Christian Author Laura Davis

There was a large pen in the back of Mary’s home, which kept the animals corralled in one place. A small lean-to built against the outside wall of their home, provided shelter for the larger animals not kept indoors at night. When Mary saw the goat, (which she had named Olive due to its round body) she knew that it was in distress.

“Oh, Olive I’m so sorry we did not milk you last night.” She grabbed a stool and a bucket, sat down and began kneading the swollen udders of the disgruntled goat. As she cooed comforting words, she gradually began to feel that she was not alone. “I’m almost finished Mama, I’ll be right in,” she said, turning her head slightly.

“Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”

Mary jumped, almost knocking over her fresh pail of milk.  Slowly, she stood and stared at the man before her. He had an aura about him that was ethereal. She knew at once that this was no ordinary man but a heavenly being.

“Who … who are you?” Mary trembled as she bowed her head in fear.

“I am the angel Gabriel. Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favour with God.” Gabriel smiled at the young girl before him. He motioned for her to sit on her stool, concerned that she might faint. Grateful to be off her feet she obeyed, her knees almost buckling beneath her. Minutes passed in silence as Mary tried to process what was happening.

“Why have you come to me?” Mary finally asked, her eyes wide with awe.

Gabriel drew himself up to an enormous height and with a resounding voice announced something that would change Mary’s life forever. 

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be since I am a virgin?”

Gabriel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. Even Elisabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord's servant,” Mary bowed her head and folded her hands in her lap. “May it be to me as you have said.”

Then the angel left her.  

For a short time, she sat in stunned silence, not sure if she had been dreaming, or if it had been real. I am to have a child. A holy child of the Most High God?

“I wonder how it will happen?” she muttered as she resumed milking Olive. “What did the angel say Olive? The power of the Most High would overshadow me. What does that mean? Will I know when it happens? Will it hurt?”

Olive bleated, turned and nudged Mary with her nose. “I’m sorry Olive. I will try to be gentle. It’s just that I’m a little overwhelmed right now.” She explained as she lessened her grip on Olive’s udders.

“How will I explain this to Joseph?” She gasped. “Joseph!” She stopped milking Olive and placed her hand on her abdomen. “Do you think he will believe me, Olive? Or will he think I have been unfaithful to him?”

Olive bleated again and began to move away. Mary snatched the full bucket away from the errant goat’s hooves and slowly walked back to the house.

Will he think I am crazy, if I tell him the truth? She wondered. What am I to do? How will I explain it to everyone?

Keeping her virginity was something her parents had taught her was special and important. They had warned her that if she ever lost it before marriage not only could she be stoned, but she could also lose her chance to be used by God.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.’ ^[1]

The scripture all but shouted at her. Why me? Why am I highly favoured? Does that mean that the prophecies are being fulfilled in me this very day?

“Elisabeth!” Mary said aloud with shock. “Gabriel said Elisabeth was with child – in her sixth month! I must see her at once for surely the Lord has favoured her as well.”

 

“Mary, what took you so long? I was just about to come and find you.” Her mother said as she took the bucket from her.

“I’m sorry, Mama. I had not meant to take so long, but something happened.”

Rebekah poured the milk into a jar and set the bucket down.  Concerned, she looked at Mary and noticed she was trembling. She grabbed her arm and led her to a chair. “Sit down child and tell me what has happened to you.” Rebekah grabbed another chair and sat across from her daughter. 

“I don’t know where to start. I … I’m not sure if you will believe me.”

“Mary, you have never caused me grief. You have always been faithful to God and to us. I have never known you to lie. Therefore, I would have no reason not to believe you. Now, come … tell me, dear one … what has happened?” Rebekah grasped Mary’s hands and feeling they were cold, began to rub them. The concern and love in her mother’s eyes gave Mary the courage she needed.

“Is father up yet?” she asked quietly.

“Does he need to be?”

“I’m not sure.”

Rebekah felt the hairs rise on her neck. A growing concern centered itself in the pit of her stomach.

“Mary, just tell me and then I will decide if it is something for your father’s ears.”

Mary nodded and told her mother everything. Rebekah tried to keep her face from showing any emotion as she listened to her daughter’s tale. Her main thought was that Mary had become emotionally unstable due to her anxieties over her impending wedding to Joseph. She knew that Mary had been afraid of the marriage bed but she did not think that she would go to such lengths to avoid it. 

     However, as Rebekah listened, her heart quickened. Hope stirred within her, making her think that Mary’s incredible tale might have actually happened. Did Mary have a dream, a vision, or an actual encounter with an angel? My daughter is to be the chosen one? No! Such foolishness! It is every Jewish mother’s dream to be sure, but not Mary, not in this day and age.

Rebekah’s mind swam with the possibilities. If ever there was a time the world needed a Messiah, it was now. She realized suddenly that she had not been listening and tried to focus on what Mary was saying.

“… and was now six months with child,” Mary said finishing her story.

“Who is?”

“Cousin Elisabeth. Didn’t you hear me, Mama? Gabriel said she was even now in her sixth month!”

“Elisabeth? That is impossible! Elisabeth is very old, Mary,” Rebekah shook her head. “No … no she cannot be with child.”

“But she is Mama!” Mary insisted. “The angel said so.”

Rebekah stood abruptly and began to gather food for breakfast. She had to think, and keep herself busy while she reasoned this through. Is this really happening? Is Mary well? She looked at her daughter and wondered if she should call for a priest. She tried to determine what to do as she poured some oil in a pan. As she considered the consequences of Mary’s story, she grew more agitated and before she realized what she was doing, she began to refry flat-cakes she had already made. She rolled her eyes in frustration then wiped the beads of sweat that had begun to form along her hairline. Removing the frying pan from the fire, she then turned and faced her daughter.

     “I don’t know what to think, but I do know one thing, your father will not understand. He will think that Joseph has had his way with you and he will be furious.”

“Joseph has not touched me, nor has any man!” Mary’s face turned red with indignation. “You know how frightened I have been.” She looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes. “Don’t you believe me?”

Rebekah sighed, “I want to … and yet … I am hoping that you are mistaken somehow.”

Mary frowned. “Mistaken? No, it was real! How can I prove it to you?”

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see won’t we?”  Rebekah moved closer to Mary and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

     “You will have to wait, Mama. I already know,” she said. Mary leaned over and placed her head in her hands while Rebekah rubbed her back. “I only wish there was some way I could make you believe also.” Mary heaved a sigh. “It’s too bad that Elisabeth is not nearby then you would have no doubts about what has happened to me. For if she is with child, then I did see an angel. How else could I know such a thing?”

Rebekah’s eyes widened at the realization of what Mary had said. “That’s it, Mary! You will go to see Elisabeth and find out how she is. She is old and she will need help if she is with child as you say.” Rebekah paced the floor as a plan formed in her mind. “You can stay until she gives birth, so by the time you return you will be about three months with child yourself – if what you say is true. If Elisabeth is expecting, then you have nothing to fear from your father, as he will accept everything you have said as a sign from God.”

“However, if she is not with child, and you are…,” she swallowed hard as fear for her daughter overwhelmed her, “… then you must never return.”

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[1] Isaiah 7:14

           

           © 2007, Laura Davis. All Rights Reserved.