What did Mary know?

A popular Christmas song asks that very question:

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your Baby Boy
Has come to make you new;
This Child that you delivered
Will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Will calm the storm with His hand?

Did you know that your Baby Boy
Has walked where Angels trod?
When you kiss your Little Baby,
You kiss the Face of God!

Oh, Mary, did you know?
Oh, Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear,
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb!

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your Baby Boy
Is Heaven's Perfect Lamb?
This sleeping Child you're holding
Is the Great I Am!

I love this song; it's both profound and beautiful.  Here's a very poignant rendition of it, if you care to watch and listen:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfpK6cNPF7Y

So what did Mary know?  In Luke 1:26-38 we read the account of what the angel Gabriel told Mary about her coming pregnancy:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God."And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. "For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

And then later in that same chapter in verses 46-55 we read Mary's prayer:
 
And Mary said:
"My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
"For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
"For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.
He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
"He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
"He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever."

So what did Mary understand about the One to Whom she would give birth?  Did she know He would die bearing the sins of the world?  Did she understand He would then rise again and that His resurrection would secure eternal life for all those who believe?  No, but she had faith in what God had revealed up to that point in history, including what He told her through Gabriel.  And it was because of her faith in what God had said that she had exclaimed  "...my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."

But now we know what Mary did not — that, because God loved this world so much, He gave His Son — the uniquely begotten (gk word for begotten is 'gennao' meaning 'born of man') One — in order that everyone who places their trust in Him, may not perish (gk word for perish is 'apollumi' meaning 'to destroy utterly'- the idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being but of well-being) but instead may be having life in fellowship with God forever (Jn 3:16). 

Now that you know too, will you place your trust in Him?

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!