October 27, 2023 -- Luke 2:19 -- Treasuring Up Jesus in our Mind and Heart

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 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:19 ESV

What are “all these things” Mary pondered? Think about all that young woman had experienced in the last nine months or so. She was visited by an angel. She consented to being the mother of the Lord Jesus, though she was a virgin, engaged though not yet married to Joseph. When she was pregnant by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she visited her cousin Elizabeth, who in her old age was now pregnant, carrying John the Baptist. This child leapt in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary (and Jesus in utero) arrived. Elizabeth recognized Mary as “the mother of my Lord” Luke 1:43.

Righteous Joseph, having been told of this miraculous pregnancy could have had her publicly brought to trial for being pregnant (and not by him) before marriage, which carried the punishment of being stoned to death. Having heard from the angel of the Lord in a dream, he believed God and took Mary home as his wife. Mary in the last days of her pregnancy, after the travel from the region of Galilee to Bethlehem, gave birth to Jesus. Angels announced His arrival to shepherds, who immediately left the fields and went to see Jesus.

That is a quick summary of “all these things”. That same phrase will be repeated at the end of the chapter—after Jesus having grown in strength, filled with wisdom and the favour of God, joined the men in the temple and gave a beautiful account of His wisdom and trust in God. This was after the Feast of the Passover, when Joseph and Mary had already left Jerusalem and had to hurry back when they realized Jesus was not with them, or with their extended family and friends. Jesus explained He had to be in the temple, His Father’s house, and He returned with them to the region of Galilee, submissive to them. Again Mary treasured up these things.

To treasure such things is to ponder them. Think about them. If you have a precious treasure, say an inherited coin, that is valuable, that is from a dear uncle, you might regularly bring it out of its special place and look at it, remembering your uncle and marveling at the worth of the coin, and be delighted by his generosity. Mary brought out her memories of Jesus and the events of her life, and marveled. She considered the worth and wisdom of all she’d experienced and pondered this before God. She was seeking to understand all this treasure and was humbled that the Father had deigned to bless her in such an extravagant way. Why had God favored her? Why were people immediately drawn to Jesus? No doubt there were many questions of faith that she was prompted to examine, and consider, and bring to God in prayer.

The Word of God points believers to Jesus. Like Mary, we treasure Him up in our hearts. We collect what we know of Him, we gather up the promises and Truth declared about Him in the Bible, and meditate on all these things. We seek to know Him! We want to understand Him more. We with faith, peer into the depths of the mysteries of Who Jesus is and we long to know Him more. Such examination of Jesus, and such intense pondering over a life-time, prepares the heart of the believer for an eternity of revelation, wonder and joy in the presence of Him Who is our Redeemer, Friend and King. It is this same Jesus Who ushers us into the unapproachable brilliance of the Father’s presence where for all eternity we live as His beloved sons and daughters.

Our Father in heaven hallowed, blessed, praised, and honoured be Your Name. May saints above and saints below pour out their hearts in prayer and praise to You. Spirit of the Living God, as we read the Book of Scripture, help us to treasure it up, ponder it, and by its great and wondrous mysteries, seek to know Jesus Christ, His suffering, resurrection and glory. Triune God, Who are we, that You should bless us with such wisdom and joy and marvels? As we treasure Your Word up in our hearts, help us to meditate on it and slake our thirst and still our hunger with the great banquet feast which is in Your Word so that the things of this world: the sands of temptation that pass for bread and the slyly evil libations wickedness which are disguised as pleasures will be revealed as the hideous offerings of the enemy that they are. Teach us to know You more, and through knowledge to love You more and through such knowledge and love to obey You, and so be led to continually ponder Your wisdom and revelation, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

https://youtu.be/wcrS8rFWMXQ?si=PZSCV4Cts6M7almF “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”

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