Interview_mary

Jeff Green | Dec 18, 2008

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Following is a “fictitious” interview Luke had with Mary (For a complete copy of the of the fictional interview, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

In Luke chapter one, Luke indicates that he did a thorough investigation of the events surrounding the life of Jesus. He says “I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning”

To get the detailed information that is contained in this history, Luke may have interviewed Mary, and written down the account. It would explain his quoting of her hymn of praise to God.

Many years have gone by since the birth of Jesus. Luke catches up with Mary at the home of the disciple John.

Luke: Can you tell me the events leading up to the birth of your son?

Mary: I was in my home. I was daydreaming about Joseph. I had just got my younger brothers and sisters down for a nap, and out of the blue, an angel appeared.

Luke: Did the angel identify himself?

Mary: Yes, he said his name was Gabriel.

Luke: What exactly did he say to you?

Mary: He said. ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’

Luke: What were your thoughts and feelings about this, at the time?

Mary: I was scared. My first thought was “Have I done something wrong?” Then, I wondered to myself “What is this angel really saying?” Then I thought “I wonder if he can read my mind?” I knew there was some meaning behind the greeting, but at the time, I wasn’t sure what was implied. I was bursting with mixed emotions. But really, what Gabriel said next was the shocker.

Luke: What did the angel say next?

Mary: Well, first he said, “Don’t be afraid.” (He saw I was distressed.) Then he said, “Mary, you have found favour with God.” He said my name. He knew my name, and that really spoke peace to me, deep down inside. And something deep down began to well up in me, and I started feeling a tremendous sense of purpose and meaning and clarity and trust. He said “Mary, you have found favour with God.” And then the message came. The real message came. He said “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” I was stunned.

Luke: How did you respond?

Mary: I guess you could say I was puzzled. I told him straight up. I said “I’m a virgin.” I know how babies are conceived, and well, it was a bit embarrassing. I said “How’s this going to happen?”

Luke: How did Gabriel respond?

Mary: He said, and I will never forget “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the son of God.”

Luke: What did you do next?

Mary: Gabriel said “Nothing is impossible with God.” I fell on my face and whispered “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Luke: Looking back to the birth of Jesus, what would you like your grandchildren and great grandchildren to remember?

Mary: I would like them to understand that we knew Jesus as a boy, as a man, and we came to believe in Him as God. I would want them to understand that Jesus was a friend to ‘sinners’. We didn’t realize when he said that he had come to ‘set the captives free’ that he meant you and me. That, even though I was his mother, I was also a captive to sin. I needed freedom, and life, new life that only the Holy Spirit can impart. I would want my grandchildren and great grandchildren to be, as Jesus said, born from above.

Luke: What struggles have you had as a result of this miraculous event?

Mary: Honestly, the visit of Gabriel heralded the beginning of a new and exciting adventure, full of promise and loss, anxiety and hope.

There was the terrible pain of seeing my son Jesus die. As every parent knows, losing a child is one of life’s most heart wrenching sorrows. But from the ashes of despair, He brought beauty beyond my wildest dreams. As I look back to his birth, I am constantly overwhelmed with the sense of mystery and awe, that Jesus was God, that he walked among us, that he was Emmanuel.

I learned that my struggles were his threshing floor; that in those times when I despaired, He was there to comfort me, to hold me, to offer me mercy and hope. That in His mercy, he is working all things together for His purposes, for those of us who love and follow him.