Christmas Songs (3)

Nothing Will Be Impossible with God

In case you think I’ve forgotten that Christmas is about Mary’s baby not Zacharias’, rest assured that I have not.  But you see the question asked about Zacharias could easily be asked about Mary too, only this time she’s too young (and had not slept with a man) and not too old. Our friend Gabriel was real busy popping up everywhere. After Judea he’s now in Galilee. From what we read, clearly he found his interaction with Mary a more enjoyable experience compared with his earlier exchange with Zacharias.

Both of them basically gave the same response (“How can it be?”) when told about going to have a baby (of course it’s Zacharias’ wife Elizabeth who was going to have a baby), yet it seems Gabriel was more accommodating and favorable towards Mary. To Zacharias he answered, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”(Lk 1:19-20, NKJV). But to Mary he explained, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Lk 1:35-37, NKJV). Can you see the difference in tone? Was Gabriel sort of biased because Mary was going to be the mother of Jesus?

Let’s be careful here, you don’t want to be put into silent mode. Stretch your ears a bit and you may well hear the mighty angel reason, “Friend, the old chap had been praying for a child, and he not only doubted me when I said his wife is going to bear him a son, he had the gut to ask me for a sign. So I gave him a sign –made him mute, and it’s for his own good.  But Mary was different, of course she didn’t ask to be pregnant, and it was a supernatural feat for a virgin to conceive, so I’ve got to give her some explanation somehow. Shouldn’t I be gentle? By the way, didn’t Luke tell you that Mary willingly received the promise after my explanation (Luke 1:38)? But what I saw in the expression on her face you couldn’t read from Luke, she had joy and faith written all over her face.”

Okay Gabby, I think that is reasonable enough. Even if we couldn’t see Mary’s facial expression, we cannot fail to see her faith in the rest of the Luke account. I think she could barely understand the words of Gabriel on how she was going to get pregnant, but her response tells us that she believed that the supernatural is possible with God. She believed wholeheartedly the words of Gabriel - For with God nothing will be impossible.

We cannot afford to overlook the supernatural in the Gospel accounts because they tell us something very important about God and the way we are to relate to Him. An extra territorial being appearing out of thin air; his prophesying something happening in the future; his making the old priest dumb; an old lady conceived; a virgin conceived without a man’s help …and the list goes on. Why do you think the birth of Christ needed to be shrouded in all these supernatural events? You may say that it is to show that He is the Christ. But I think there is a reason even more basic than that. The reason: the supernatural is natural to Him. Can you see the difference? If we say these supernatural events in the Gospel are there only to show that Jesus is the Son of God, we may conclude that God is not bound to do what is out of the natural in our lives. On the other hand, if we believe that the recorded events are inevitable because for the good of humanity He allowed His nature (which is supernatural) to overshadow the natural realm to change things, then we have unlimited possibility placed before us. Think about it, how good is it if we can have His nature overshadow us and the impossibilities we are facing! 

But isn’t that His promise to us? That He shall be with us all the time. After all He’s called Immanuel (Isa 7:14).


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Scripture Reference Link: BibleGateway.com