THE EARLY YEARS

MARY HIS MOTHER

"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" (Lk. 1:26-29).

Have you ever had an experience that really "messed" your week up?  Everything was going 
fine and all at once you knew—"things will never be the same again!"  I suspect that's the 
way Mary felt the day the angel Gabriel appeared to her.  Other than my wife, I have met very 
few angels; in fact, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met any.  But I suspect the 
appearance of an angel indicates that something big is about to happen.  And was it ever!

Mary had likely been reared in the small village of Nazareth in central Galilee.  We know 
almost nothing about her family and her upbringing.  I suspect it was similar to most other 
Jewish girls of the first century.  You grow up playing with your friends, doing chores around 
the house and learning from your mom.  Faith is important; but synagogue is more about 
seeing friends than meeting God.  However, one day you're a child and the next day your 
mom and dad are negotiating a wedding price.  The next thing you know, you're engaged.

Unlike today, engagements in ancient Israel were much more official and complicated.  An 
engagement might last for months or even years.  Often the parents arranged the 
engagement and the couple fell in love after they got married (if they ever fell in love at all).  

The Bible makes it clear that Mary's wedding to the young, godly Joseph was just a few 
months off.  Perhaps no older than 15, she was likely very busy making the final preparations 
for "starting a home."  Basic essentials for cooking, sewing and cleaning were being set 
aside.  The wedding dress was in the works and mom was busy passing along much needed 
advice.  For Mary, life was simple and exciting—she just didn't know what the word 
"excitement" really meant.

Can you imagine, in the midst of all the plans and preparations, what Mary must have felt 
when Gabriel appeared to her?  "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with 
you."  Luke informs us that the encounter "greatly troubled" Mary.  What an understatement!  
She was about to realize just how troubled she would be.

What about you?  How has your encounter with Jesus changed your life?  While God may 
not be sending angels on visits like Mary's, He is still calling people to a spiritual encounter 
with His Son.  And like Mary's, a real encounter with Jesus will change one's life forever.

See you next week!