But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. (Luke 1:30-33)
I love the Christmas carol, Mary Did You Know? (Lowry and Greene 1991), especially when sung by Danny Gokey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zybbNvK25Y The lyrics are written for this time when Mary didn’t fully realize the baby she would deliver would also deliver her. She didn’t know he would walk on water, make a blind man see, or calm a storm with his hand. She couldn’t have fathomed the honor and trust she was receiving.
Instead, Mary was troubled until Gabriel told her not to be afraid and that God was giving her favor. God’s message was that she would become pregnant, give birth to the Son of the Most High, and call him Jesus, meaning Savior. He would be the final king of the Jews from the lineage of David that would reign over Israelites and Christians forever.
Mary wouldn’t realize her role as “mother” of Jesus until life played out. The fetus in her womb was fully Jesus, the second but perfect Adam. Like Adam, no human contributed to his DNA. But, Jesus grew inside Mary for 9 months, and she grew to love Him as her own son. The news that Jesus was also the Son of the Most High meant she would have to share Jesus because He belongs to all of us. Jesus confirmed that in Luke 8:21 where He tells us His mother, brothers, and sisters are you and I, those who hear God’s word and do it.
Interesting title to this devotion. My first response, “Of course she was His mother.” It doesn’t matter that her DNA was not present. She carried him, delivered him and mothered him. What a great honor! So true that she had no idea of greatness she was doing.
Thanks, Pam. I changed the question from Is Mary the Mother of Jesus? to Does Jesus have more than one mother? I don’t want anyone to miss the point that Jesus considers all those who hear God’s word and do it to be his mother. We are all honored.
I did miss the point…thank you!