Mary asked Luke to give thanks for the food, and while they conversed during the meal, he steered her away from anything that would have required he take notes. He didn’t want to miss recording anything important.
“So she knew.”
Mary nodded. “And while I was there she told me of how her own pregnancy came to be. Zacharias was in the temple in the order of his division, according to custom, when his lot fell to burn incense before the Lord. A multitude was praying outside at the hour of incense, and while he was inside an angel of the Lord appeared to him.”
“Did he say exactly where?”
“Elizabeth told me he said the angel stood on the right side of the altar, and when Zacharias saw him
,
he was terrified. But the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
“to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,”
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’”
“Did he understand what the angel was telling him?”
“Well, he doubted whether it could be true, of course. He said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.’
“And the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 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.’
“Luke, you can imagine the people waiting for Zacharias marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
“As soon as the days of his service were completed, he went home. Now, after Elizabeth conceived, she hid herself five months, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me
,
to take away my reproach among people.’”
“Mary, how did you respond to Elizabeth after she pronounced her blessing on you?”
Mary smiled. “I shall never forget. I have prayed this prayer thousands of times since. I said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He sence of height="6" width="1em">
“‘He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.’”
Luke pressed his lips together as he transcribed, desperate to keep his tears at bay. When he finished, he whispered, “May I read it back to you to make sure I have gotten it exactly as you told me?” And in the reading of it, he was overcome anew.
“You rendered it perfectly,” Mary said.
She told him she had remained with Elizabeth about three months, until just before John was born, before returning to her own home. “Elizabeth told me that when her full time came for her to be delivered, she brought forth a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
“So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. But Aunt Elizabeth said, ‘No, he shall be called John.’
“But they said, ‘There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.’ So they made signs to Zacharias—as he must have lost his hearing as well as his speech—asking what he would have the child called.
“And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ So they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.
“Then fear came on all who dwelt around them, and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, ‘What kind of child will this be?’ And the hand of the Lord was with John.
“Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, ‘Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
“‘And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’”
Luke was further amazed. “How do you remember all this?”
“Oh, Doctor, anyone would of His ho"6">
“They said that then, suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’
“So when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds told us that they said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ Oh, Luke, you should have seen the looks on their faces as they gazed at Jesus! It was plain they couldn’t wait to tell everyone what had been told them concerning Him.”
“I have talked with many in Judea who first heard of the Christ child from those shepherds,” Luke said.
“Indeed?”
“And all those who heard it marveled at those things that were told them by the shepherds.”
“None marveled as much as I, Doctor. I remembered all the details and have pondered them in my heart ever since.”
“Does it ever leave your mind?”
“Not for long. I think of that night every day. Of course, there are other memories from Jesus’ life I wish I could forget. But I remember every moment.”
“We will have to revisit those too, I’m afraid.”
“I know,” she said. “But there is still much more to tell before the dark days arose. When Jesus was eight days old, we had Him circumcised and officially gave Him the name that the angel had told me before He was even conceived in the womb.
“And when the days of my purification—according to the law of Moses—were completed, we took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord and to offer the required sacrifice.
“A man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was just and devout, told us later he had been waiting for the Consolation of Israel and that it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So the Spirit led him into the temple, and when we brought in the Child, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.’
“As you can imagine, Luke, Joseph and I marveled at those things that were spoken of Jesus. Simeon blessed us and said to me, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’”
“What did he mean about the sign?”
“He whispered to me, ‘A sword will pierce through your own soul also.’ Believe me, I eventually learned what that meant. But for now, if you don’t mind, I prefer to dwell on the times of blessing.
“Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asherised and o1em">
“He told me He was still suffering the effects of a forty-day fast in the wilderness, where the Spirit had led Him so Satan could tempt Him. When He recounted that awful experience, it was as if my heart turned cold within me.”
“Tell me about it.”
“It had occurred some time even before I had tried to see Him in Capernaum. He said He had returned from the Jordan after being baptized by John when He was led alone into the wilderness and ate nothing for forty days. And when they had ended, naturally He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’
“But Jesus answered, ‘It is written, “
Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word of God.
”’
“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’
“And Jesus answered him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “
You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.
”’
“Then Satan brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:
He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,
and,
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
“And Jesus said, ‘It has been said, “
You shall not tempt the Lord your God.
”’
“Now, when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
“So He came to Nazareth, and as we talked, I asked if, as had become His custom, He would go into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stand up to read. Well, of course He said yes, and so this was another of the few times I was able to see Him out among the people.
“In the temple He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the bli">DURING LUKE’S LAST DAY with Mary, she told him she was going to eschew her customary afternoon nap or at least delay it until he was satisfied that they were finished.
“I do not want to weary you,” he said, “but I do have two more questions if we may repair to the parlor.”
He helped her up and walked her in to her reclining bench before taking his place at his desk.
“I know you have said that you were an eyewitness to little of Jesus’ ministry, yet you seem to have heard an account of all His activities. What stands out to you as epitomizing His message to the world? Was there one act or one parable or one teaching that sums it all up in your mind?”
“Interesting you should ask, because I have always felt that the stories He used to explain the Kingdom were most telling. I recall hearing someone tell of when He passed through Jericho. After He had called out the rich chief tax collector Zacchaeus—You know this story?”
“Yes, the man who was too short to see above the crowd and had to climb a tree to see Jesus.”
“Correct. And Jesus honored him by going to his house. But Jesus was criticized by the people, even though Zacchaeus came to salvation. Yet what struck me about this event, Luke, was what Jesus said in announcing what had happened. He said, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ That was His mission, His purpose.
“And later He told three parables about finding lost things and comparing the kingdom of God to these. Do you have those stories?”
“Yes, of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. I plan to include them.”
“Good, because I believe He intentionally emphasized what was most important.”
“And you must do the same, ma’am, if you are up to it.”
She looked away and spoke faintly. “The end, you mean.”
“Yes.”
Mary hung her head and rubbed her eyes. “No mother should ever have to endure that.” And she told him all she remembered of seeing her Son put to death. Luke added this to all the accounts he had amassed, then rolled his scrolls, put away his quills and ink, and folded his desk.
He approached Mary and helped her stand. She embraced him and thanked him.
“I wasn’t certain you would be grateful to be reminded of it all,” he said.
“Make no mistake, Luke, it takes nothing to remind me of every bit of it. It is constantly with me. But so is my hope. You see, I know He arose, and I know He is my Savior too and that I will again see Him. I am most blessed to have been chosen of God to be used as a vessel to bring into the world His only Son, Immanuel, who saved His people from their sins.”