Mary Did You Know is a popular contemporary Christmas song that Mark Lowry wrote 18 years ago as a meditation for a Christmas program at his church. The lyrics ask a series of heartfelt questions, wondering if Mary knew just who this little boy of hers was.
Mary did you know that your baby boy would some day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy would give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
Oh Mary did you know. . .
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb. . .
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I AM
As I've listened to this song I got to thinking about the lyrics. . . Did Mary know? And the answer I have come up with is simply yes, yes Mary knew and we know that from Scripture.
When Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to a son by the power of the Holy Spirit, he also told her that this son would be the Son of the Most High, would sit on the throne of his father David, that his kingdom would never end, that he would be a holy one and the Son of God (see Luke 1:26-38).
Mary's betrothed Joseph was told by an angel to take Mary as his wife because the son she would bear was from the Holy Spirit and was to be named Jesus since he would save his people from their sins (see Matt. 2:20-21). Joseph must surely have told Mary about this.
When Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth wondered why she was so favored to receive a visit from the mother of her Lord (see Luke 1:43), language reserved for God.Mary's response was to praise God, glorifying the Lord and rejoicing in God her Savior (see Luke 1:46-55 for Mary's wonderful song of praise).
The shepherds who came to visit the newborn Jesus had been told by the angel who visited them that this child was their savior, Christ the Lord (see Luke 2:5-12). I'm sure they told Mary and Joseph about this.
When Jesus was taken to the Temple for the proper rites, the man Simeon took the boy in his arms and filled with the Holy Spirit thanked God for allowing him to see God's promised salvation (see Luke 2:25-32).
It is true that Mary and Joseph marveled at the things said about their son (Luke 2:33). But I think it is also true that because of the things said to them they knew who he was.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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Mary knew full well who the child she was carrying was going to be.....Luke narrates the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she is to conceive a son and remain a virgin.
ReplyDeleteLk 1: 26-38
...(The angel Gabriel said) "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you ... The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." ... Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Lk 1:39-45
... When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ... Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Lk 1:46-49
And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name."
Personally I find the song offensive by indicating that Mary knew nothing.
I have mixed feelings about the song.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, there are at least 3 things mentioned that Mary did not know- the earthly miracles Jesus performed. This song, more than many other Christmas songs, puts an exclamation point on the deity of Christ. Try finding theological content in Away in a Manger! The cattle lowing doesn't really inspire me.
On the other hand, Mary certainly had a treasury of knowledge about who Jesus was from the time of His conception. The song does not indicate she knew "nothing," which would clearly be offensive- we may be reading something into the song by that charge. Yet we do well to recognize her faith to accept what God told her and praise Him for His works. That is missing from the song.
Maybe someone needs to write an additional verse to the song that clarifies Mary's knowledge?