Mary, Did You Know?

Epiphany isn’t a word you hear used a lot, except maybe in church, and even then, usually only once a year. Epiphany is observed on January 6th, to commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles (who were represented by the Magi, the Wisemen who came to pay homage to the infant, Jesus).

But there’s another meaning to the word. We can say we had an epiphany when we suddenly realize something important. Used like this, it’s a sudden, intuitive perception of—or insight into—the reality or essential meaning of something. It’s usually initiated by some simple or commonplace occurrence or experience.

There’s a wonderful song—"Mary, Did You Know?"—that’s usually reserved for singing in the weeks leading up to Christmas, along with all the other traditional Christmas carols. But I personally think that it’s one of those songs that actually belongs to Epiphany, or maybe even later than that.

Now, obviously, Mary understood that this was a special baby—after all, Mary was a virgin and Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. So right away she had to know that things might be a little different with this child. And Mary rejoiced that she had been chosen to serve God, and she knew that this was an unbelievable honor. But did she really understand the full importance of what was happening? I don’t know—but I suspect not. How could she? This was unlike anything else that had ever happened to anyone. There was no precedent for this. When the God of the universe is the father of your child—it’s incomprehensible for a mere mortal. And Mary was mortal. She was a human being who was subjected to the frailty and failure we all share. But God chose her because she was the right one to do what He needed.

God chooses each of us. In our frailty and failure, God is able to work wonders through us. If we were perfect and had no need of redemption, what would be the point? God’s amazing power and grace is shown by the very fact that He makes us strong in our weakness. He gives us courage in our fear. He shows us mercy in our desperation. He gives us love even when we are unlovable.

And to do all that, He chose to come among us in a form that we could understand and accept. Jesus Christ was born specifically to bring salvation to a world that couldn’t get it right. He was born to become the one sacrifice that would save everyone who was willing to turn to God and put their faith in Him. He was born to die—once—for all people, for all time. He was born for me and he was born for you—for your salvation.

So there sat Mary, with this wonderful baby in her arms, no doubt convinced (as all mothers are) that he was the most beautiful child in the world. She knew that he was special. I wonder what she dreamed he would grow up to do? And when the Wisemen came to bring gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, did she begin to get a small hint of the enormity of who this little child actually was and what he was to do? We’ll never know for sure.

But here’s the important thing about this particular story: this epiphany isn’t tied to a specific date on the calendar. It happens when you open your heart to Jesus and turn your life over to him. So I invite you to think about who Jesus is, to think about what he can do in your life if you only let him. If you’ve never invited him in—do it now. If you’ve done it before—invite him again.

Do this so that when someone turns to you and says, “Do you know?”—you can say, “yes” and rejoice in the understanding of the most essential truth of all time. Jesus is your Lord and Savior.