Scripture: Luke 2:16-19 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Devotion: Yesterday, we read Mary’s Song. If we do a quick overview of her timeline, we start to gain an understanding of the overwhelming journey that she has been on. She was betrothed to Joseph, visited by an angel to tell her that she was chosen by God to bear His Son, welcomed by Elizabeth who was praising the child in her womb, told Joseph that she was pregnant without knowing what the outcome would be, travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem while pregnant, and then gave birth to the Savior of the world in a stable.
And now she has visitors. Have you ever heard the joke about how Mary had just given birth, was exhausted, and was then visited by a little boy who wanted to play a song on his drum for her? I’m sure that is exactly what she wanted in that moment! Obviously the song “The Little Drummer Boy” has no biblical reference, but Mary, Joseph, and Jesus did indeed have visitors.
The angels had proclaimed the birth of Jesus to the shepherds in the fields nearby, and they went to worship Him. Rather than the reaction that we assume Mary would have with random strangers being so near, so soon after birth, Scripture instead says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
If that is Mary’s response to the birth of Jesus, recognizing that He is for all people and treasuring that others worshipped Him, can that be our response, too? Regardless of where people have been, what they have done, or how inconvenient the timing is, Jesus is for them, too. And since we have been blessed by the good news of the Gospel, we have the opportunity to share it with all.
Reflect:
- What do you think it means to “treasure things up in your heart and ponder them?”
- Jesus was born for all people. The shepherds were some of the least likely to go and worship Him, yet they were first. Who in your life needs to hear the life-changing news of the Gospel?
