“I AM THE LORD’S SERVANT”
Luke 1: 26-38
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be
fulfilled”. Then the angel left her. (Luke.
1:38)
The infancy
narrative in Luke’s Gospel begins with annunciations. After making the annunciation to Zachariah, about
the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, Gabriel, the angel of
the Lord, now appears to Mary, a village girl, who is betrothed to Joseph who
is a descendant of David. She represents the most powerless people of that
society: she is young in a world that values age; female in a world ruled by
men and poor in a stratified economy. They lived in an insignificant town in
an unimportant province of the Roman Empire. But she is found favor with God.
God chose the lowly rather than the high and mighty to fulfill the plan of redemption.
Mary’s response to the angelic revelation makes her distinct and her words as
unique example of faith.
Faith is positive
response to God’s revelation: Many people
respond differently to divine disclosures. Even though Mary could not fully
understand what the angel said to her – she even raises question –“how will
this be, since I am a virgin” – she finally accept the Lord’s will and yield
herself to accomplish God’s plan in and through her. “I am the Lord’s servant,
may it be to me as you have said.” She believed what has been revealed to her.
Later as Elizabeth said in her greetings to Mary “ blessed is she who has believed that what
the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
Faith is
complete surrender to the sufficiency of God: Mary became fully satisfied by the explanation
given by the angel regarding the divine birth and the intervention of the Holy
Spirit. She probably clings on to the words of the angel “for nothing is impossible with God”
(verse37) as her catchword. Rather than worrying about her limitations, as did
Zachariah in Luke 1: 18 (“I am an old man and my wife is well along in
years”), Mary transcended her constrains and believed what the angel said as
God’s words regarding her life. Further, her words, “I am the Lord’s servant”
are significant. In describing herself as the Lord’s servant, Mary recognizes
her submission to God’s purpose, but also her role in that purpose. Moreover,
she claims a place in God’s household. Thus her partnership with God changes
her person hood and social positioning.
Faith is never deterred by unfavorable
circumstances. There is always an unknown element in faith. It is the
willingness to face the worst or taking steps without counting costs. When
Mary said, “yes” to the Lord, she could not imagine the consequences. But she
was willingly accepting the will of God.
Prayer: Lord,
grant us the grace to follow you without counting the cost of following and
obey you without worrying about the consequences of obeying. Amen
- JJ