My sister just got me hooked on an author, Francine Rivers. With one novella, she captivated me for two days, I cried, and I got a fresh perspective on the life of Jesus and his mother, Mary.
In the fifth novel of the series, entitled "Unafraid," Ms. Rivers delivers the imagined life of Mary, who was to become the mother of Jesus Christ. Mary is depicted as a devout Jewish girl with a hunger & thirst for God. While I am not of the Jewish faith, I can certainly identify with her desire to be close to God, to understand to will for our lives, for the struggle between flesh & spirit. Mary is depicted as human, yet willing to trust in God.
Some things that stuck me as I was reading:
Mary to Joseph, "Hasn't God always chosen the weak to confound the strong?" and "Think of him. God never chooses as a man would choose." These two sentences grabbed me & made me think. God chose ordinary people, sinners, the most unlikely characters on earth to be his messengers. Why did he do this? to teach us that one need not come from a high station in life, nor have worldly goods or knowledge in order to be effective in His service. Ordinary folks such as you & I are able to carry out His will as well as anyone willing to heed the call of His voice. God's choices confound the world (and often the saints) because we think within the confines of what we "know" - our earthly knowledge & experience. We place boundaries on what we think can be accomplished, not realizing that with God, ALL things are possible!
Joseph speaks of " . . . a return to the relationship Adam had with the Lord in the Garden of Eden." This is what we all desire, whether we're aware of it or not. That communal relationship with our creator is what is missing in our lives. Even though we can enjoy His presence through prayer & reflection on His Word, we have so many other things clamoring for our attention that we do not fully focus our attention on Him. How wonderful it will be to simply bask in His presence, sitting in adoration worshiping him constantly and being filled with joy!
Jesus has told Mary, "Each must choose." She struggles between physically following her favored firstborn and remaining with her other children, who doubt Jesus' claim to be the Son of God. "She must say yes to God and stop counting the cost. Even if it meant giving up her children." She has reached a point where she must follow her heart and hand over her grown children to God, trusting Him to open their eyes & hearts to the truth. This is not an easy thing to do, as many of us parents know all too well!
As Jesus is in the temple, "calling out," so to speak, the scribes & Pharisees: "Mary had never seen Jesus angry, and she trembled a the sight of his wrath." His wrath. These two words reminded me in a HUGE way that Jesus is God! And God's wrath is not to be taken lightly. His wrath destroyed entire cities, tribes, and nations, even the world, save Noah, his sons and their wives.
As Pilate is forcing the masses to choose which prisoner to release: "'Barabbas!'" They wanted violence and bloodshed. They wanted rebellion & hatred against Rome. 'Barabbas!'" The Savior, the Redeemer, the King that most of Israel was anticipating was expected to be a leader of bloody revolution, not of peace & love & righteousness. Ms. Rivers also makes a statement about Pilate's washing of his hands as a mockery of the Jewish ritual of hand washing. I had never thought of it that way before, and while I'm not certain this is historically accurate (the meaning, not the actual washing), it certainly lends a new perspective to the incident. Something to think about and possibly research.
Mary is contemplating the journey of her life, and determines that she is no longer impetuous & impatient, but simply eager for what God will do. We often desire a hasty reply to our prayers & pleas, forgetting that everything happens in God's time, not ours, for He knows what is best. She reflects: "Will you obey, no matter the cost?" "Today I say yes. And today, and today, and today, until there are no more todays left." How profound! An excellent illustration of how we must daily choose to say, "Yes!" Daily we must choose to submit ourselves to His will.
Mary comes to the realization of "How small her dreams had been." This goes back to what I mentioned earlier, that we cannot in our human frame of mind, fathom all that God can do. We can only imagine so big, but He is capable of so much more than that! I, for one, and excited to see just how big He can be!
This book is a very good read, and I highly recommend it. I can hardly wait for Susie to finish the one on Bathsheba so I can start it!
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