the greatest miracle of her life up to that moment, she was celebrating by serving dinner while the men reclined at the table with Jesus. Then Mary took an expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. She poured out the most expensive thing that she had. It may have been the treasure that she was saving for her marriage dowry. Nothing else would have held more value than that. She broke the ornamental jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head (Mark 14:3) and His feet (John 12:3). It was costly to her, but she had decided that she must pour it out to her Teacher, Messiah, and King.

People's attitudes toward Mary and Martha have always bothered me. We have compartmentalized Martha to be the type A personality. If you want something done, then you go to a Martha. We think if we had more Martha's in the church that we would get things done. In our fast-paced world filled with a list of to-do's that could never be accomplished in our lifetimes, many of us relate to the "Martha" stereotype. Bible study gets put on the side while we get done our "have to" responsibilities. We collapse into our beds in exhaustion only to wake up in the morning to the alarm clock and be right back in the race.

Mary is known for lying around at Jesus' feet and taking in a good Bible story and being uncaring and inconsiderate to her sister's hard work. We think the Mary personality just attends Bible study and never serves in the church. She just brings her kids to the nursery for care and lets the Martha's tend to the kids. She shows up for the fellowship dinner and socializes while the Martha's work in the kitchen.

But I believe these two ladies were much more complex than the "get it done" girl and the "lazy, social" girl. I don't think Mary's choice was easy to sit at His feet or else Jesus would not have praised her.

A true Mary who has sat at the feet of Jesus, who has seen Him demonstrate His love and power in her life, will not just go to Bible study and suck in all the Word that she can and leave the service to the Martha's. An authentic Mary is like a mighty rushing river that cannot be held back from ministry for the kingdom. You can't stop her if your life depended upon it.

She will worship with no concern for how others may react to her. In fact her worship is unbridled! When you and I serve God out of the "Mary" in us who has chosen the better part, we will never find ourselves more alive. Our ministry may not be stress-free, but less stressful, because we are acting out of the Holy Spirit flowing out of us. We find fulfillment and significance. We uncover what we were created to do.

I can't help but wonder if Martha had prepared enough beforehand that she, too, found the release of her soul as she served the dinner that night. As she waited on them at the table, did she find the joy that she had been lacking on the prior occasion? Did she find that her natural compulsion, when under the rule of the authority of Jesus, was also her passion?

I'll be the first to say that writing is not my natural compulsion. However, when I write for you, I feel like the real "me" is being released. I feel like I'm getting a glimpse of the Shirley I will be in heaven. I feel closest to God when I pour out my heart for you through what He has shown me in His Word. If I am robbed of the time to do it, I almost feel like a part of me is dying like someone moaning in agony on her death bed dying a slow death. When I do it, my spirit is alive. I believe it is because I am in unison with the Holy Spirit playing a divine symphony in the heavenly realms. Just as the aroma in that room that night pleased Jesus, so I believe that when you and I serve out of the Mary within us that we please our Father. When we cannot stop ourselves from pouring it all for our God, we have won the ovation of our God and Father. Beloved, there is nothing sweeter in all of life than that!

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are life! You are our strength and our shield! You fulfill Your promise to never leave us! You are worth all sacrifice! Release Your Spirit through us. We want to serve You with the unbridled passion that Mary had. Show us the ministry thing that makes us feel like if we don't do it, then we will die! We will just die! Disobedience is not an option because we cannot be stopped from doing it. When we serve You, either in the kitchen like Martha that night or on center stage like Mary doing the wild and the crazy, may we always do it for Your exaltation and never self-exaltation. May we become physically ill at the thought of ever receiving glory that is due Your Name. We serve for the applause of One, just for You, Lord. It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, I pray. Amen.