One of the titles given to Mary by the early church is that of ‘theotokos’ which translates into English as ‘mother of God’ or ‘God bearer’. It’s a reminder to us of the seriousness of this task to which she was called.
“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 2)
Mary was asked to bear the very presence of God within her and to watch over it as Jesus grew from a baby to a man.
(Photo by G + L on Unsplash)
Imagine the support systems today for the birth of a royal baby and not just any child but the heir to a throne. I’m sure Charles and Diana had the best doctors available to them for William’s birth and as he grew up. Similarly for William, Kate and George. That doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen but it should give a lot of reassurance to a first time mother.
Mary had none of that. In fact, there is so much in the story that suggests anxiety rather than reassurance. One question that intrigues me is why she went to Bethlehem with Joseph. You would normally expect a woman that heavily pregnant to remain with her family. Why didn’t she? Was there stigma surrounding her conception that meant she was ostracised or that might have threatened her life without Joseph there to protect her? Also, why in Bethlehem was there only a manger available and no place at the inn when this was Joseph’s ‘home town’ and Jewish people are famous for their hospitality? Did stigma follow them there too?
There are hints, here, of darker undertones than we normally see. What we can say for certain, though, is that only a manger was available for the birth and that, not long after Jesus was born, the family narrowly escaped from a king with murderous intents and had to spend the first portion of Jesus’ life not just far away from any home support but in a foreign country. And that Mary lost Jesus for three days in Jerusalem! All this on top of the obvious frailty of a baby and growing child – who was God’s presence here on earth – and with Simeon’s words floating around in her head:
“And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2)
It would have been no surprise had Mary come away from it all with PTSD!
What about us? As Christians we too bear that title of ‘God bearers’ although it is not the physical Jesus that God has placed within us but Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Our faith in Jesus grows within us from the smallest of beginnings to something mature and full-grown. Does that mean that God promises us an easy life because we bear his presence? That is no more true for us than it was for Mary, the theotokos, but we do have the reassurance of two other names from that nativity story. This is ‘Emmanuel’ – God with us – and ‘Jesus’, the one who saves us from our sins – us with God forever.
Prayer: Lord God, we thank you that we are ‘God bearers’ and that you have placed Jesus in our hearts through your Holy Spirit. May he grow in us as we journey with you. Amen.