Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 – Luke 1:39-80
Are you more like Mary or Zechariah? Throughout the Bible, we see multiple characters in one story who cause us to ask, “Am I more like this character or that one?” We see it with Cain and Able, Jacob and Esau, Saul and David, Jonah and the Ninevites, and many more. Here the contrast is between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Zechariah the priest, the father of John the Baptist.
Both love God. Both have children that play an important role in God’s grand story. Both are visited by an angel, both overflow with a poetic song or prophecy in today’s reading. (Those strange indentations every other line indicate a poetic form in the original language)
Here is the difference. Mary responded immediately to God’s promises with “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1:38) She then went to see God’s word come true and overflowed with joy! Zechariah responded to God’s message through the angel with “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” It’s honest but overly bold for a priest who is seeing an angel right before his eyes to not believe what the angel said! (See Luke 1:20) It was not until his son was born and named John that he was able to speak again. When he did, like Mary, he overflowed with joy.
Mary trusted when God spoke. Zechariah learned to trust God’s word the hard way. Which one are you? The good news is God used both in mighty ways. Their trust or lack thereof could not deter God’s plan. Ultimately, both saw God’s word come to pass, trusted God, and overflowed with joy!
Questions for reflection
- Is your default to trust God’s word right away or is it hard for you to believe what God says about your life? Why do you think that is your default?
- Take a minute to ask God to make your heart more like Mary's, full of trust. Ask him to show you his promises unfolding in real life so that you would overflow with joy at his work in your life.