Mary, the Mother of God
Numbers 6:22–27; Galatians 4:4–7; Luke 2:16–21
The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and announced the “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10): “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you; he is Christ the Lord” (2:11). When Mary heard their message, she treasured it and pondered it in her heart (2:19).
Why did these words trouble her? What was it in the shepherds’ announcement that demanded such deep reflection?
The Gospel of Luke, written around 80 CE for Greek and Roman converts, spoke into a world where people knew exactly what titles like “Savior” and “Lord” meant. They belonged to the Caesars. The emperor was the one believed to bring peace, prosperity, and stability. His reign was the “good news” proclaimed throughout the empire.
To declare, then, that Mary’s child—not Caesar—was Savior and Lord was a direct contradiction of imperial ideology. It was a public challenge to the world’s most powerful throne. No wonder Mary pondered. Her heart recognized what such a claim would cost. Even more provocative was the joy of the shepherds, the lowest of the low. They believed that from “today” the world had truly changed. And in a sense, it had. Here was a Savior who chose not palaces but poverty, who drew near to the powerless, and who would later tell them that they would do “greater things” than they imagined (John 14:12).
The shepherds became the first missionaries of Jesus, returning to their fields “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). But Mary continued to ponder. Was she sensing that the empire would not tolerate such hope breaking out among its subjects?
When I read this Gospel today, I find myself pondering with her. The shepherds’ message seems to have lost much of its original force. We still proclaim Christ as Lord—but often only as Lord of my soul. He saves us from my sins, offers my salvation, and promises my eternal life after death. His Lordship over public life, social structures, economic priorities, and political imagination has been quietly set aside.
On this “valley of tears,” we are often told—sometimes subtly, sometimes bluntly—to accept other lords: the market, the state, the algorithm, the corporate interest. Christ becomes a private comfort, not a public challenge.
And yet, the angels continue to awaken dreams among the “shepherds” of our own time—ordinary people with extraordinary courage. What do these shepherds dream?
They dream of a world where money is spent on health care and education rather than on weapons; where farmers are not driven to suicide because their land is seized in the name of progress; where media inform the public rather than serve as propaganda tools of the mighty; and where the Christian Church stops flirting with riches and influence, and returns to its roots: living for the Kingdom of God.
But as I treasure these dreams in my own heart, I also feel the hesitation Mary may have known. Will the powers of this world ever permit such things? Are not these dreams—like the shepherds’ proclamation—another form of treason?
Part of me wants to whisper to these modern shepherds: “Be careful. Do not speak too loudly. These dreams unsettle the thrones of this age.” But Mary remained silent, holding the shepherds’ words within her. And so I keep quiet too, pondering again the announcement that started it all:
“To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Christ, the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
A new year is beginning. Will things be different? I do not know. I was about to close my Bible when suddenly I caught myself softly whistling Mary’s own song:
“He has shown strength with his arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:51–53)
Yes—this too sounds like treason. But what a joyful treason it is. No wonder the shepherds went home glorifying and praising God.
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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