Our Bible is full of people who are inspirational to our walk in the faith. From Noah to John, there are countless stories and accounts of people whose hearts yearned to do the will of our Abba. Perhaps the most inspirational thing about these men and women is that they are flawed. The same people who make up some of the greatest tales of faith are also, at times, perpetrators of some of what we would consider the most heinous acts we can imagine. From adultery, drunkenness, lying all the way to murder and idol worship, they are guilty of it all. It is an encouraging thought to know that even the worst of our actions are redeemable through YHVH. It is even greater to know that we are capable of doing great things through our faith despite our past and our short comings.
I want to take the time to recognize one of these figures who I feel is often overlooked inside the T.O. community. She is very seldom touched on in a lot of the teachings I've come across. I understand why she is a touchy subject, in that we have tried so hard to separate ourselves from the heresy of the Catholic church. I am writing, of course, of Mary. The mother of our Messiah. The very mention of her seems to be something we treat as taboo. We leave the discussion of her with the quick dismissal of her not being holy and not someone who should be worshiped, and then we move on to discuss the faith of Peter or Paul. I feel like she's getting a bum deal because of how she has been misrepresented in modern doctrine.
"26 In the sixth month, the angel Gavri’el was sent by God to a city in the Galil called Natzeret, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam. 28 Approaching her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored lady! Adonai is with you!” 29 She was deeply troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favor with God. 31 Look! You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua. 32 He will be great, he will be called Son of Ha‘Elyon. Adonai, God, will give him the throne of his forefather David; 33 and he will rule the House of Ya‘akov forever — there will be no end to his Kingdom.”34 “How can this be,” asked Miryam of the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered her,
“The Ruach HaKodesh will come over you,
the power of Ha‘Elyon will cover you.
Therefore the holy child born to you
will be called the Son of God.
36 “You have a relative, Elisheva, who is an old woman; and everyone says she is barren. But she has conceived a son and is six months pregnant! 37 For with God, nothing is impossible.” 38 Miryam said, “I am the servant of Adonai; may it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her." - Luke 1: 26-38
In these verses, we see an extraordinary amount of faith and utter trust in YHVH. Mary also displays a desire above all to fulfill the will of her Abba despite the risk to her personal well being. She is given the most astounding news anyone in the history of the world has ever been handed. She takes it with grace and dignity, and aside from a few questions about the details, she commends it into the hands of Yah. She simply says, "Let it be".
Now, given the time and the community, those three words hold some serious weight. Mary was an unwed, engaged woman. Showing up pregnant and telling everyone that she conceived of the Ruach HaKodesh was pretty much suicide. Yet she never even hesitated. Her sole want and desire was for Yah to have his way. That His plan would be sought out, and not a thought for herself.
We also do see some hesitation in that she asked "How can this be since I am a virgin?" Yet, she is never in disbelief, merely wondering the logistics of it. In just about every other account that I can think of throughout scripture, when someone who shouldn't be able to get pregnant is told they will, they respond in disbelief. Sarah actually laughed about it and then lied about it because she was afraid (Genesis 18:12-15). Zechariah, likewise, had his voice stripped from him for his unbelief (Luke 1:18-20) And what happens to Mary when she is faced with an even more amazing miracle? She accepts the word of Yah and is blessed for it.
"39 Without delay, Miryam set out and hurried to the town in the hill country of Y’hudah 40 where Z’kharyah lived, entered his house and greeted Elisheva. 41 When Elisheva heard Miryam’s greeting, the baby in her womb stirred. Elisheva was filled with the Ruach HaKodesh 42 and spoke up in a loud voice,
“How blessed are you among women!
And how blessed is the child in your womb!"- Luke 1:39-41
How much can we learn from the example set by the woman chosen by Yah? I submit to you that we would do well to follow the example she set. I by no means endorse the worship of any human being. Mary is no exception. She should never be set on equal, or even relatively close, footing with Yah. She can't answer our prayers or make intercession for us. Nor do I believe that she can appear to people in burnt toast. What I am saying is that, in a book full of people we can look up to for their amazing faith and the works that Yah used them to do, we should be more careful not to overlook Mary. If we would all take less time worrying about ourselves and the details and just give in to His will, this world would be a little closer to what it was made to be. All we have to do is remember those three small words that changed the world. "Let it be."
One Love,
Albert C. Coble
