Mary, the Blessed Among Women
Ghe angel’s annunciation in the Temple, and the miraculous events which followed up to the naming of John, had impressed the people that a manifestation of divine favor would soon be repeated, for signs and portents seemed to re-enforce the prophecies of a speedy fulfillment of the law and a restoration of Israel. But being in a condition of abject subjection to Roman censors, tax-gatherers, and oppressors of conscience, liberty and religious toleration, the Jews looked forward not only to their liberation but to the reestablishment of their power, which they believed would extend in undisputed acknowledgment over all the world. Their hopes and beliefs were therefore based on those prophecies which they interpreted, in a spirit of arrogance and vanity, as declarations that God would descend upon the earth riding in a chariot of ineffable glory, and, with swoop of majesty, sweep away their enemies and raise up Judah as master of the world. How vain are the conceptions of the haughty, how disappointing the aspirations of the arrogant, how aggravating the ambitions of the selfish and vainglorious!
Instead of coming with trumpet blare, upborne on golden cloud and moving with swift speed on furious wind; instead of drawing back the empurpled canopy of heaven and dashing out upon His footstool with lances forged from the lightning, and the elements of fire and fury of the mighty deep gathered up with which to overwhelm the enemies of Israel, God chose to reveal not Himself, nor to give exhibition of wrathful spirit, nor make any bewildering manifestations of martial pomp.
Peace had spread her white sails; war had fled the land, and though there might have been oppression, the rod should not be broken by battle-axe, nor Czar of persecution be dethroned by halberd or catapult. Instead of a God of war there was sent a messenger of peace, white-robed and bejeweled with light; star-crowned, joy-crested, with the sweet odors of heaven fresh upon His raiment and the radiance of eternal morning in His face. Nor did this holy nuncio bear tidings to king or priest, or spread His white pinions in splendid palace or magnificent temple, but dropped with the ease of thistle-down, and with the glory that a rainbow kisses the earth, before an Israelitish maid of royal blood but low estate, and gave to her such glorious message as ear of woman hath not heard besides.
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Zacharias and Elizabeth were rejoicing in their humble Hebron mountainhome over the blessings which Gabriel had declared to them, and which a double divine manifestation had convinced them would soon be theirs, feeling, believing, that in all the world there was no couple so happy, so blessed as they. But one hundred miles north of Hebron an event was about to occur which would overshadow in importance and transcend in joy that which brought the aged priest and his wife such ecstasy. In the small village of Nazareth there lived at the time a Jew named Joseph, who, though poor and of such small repute among his people that he existed only in the shadow of his connections, was yet of the royal blood, a direct descendant of David and in the line of kingly succession, but who was in obscurity through the power of the Romans who had destroyed the Davidic dynasty. In this same small village there dwelt also a sweet maiden named Mary, who was likewise of royal blood, but whose graces of person and mind made her queen forever of human kind; the sublime creation of God, the highest type of beauty and perfection, an embodiment of our transcendent conceptions of the heavenly; a being whose attributes were of the earth, saintly, and of the celestial, seraphic; a maid in whose eyes was the tender blue of the violet, with the alabaster of the lily on her brow, the carmine of the rose on her cheek, the red sweetness of the pink on her lips. Her whole being a symphony, and her character a chorus of divine graces. The apocryplial writers and holy traditions represent her as no less heavenly, with a face in which the finger of God had marked the lines of beauty and then placed the seal of glory on her head. Holy Mary! It is this dear conception which makes us gaze with bursting joy through the twilight of centuries at thy enravishing charms of person and the radiance of thy reverence, humility
and holiness.
Legends respecting Mary.
It is related by non-canonical writers that when Mary was six months old she was able to walk, but her first tottering footsteps were forbidden by Anna, her mother, who made a vow that the child should not again put her feet to the earth until she had been led into the Temple. When the first year of Mary’s life was ended Joachim, her father, gave a grand banquet, to which he invited not only his friends but many distinguished priests and scribes also, who, after the feasting, gave their blessings to the child and consecrated her for such holy purpose as would make her name famous for all time. She was then consigned to a sanctuary where she remained until her fourth year, when she was taken to the Temple and there placed with the virgins. Here her deportment and demeanor were angelic, devoting her hours to praying and spinning until after her twelfth year, when her piety was so great that angels came each day to feed her, and to assist in her instructions, by which aid she became more learned in the law and the prophecies than any rabbi who ministered in the Temple. Not only did she thus show a marvelous
H7
accomplishment, but her beauty, graces and melodious voice were no less remarkable, so that birds came flocking about her, while beasts of every kind accepted her mistressship and gamboled in an ecstasy of rejoicement at her presence.
The Betrothment.
When Mary came
out of the congregation of the virgins,
.schooled in the law,
and sanctified in the
holy graces, she took
upon herself yet
higher duties in the
natural progression
of her career towards
a fulfillment of her
divine mission. How
she met Joseph, who
was probably much
her senior, we know
not, unless tradition
reports the circumstances truly, but that
the two exchanged
loving confidences,
declared their affection, vowed their devotion, and pledged
their ever unchanging love, we have the
testimonies of the
apostles as well as of
the ages. It was
love’s bright dream
materialized w h e n
they .sealed their pledges and united their lives with the bond of betrothment,
which quickly followed their mutual declarations. The service of betrothment
was no less sacred and binding than that of marriage itself, being so recogni/x’d by Jewish custom of the time, which required that the ceremony should
be performed in the presence of the bride’s parents. On such an occasion the
M^’’^
-^^^~’
THK ANNUNCIATION.
bridegroom stood beside his bride and the two made their acknowledgments before witnesses, the betrothment being completed by the gift of a piece of money from the groom to his bride. After this performance the two were regarded as husband and wife, though another ceremony was. required some time within the year to complete the marriage. During this interval the bride remained with her parents or guardians, to whom she continued to give her services, but no final separation of the couple thus betrothed could be made without a bill of divorcement.
Gabriel’s Announcement to Mary.
It was during this brief period of betrothment that the celestial messenger who had appeared to Zacharias six months before -came like a holy benediction to Mary in her chamber, bringing tidings which were no less joyful because surprising. Assuming the shape of a man, Gabriel stood suddenly before the devout maid, and thus saluted her: “Hail, thou that art highly favored; the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women!” Startled by the appearance, in which she saw only a material form, Mary was troubled to discover the real import of Gabriel’s words and purpose, whereupon the angel spoke this blessed and reassuring promise: “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God, and behold thou shalt conceive... and bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
With childlike innocence, but without positive disbelief, such as Zacharias had exhibited, Mary inquiringly answered, as if seeking for explanation of an event which she was now to look forward to, “How shall this be? “She was thoroughly versed in the prophecies respecting a Messiah; she was acquainted with the presages of the rabbis, and being of a receptive nature, with strong imbuement of religious instinct, which was to her a sweet distillment of joy, she was ready to believe that the law of nature was simply God’s law subject to His will, and hence Gabriel’s message excited her joyful curiosity but not her unbelief. Thus she asked, as a child might seek an explanation of something which it sees but does not understand,” How shall this be?” But there was more to be desired than the assurance that a miracle was about to be performed, Mary had recently been betrothed to Joseph, and, according to the law of Moses, an act of unfaithfulness to the pledge of fidelity subjected the woman to the penalty of death by stoning. This law, however, had fallen into desuetude, but a scarcely less rigorous punishment took the place of the capital penalty, in that the woman became an object of public opprobrium, an outcast, a social leper, a criminal to be loathed by all respectable persons. To a sensitive nature like Mary’s, whose life was one of singular purity and deeply religious conviction, a cloud upon her chastity was more awful than the shadow of death itself. Thus, while receiving the heavenly messenger with a feeling of rapture subdued by the possibility of reproach, she inquired, “How shall this be?” How shall a maid be a mother; how shall a handmaid, even of the Lord, escape the flings of accusers, the contumely of those who make infidelity an unpardonable iniquity; how shall she avoid the scorn of her own household, the condemnation of him whom she had followed with first pledges at the marriage altar? Thus did she eagerly ask, “How shall this be?”
Gabriel perceived the troubled feelings that filled Mary’s heart, the joy coupled with desire to know quickly how she should escape the shadow of impurity which might be thrown upon her by those who knew her best, for he hastened to reassure her, by saying:
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee: and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee! therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.” This explanation calmed her perturbations, for she was in a sinless condition, having transgressed no law, so that she realized the birth of a child could come to her only through a direct manifestation of God, and the fact would be a culminating demonstration of the Divine favor in her behalf. With perfect resignation and composure she therefore answered,” Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”
When we consider the general expectancy of the time as to the early coming of the Messiah, and the aspiration of every Jewess to become the mother of the promised Saviour, we can gain some faint conception of the overflowing joy with which Mary received the holy message, the celestial glory that irradiated her heart, the heavenly transports that lifted and dazzled her soul.
The very intimation of motherhood delights every pure woman, while the first pulsation of that life which is a part of her arouses an energy and creates a happiness which thrills the heart as no other feeling can. With the assurances of the angel, which appealed so strongly to her faith, the utterance of her name in kindly familiarity, and the declaration that her cousin, Elizabeth, had received a like manifestation of Divine favor, and three months hence would bear a son, greatly intensified her faith and anticipations.
The Meeting between Mary and Elizabeth.
There was now a delightful secret in the breasts of Mary and Elizabeth, and which we must believe they were anxious to divulge to one another. Mar>’ indeed had been told of the great joy that was soon to be realized by her aged and longbarren cousin, but she wanted confirmation of the annunciation from Elizabeth’s own lips, and was perhaps more anxious to bear the news of her own good fortune
I go FROM MANGER TO THRONE.
to her beloved kinswoman, that together they might rejoice as the most highly blessed of womankind. Actuated by this overmastering desire Mary made quick preparation to visit her aged cousin, whose home, somewhere in the hills near Hebron, was fully one hundred miles distant from Nazareth.
THE vrsir TO KUZABi iH — 1 loiu lliL Pauitiugby Rubens. Mary must have been indeed a resolute woman to undertake such a journey. There was no railroad train, nor richly upholstered palanquin at her service; probably not even a camel for one so poor as she to mount. Perhaps a little burro, the cheapest as well as the most inconvenient means of transportation in all Palestine, might have been at her disposal. But the way was not only long, the route dreary and robber-infested, her comforts few as the discomforts were plentiful, but the road was rock-bestrewn, mountain clasping hand with mountain, and valley tumbling down into gorges, dashing streams swelling into rivers and then halting before barren stretches or overteeming wadys. We do not know that this poor but blessed woman had even the company of a guide, or the help of a relative, or the encouragement of travelers passing over the same route. But she had the greater comforter, guide and companion, a heart filled with joyful expectancy and heavenly assurance, as she went into the hill country with haste to communicate and to receive glad tidings that the holy messenger had announced to her.
The New Testament record is brief, and only Luke has left even a bare statement of the annunciation and a«few lines descriptive of the events which followed; but the omission of more extended particulars may be supplied by our imaginations, which appear as natural conclusions based on events which followed immediately after the nativity. If angels, like a mighty host, appeared to Elisha; if a voice was heard by Hagar to save her child from thirst; if Gabriel put on an incarnate form to be a messenger from God; if radiant beings sang hallelujahs in the skies and called the startled shepherds to Bethlehem; if angel hands drew back the prison bars and gave release to Peter, then surely angels must have been companions of Marj’ on this long journey; angel bands that were sent as a watch, to cheer and protect, to convert a harsh road into an embowered and easy way; to pluck out the stones and plant violets in their places; to hide the natural difficulties under embankments of sweet marjorams and lilies and clematis; to lade the air with perfume and melody, and to make the winds musical with praise and thank offerings. May we not suppose that God was as favorable to Mary on this journey as He was to Jacob or to Joshua? His after-care proves it.
And so in due time Mary arrived at the humble house of Zacharias, and entering therein was received by Elizabeth with evidences of illimitable joy, which was as quickly succeeded by a transport of heavenly delight as the Holy Spirit revealed to her, by a sudden inspiration, “the Mother of her Lord.” At the same moment the thrill of motherhood quickened her appreciation of the blessing which had come upon herself and her praises awoke in Mar>^ the sublime poetry of an overjoyed soul, which found expression in one of the most picturesque lyrics to be found in either the Old or New Testament.
The Return to Nazareth and Doubts of Joseph.
Mar’ remained with her relatives, in or near Hebron, for a period of nearly three months, and then returned to Nazareth. We are not told why .she did not defer her departure for home until after the birth of EHzabeth’s child, and the cause is shrouded in much doubt. If she abode with her cousin for three months the birth of John must have been near at hand when she left, and in our ignorance of the circumstances which prompted her seemingly sudden return to Nazareth, we wonder that she did not remain with her aged cousin through so critical a period, especially as she must have believed that some supernatural manifestation would occur at, or immediately following, the birth. But we must not ignore the condition of Mary’s mind at this time, “While her soul was in exaltation there was possibly depression mingled with her joy. She had not communicated the tidings of promised motherhood to Joseph, nor to her relatives in Nazareth. Perhaps the date of her public marriage was some months yet in the future, as the services of the betrothment generally preceded the actual marriage one year, but she had many duties to perform, many friends and relatives to apprise of her condition, and no doubt she was under obligations which compelled her to return within the period she had spent with Elizabeth. Again, it may be that her marriage to Joseph had been fixed to occur on a date which was very near at hand; so that we may surmise many reasons for her abrupt departure.
Mary’s journey on her return to Nazareth was probably accomplished in the same manner and under the same gracious auspices and angelic escort as her trip to Hebron. She passed through the same memorable valleys, over the same historical mountains, and by the same sacred places made illustrious by mighty events in the history of her people. On the route she no doubt saw the field of Machpelah, where Abraham and his spouse were buried, and the famous oak under which the patriarch often sat; there lay Megiddo where Josiah was sacrificed, and lofty Tabor from whence Barak rushed down in fiery fury upon Sisera; and the great plain of Esdraelon, where Sisera’s army was overthrown; along her path babbled the waters of the Kishon, which had centuries before borne the blood of the false prophets to the sea. These places must have aroused in her receptive nature the greatest enthusiasm, but what must have been her feelings when passing through the paradisiacal valley of Shechem? Here seemed to linger the spirit of ancient Israel; here was the burnt-offering place of the nation, the most sacred ground of the tribe. On the south side of the valley lay Mount Gerizim, eight hundred feet high, from which was promulgated the Law anew, and blessings upon Israel; and Mount Ebal on the north, upon which Moses commanded stones to be set up with words of the I^aw thereon, and from whence curses were called down by the people if they disobeyed Jehovah. Here Joshua assembled the people for his last counsel; here the ten tribes renounced the house of David, In this valley Abraham first pitched his tent and built an altar under the oak of Moreh, when on his way to the land of promise. Here was the well of Jacob, at which Mary may have quenched her thirst, and paused to reflect on the wonderful changes that had occurred since Shechem was made a place of refuge, and since Joseph was buried in the field near by.
For a hundred prodigious reasons this journey between Nazareth and Hebron was a remarkable one to Mary, and must have made a lasting impression upon her, which she seems to have voiced directly upon her meeting with Elizabeth. But when she had returned to Nazareth the patriotic feelings excited by the scenes of her nation’s history became subdued under the influence of a realization of her condition and relation to Joseph. Her spiritual nature was aflame with joy, while her still conscious material existence was disturbed by a reflection on the call of God, which had placed her in a compromising position before her affianced, as well as before her relatives and friends. The secret must soon declare itself, and this realization, aided by promptings of the Holy Spirit, and a consciousness of her own purity, led to a revelation of the wonderful manifestation which the Eord had made to and through her. Although Mary must have related the strange facts with virtuous speech, Joseph was ill-inclined to accept with confidence the truth of her assertion, and therefore for a time secretly, within himself, thought that his honor required him to withdraw the avowals which he had made at the ceremonial of betrothment. But while doubting, he was probably not without some faith in the story of Mary; or his love for her was so great as to give a partial condonement of her fault, hence he was anxious to protect her against opprobrium, and which he accordingly resolved to do by a quiet absolvement of his vows, instead of publicly applying for a bill of divorce. It may be that his purpose was rather to defer a consummation of the marriage until such a time as he might be able to discover the truth of her declarations, than to renounce her entirely. But God soon came to the relief of the sorrowing lovers by sending an angel to Joseph, in a dream, with these cheering words: “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mar>’ thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost,” etc. In this speech we observe the custom of the country as well as the relation which, in God’s sight, Mary bore to Joseph, for the angel distinctly calls Mary /lis wife, which the ceremony of betrothment, under the Jewish law, instituted and virtually accomplished.
Recognizing the angelic injunction and assurance, Joseph and Mary immediately perfected their marriage, and both rejoiced in the double blessing which they had received at the hand of God.