This Christmas, I find myself lingering over one particular verse in the Luke 2 nativity account: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 Here I see a pattern that I believe is worth imitating. Interestingly, this verse is situated in the middle of a narrative about the shepherds. It doesn’t seem to fit here. I suspect that Luke was trying to underscore the contrast between the shepherd’s response and Mary’s response to the recent events: While the shepherds exuberantly spread the news, Mary quietly “treasured up these things”. Instead of telling everyone, she stored them in her private treasury of thoughts. She pondered them. For Luke, this detail is noteworthy. It should capture our attention. Our private thinking habits do matter. God is delighted when we ponder good things. After all, our hidden inner world influences our outward habits and choices. At her young age, Mary had already stored up much treasure in her heart - no doubt through the influence of those who shaped her and her own habits of communing with God. Consider Mary's song as recorded in Luke 1. Here we get a glimpse into the treasury of her heart: Mary possessed an acute awareness of God, his covenant purposes, his hand in history and now in her own life. These realities were fixed deep within her. This was the treasure that forged her faith and gave her a positive visionary outlook. It ruled Mary’s life. This is where she was centered when the outside world tried to invade her with criticisms and threats - never mind the everyday urgencies and distractions. Mary did not need to escape from the real world; she possessed the means for living effectively in the real world. On the interior she was rich, even though she was poor in worldly wealth. Mary inspires us to reflect on our own private habits of thinking and remembering. Do we value true treasure and seek it with all our hearts? Do we allow ourselves the focused attention needed to ponder it? Have we been in the habit of storing up good spiritual treasure? Or is our inner world impoverished? Do we tend to deflect the spiritual treasures from God as they come, and instead revert to our habits of shallow and non-productive thinking (as was true for many of God’s people in Mary’s day)? Are we stuck in a habit of ruminating over thoughts which erode our tranquility and our restful trust? Is our inner world is in disarray? If so we will find ourselves constantly reacting to the world around us - like tumble weed in the wind. Conversely, a well-ordered, rich treasury of truth, knowledge, and memory will help us calmly navigate through life, regardless of what disturbances befall us. Any treasures that we accumulate for our outer existence can become lost to us. On the other hand, what has been stored within us cannot be taken away. No one can rob our hidden treasury – if we have learned to value it and care for it. Prayer: May the meditation of ours hearts be acceptable to You, O Lord. May our hidden treasury become like Mary’s – filled with a resolute awareness of You and Your magnificent covenant love – both in the past and now in our own lives. Empower us by Your Spirit to treasure and ponder the things which produce in us fruitful, joyous living. DE
_________________Diane
Mary, it seems, had a habit of storing up treasure in her heart. See Luke 2:51 “But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.” This is found in the one glimpse we have of Jesus’s formative years. It was when he was found in the temple at 12 years. old. Don’t you wonder what treasures Mary stored up in her mind – as she watched her son grow up? Diane
Mary has often been misrepresented - either deified or conversely: portrayed as an insecure frightened young woman. We need not impose either quality on her. Scripture helps us see her aright. She showed spiritual maturity. She is portrayed as a woman of faith, understanding, and humility. She willingly entrusted herself to God. She may have experienced shaming and rejection, but scripture give no indication of this. What we read is what we need to know! Here we see the qualities described in Jesus' beatitudes. Mary knew she would be called "blessed" because all would know that God had favoured her. But she was blessed by God, not merely because she bore Christ, but because she possessed the quality of character which causes one to be considered blessed (favored/honored) by God. And indeed, every person who truly "bears" Christ within through his Spirit will, in increasing measures, possess the qualities of "blessedness" as seen in the Beatitudes. Mary, at her young age (possibly 14) is a marvelous example offered to us in Scripture. Diane
