Beyond the Horizon

Letter from Mary’s neighbor to her sister
Have I got news!!  You know my neighbor Mary, the one you met at my dinner party last spring?  Well, she got engaged to Joseph a few months back and they are due to be married soon.  But that’s not the news.  Can you believe she’s pregnant? Yes!  What do you think of that?  Remember how sweet and friendly she was?  Seemed like such a nice girl.  Just goes to show you never can tell!

Letter from Mary’s aunt to her cousin
Did I hear that Mary is pregnant?  PREGNANT??  What in the world?  And how?  Her mother is going to KILL her, after all these years she stayed out of trouble, and now?  What was that girl thinking?  I hear rumor that Joseph had been out of town, so we don’t even know if he was the father! 

Letter from Elizabeth’s servant to Mary’s cousin
You heard about Mary, right?  Well, I overheard my mistress and her talking and Mary said an angel came to her and told her she would be with child … but not by a man!  Is this bizarre or what?  Is she sick?  Has she had a nervous breakdown or something?  I am worried and wanted you to know.  Maybe she is so afraid of what will happen if the truth is found out that she is making up stories to cover it up.   

Can you imagine being in Mary’s shoes? 

We all know the story of the Virgin birth, so it is not a strange new concept to us.  But it sure would have been to anyone who knew about it in that day.  Even Joseph wasn’t too sure what to think, until an angel appeared to him and assured him that it was ok, and he was to put his reputation on the line by staying engaged to this woman who suddenly had the whole community wondering what was going on.

The rumor mill was working overtime.

Then to top it all off, the city of Bethlehem was plump full of returning natives, and a VERY pregnant Mary was forced to have her rumor shrouded child in a stable with the cows and horses for nursemaids. 

I really began to wonder what it would be like in real life for the scene that Mary and Joseph found themselves playing in.  There weren’t smart phones and text messages in those days, but word could still get around.  Then it dawned on me that the question of legitimacy could have hung over Jesus’ head his entire life.

In Hebrews it says that we have a high priest in Jesus who is able to sympathize with us because he was also subject to temptation, though he did not sin.  As I looked at this picture, I saw for the first time that Jesus could relate to the social stigma of illegitimacy.  His knowing the truth wouldn’t prevent others from fabricating stories.  People were no different then they are now.  There are many kinds of temptations and wrong reactions to pain that can stem from so foundational an issue.  And though Jesus did not sin, He still could have felt the human reaction to the brokenness of community.

He didn’t have to be born in that context.  He could have been born in the context of marriage so there would never be any question.  God knew what people would think, and how they would respond.  But His purpose was perfect, and I wonder if part of that purpose was so that our High Priest could walk with those who have experienced the stigma that surrounds an illegitimate birth.