The Fear of God
Staring out the windows of the fellowship hall, I watched the whitecaps
dance atop the ocean. Birds darting back-and-forth, with occasional dive-bombs
to the water’s surface, captivated the mind of this eleven-year-old transplant
to Southern California. The sermon held no sway compared to God’s orchestration
of creation’s movements. Turning my metal folding chair ninety-degrees in order
to get a better view was probably not the best idea. “Mister, turn that chair
around and pay attention!” I obeyed…reluctantly. An ensuing crick arose in my neck
from straining to see the majesty of the poetry unfolding outside.
The situation disintegrated further after the
sermon ended. “Come on Chris. Hurry up. We’re going to see the new sanctuary
being built.” Once inside, my eyes zeroed in on the stairs. Like a shot I
bolted up, ran across the balcony and back down the other side. On my fourth lap
I was stopped abruptly by a hand jerking on the back of my shirt.
“Young man, do you know where you are?”
“Yah,” I said…with head tilted and one eyebrow raised.
“This is God’s house! We do not run in God’s house. If I ever see you
running in here again I will put the fear of God in you!”
With that his bony fingers released my
shirt and summarily dismissed me…furrowed brow and beady eyes following me as I
slinked out the door.
So
my dark journey into religion continued. The fear of God meant the same thing
as the hammer of God to me. Follow the rules and God will be happy…“sit still, don’t
talk, close your eyes when you pray, don’t even think about doodling on the
collection envelope, and never-ever run!” Fear wracked my mind, constantly on
the alert for who was watching and waiting for me to fail.
What
would it have been like for the Mary, the teenage-virgin? What kind of crick
did she have in her neck as she waited for the furrowed-brows of unforgiveness
and the bony fingers of doom to bear down on her? Whom could she share Gabriel’s message of an
impending pregnancy with in the small-town confines of Nazareth? Parents?
Joseph? Friends? Rumors would be the best thing that could happen to an unwed
mother. “Sticks and stones” takes on a whole new meaning in this culture where
adultery was punishable by death.
Could this be what compelled this pregnant teen to leave Nazareth and take
a potentially hazardous 80-100 mile journey – a three to four day trek?
“At
that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” (Luke 1:39-40)
Elizabeth, of course. Who better to talk to? Well past childbearing
years and suddenly pregnant through the miraculous grace of God…the perfect
confidante.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In
a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord would
come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in
my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has
said to her will be accomplished!” (Vss. 41-45)
Blessed (Eulogemenos):
“The eulogia [from where we get eulogy] of God is His action or intervention in
men’s lives to bring them into the desired relationship with Himself. Eulogemenos is used in joyful salutations
[greetings] to indicate that the blessing of the individual is due to God’s
intervention in his or her life.”[1]
The hope of every Jewish woman was that
she would be the mother of the Messiah. Mary
won the lotto. God’s blessing came to rest upon her. Through her womb, the
offer of salvation would be birthed to the entire world. And then Mary
exhibited what it meant to truly have “the fear of God” put in someone.
“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the
Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the
humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to all those who fear him,
from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he
has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down
rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the
hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his
servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants
forever, even as he said to our fathers.’” (Vss. 46-55)
No pointing to herself. No placing herself
above others. Just pure, unadulterated praise about the Mighty One of Israel. Mary’s
song centers on the glory of God. Ten times Mary extols what “He has done.”
Mary understands that apart from God, she is nothing. “In regard to the Lord,
[fear] mean[s] to reverence God, to stand in awe of God…expressing piety,
equivalent to worship, adoration of God.”[2]
Mary fears God!
And what does Mary do to celebrate after
her song?
“Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about
three months and then returned home.” (v. 56)
She doesn’t run about spreading the news
that “all generations will call me blessed.”
She doesn’t scamper off to spread the news that she alone has been
chosen as the mother of the Messiah. No, she stays still and learns from
Elizabeth - the wife of a priest, the daughter of a priest. God is at the
center of this teenager’s universe.
May we leave religion behind and follow
Mary into halls of praise that flow forth from the fear of God!
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