God’s Favor

 

“If I die while my kids are still young, I’d like you to raise them.”  This is considered an honor, a compliment that someone would entrust the raising of their valued children to you in their stead.

We have all heard the teaching about how hard Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus must have been for her. A young, single woman, engaged to be married, in a society that would have had a “no tolerance” policy on pre-marital sex. Her parents, Joseph’s parents and family, the Rabbis… no one would have believed or understood what had happened to her.

The Jewish people in general were expecting a Jewish Messiah, a King who would rescue them from the oppressive government they were living under. They knew, from Old Testament prophecy, that the Messiah would come from the line of David, that he would rule on David’s throne, and that He would uphold that throne with justice and righteousness. (Isaiah 9:7) He sounded like a political messiah to them.

Coming through Mary, a girl pregnant before she was married, from a normal family, not a royal family even though she was in the line of David, was not exactly what the Jewish people had been expecting. Their expectation was that this Messiah would be royalty, perhaps a mighty soldier, and that he would be the King of an earthly kingdom.

In the misunderstanding of the people Mary was likely to be judged as a lunatic for her stance that this was a miracle pregnancy and she had been visited by an angel. Joseph considered quietly divorcing her until he, too, was visited by God’s messenger commanding him to marry her.

In Luke’s report, the angel Gabriel came to tell Mary what was about to happen. He records that twice the angel told Mary that she was “favored” by God. In Luke 1:28 he said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” And in Luke, 1:30 he said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

I have wondered if Mary felt like she was favored.  She had not yet seen what Joseph’s response would be. Her parents had to be told and she was about to have a baby that an angel told her was going to be the Son of God!  Wouldn’t this be hard? Wouldn’t people talk about her? Wouldn’t there be those Jews who would question her qualifications to get this job?

If God says she was favored, she was favored.

In our culture we believe that if we are favored by God everything in life will go smoothly. We will have wealth and ease, we will know the “right” people and be welcomed in the “right” places.

Mary’s favor from God was that He had chosen her for a difficult task. He was entrusting His Son to her care – and to her husband’s care. She was faithful to God, submissive to His call on her life, and He honored her in her humility. (Proverbs 21:21)

What is God entrusting to you and me? His Word? His righteousness, which is His Son?  A work He has for us to do? Do we feel favored? His work for us is not to be a burden but a privilege. Mary saw the truth of that, do we?