Holy Week 2023- Monday
Holy Week- Monday
On this Monday of Holy Week, my
mind goes first to Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was so young, barely a teenager when she was visited by the angel, Gabriel,
with the news that she was going to be a mother. And not just a
mother to any baby, but the earthly mother of the Messiah! What an incredible
honor, privilege, and burden she must have felt. In this first century world,
this news put Mary’s life in danger as she was not married, only engaged. When
Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he could have had her stoned for
adultery. Mary must have had so many questions: What am I going to do? Why me?
How’s this going to work? What will others say?
But Scripture only gives us her
brief response to the angel: “Behold, I
am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Her
courage is on display from the very beginning. Still, the words of Simeon, when
Jesus was presented in the temple, must have caused her some anxiety: “And
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your
own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35 ESV
Within a short time, this servant
of the Lord gave birth to her first-born Son, Jesus. Scripture reveals very
little about Jesus’ early years. But Christian history and tradition teach us
that at some point, perhaps in Jesus’ teenage years, Mary’s husband Joseph
died. It must have been difficult enough to know that you have to raise
God’s Messiah, now she must do so alone, at least for a while. Mary would
eventually re-marry and have more children, but she always knew how important
her first born was.
Later, when He began His ministry,
she must have watched her first-born Son with joy as He healed the sick,
cleansed the lepers, and preached the Kingdom of God before the people. I
wonder if she knew that in His final act of ministry, that He would truly become
the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world?!
At the crucifixion, Mary would find
herself weeping at the feet of Jesus. We can only imagine how broken she must
have been in this moment, stunned at how the events of this week had turned
out. More questions must have invaded her mind: Was this her failure? Had
she not done enough to protect Jesus? Was this what God truly wanted from all
of this?
The Old Testament wasn’t readily
available to all people at this point and we don’t know how much Mary knew
about Scripture, but if she had read Isaiah 53, then she would have known how
important this act of sacrifice was: “But
he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are
healed.” Isaiah 53:5 ESV
But her sorrow would eventually be turned to joy as what the angel Gabriel told
her would come true!
It’s interesting that none of the
resurrection morning stories in Scripture include Mary, the mother of Jesus. Why
was she not there? Perhaps, she was so overcome with grief that she could not
bear to see Jesus’ broken body? Or perhaps, her faith was so strong that she
was making all the necessary preparations to receive back her resurrected Son
and King?!
This Monday morning, where is your
faith? Have the events of your life turned out differently than you hoped? Do
you feel overwhelmed by all that you are dealing with in this moment? If so, my prayer is that you will be like Mary and seek to turn the
difficulties and burdens of your life from sorrow and anxiety to joy and praise.
46 And
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for
he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all
generations will call me blessed; 49 for
he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for
those who fear him from generation to generation. Luke 1:46-50 (ESV)
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