As she walked, lost in thought, a familiar landscape unfolded before her eyes. The small village of Nazareth, where she had lived her whole life, appeared beyond the forest. Seeing her village, unchanged as always, Mary wondered if her current worries were really that significant.
How could anyone have lived in this village all these years without facing hardships? Even before her father’s injury, life had been tough, and there were always countless worries. It wasn’t just things like drought or debt-even family relationships couldn’t always have been easy. Yet, despite all these problems, her family always managed to stay united and grow in trust. The good atmosphere they enjoyed now was the result of all those experiences-it hadn’t just appeared overnight. If she hadn’t had her parents or her siblings, could she have lived this life? Absolutely not.
Thinking about this, she began to understand why Joseph worried so much. If she had to bear the same burdens, going through everything alone with no one to lean on, maybe she would have acted just like him. If that was the case, could she really say her complaints about him were justified?
Joseph had many good qualities, if you chose to see them. He was calm and rarely got angry. Instead of acting selfishly, he always thought of others and was considerate. He made mistakes, but he tried not to repeat them. Even now, he was becoming a better person. If he was working to change, then there must be things she needed to change, too. It wasn’t about who was right or wrong, but about how two people could become one. Isn’t that why God defined marriage as two becoming one flesh? Of course, she couldn’t fully understand Joseph from the beginning. She hadn’t known him long; how much could she really know about him? People who had lived such different lives couldn’t be a perfect match from the start. But as they spent more time together, she would come to understand and accept his ways. He had the seed of faith; she should trust that and keep moving forward.
Having made up her mind, Mary decided to go to the well where it all began, hoping to understand Joseph better. When she arrived, Mary leaned against the willow tree where Joseph had once sat. What had Joseph felt that day that made him interested in someone he barely knew?
That day, she had been talking with her closest friend at the well. She couldn’t remember exactly what they’d talked about-maybe the difficulties of work, or what kind of person they would marry someday. Her friend always brought up her ideal type whenever she could, so that was probably it. Her friend had always dreamed of marrying a handsome, wealthy man, and since she’d been beautiful since childhood, it made sense she thought that way. If anyone had to choose among several suitors, wouldn’t they want the best one? Mary thought she might have done the same in her friend’s position.
Her friend’s parents must have felt the same, because while Mary’s marriage to Joseph was being arranged, her friend ended up marrying a wealthy young man from Sepphoris. Mary congratulated her friend for achieving her dream, but she also felt a twinge of bitterness. At the time, she thought it was just sadness over growing apart, but maybe part of her was comparing Joseph to her friend’s husband.
Sepphoris, where her friend now lived, was once home to King Herod when he was governor of Galilee, and it was still the capital-a large, bustling city. Mary had heard many stories about Sepphoris-a city built on a hill, rich with springs and streams, known for its culture and markets full of things she’d never seen or heard of. As Mary imagined the abundance of Sepphoris, she felt her friend’s future and her own would only grow further apart.
For a moment, the dissatisfaction she thought she’d let go of rose up again. Mary shook her head, as if to shake off the envy flaring up inside her.
Joseph might not have money, but he had true faith in God. His love for God and his pure zeal to keep God’s word were greater than anyone else’s. Isn’t that enough? She and her friend had chosen their own lives, and should do their best within them. What mattered was living righteously before God, not living in abundance.
To escape the grip of envy, Mary closed her eyes and tried to simply feel the world as it was, without any thoughts.
* * *
Suddenly, a voice she didn’t recognize, yet somehow familiar, spoke to her:
“Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
Mary opened her eyes to find a figure before her, but she couldn’t quite make out who it was. The light around them seemed to intensify, and she felt a sense of awe wash over her. She was greatly troubled by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this could be.
The figure continued:
“Don’t be afraid, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him 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. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”
Mary’s mind reeled as she tried to comprehend the words. She asked, her voice barely above a whisper:
“How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
The figure replied:
“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”
Mary’s heart swelled with a mix of fear and faith. She looked up, her eyes locking onto the figure, and said:
“Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”
At her words, the glowing figure smiled and disappeared before her eyes. Mary blinked, and all that remained was the serene landscape of the well-a scene she had seen countless times. The radiant figure that had been there just moments before was gone.
Was this a dream? Or reality? It seemed too real to be a dream. And what did these words mean? He said she would have a child and name him Jesus. Jesus means “God is salvation,” and he said the child would become great and receive David’s throne. Doesn’t ruling over Jacob’s house forever mean becoming the Messiah? Also, what does it mean to be the Son of the Most High, a holy child, a child to be called the Son of God? She had confessed that she hoped his words would be fulfilled, but it was hard to believe readily. She was just an ordinary person from a poor family who had to work day by day to make ends meet. Why would such a thing happen to her?
Mary ran home to tell about all this. As she flung open the door, there was a stranger inside.
“Mom.”
“Why such a fuss? Come, greet our guest. He’s come from afar to bring good news.”
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you. You must be Mary.”
“Yes.”
“Mary, Elizabeth is pregnant.”
“What?”
“You’re surprised too? I was so shocked when I heard.”
“Is that true?”
“Of course, isn’t it unbelievable? How could she get pregnant at that age?”
Her mother’s expression, chattering about the situation, looked even more pleased than the person who came to deliver the news.
“Excuse me, but did you come alone? Is there anyone else with you…?”
“No, I came alone.”
“Really? You didn’t come with someone who looks kind of glowing, did you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing, Mom. I was just asking.”
Her mother looked at her strangely, but undoubtedly, she was the most surprised in this situation.
“Mom, I’m going to visit Elizabeth.”
“Actually, they did ask if you could help out. But I found it difficult to answer since you’re about to get married. Can you really go?”
“Of course, I mean, I must go. I’ll prepare and leave right away.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, I’m leaving immediately.”
“Shouldn’t you at least tell your father and Joseph? This seems too rushed…”
Her mother’s nagging reached her ears, but no words registered in her mind. If Elizabeth was pregnant, then what she heard must also be true. However, she wanted to hear a more definite answer. Wouldn’t she be able to hear something if she went to Elizabeth? Mary felt urgent.
“Mom, please explain it well to them.”
Mary spread out a cloth and packed her clothes, leaving her mother who kept talking. Knowing that Mary wouldn’t listen to anyone once she set her mind on something, her mother sensed that persuasion would be futile. While there was no worry about the journey to Ein Karem in Judea as she could go with the person who brought the news, her mother was already getting a headache thinking about how to explain this to her husband and Joseph.
Behind Mary as she opened the door and left, her footsteps stretched out long. Would the record of her life she leaves, like these traces, be a path right in God’s eyes or a path engraved with her own desires? Although nothing could be certain at this moment, she was taking each step vigorously, praying again and again to be guided on the right path before God.
The passage from Luke 1:28–38 quoted in this narrative is taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation.
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