Waiting: Day 10

Tuesday December 9, 2025

And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Luke 1:34, English Standard Version

Mary has obviously already had The Talk with her parents. They’ve explained the birds and the bees to her, so she knows that there’s a little hitch in Gabriel’s plan.

“Hey, Gabe,” she seems to be saying. “Could you fill me in on the details of how headquarters is going to pull this thing off? I mean, just in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not that kind of girl.”

Again, we can quibble with Mary. Who questions angels? Shouldn’t you have implicit trust that God can handle a situation like this? Wouldn’t we just bow low and tell Gabriel that we’re ready and reporting for duty?

Well, let me promise you that I’d want some answers. Does this mean she needs to hurry the wedding up to fit the heavenly schedule? Is Gabriel going to command her to find a different husband? She knows she’s not expecting a baby at the moment, but what’s in store for her? How? is a pretty good question.

Some might argue that she’s just like Zechariah who also questioned Gabriel. It's different, I think. He’s older, more mature, experienced in life, and she’s very young, likely in her teens. He’s a priest, a respected religious figure, and she’s a woman, a very vulnerable position in her society. He’s been praying for a kid, then he shows that he really didn’t expect his prayers to be answered in the affirmative. I doubt she’s been praying for her whole world to get flipped. And his question belies a lack of trust-How shall I know this? -whereas hers seems to be simply one seeking understanding-How will this be?

See that word will? She knows good and well that the God who sent Gabriel is more than capable of bringing all this to pass, and she believes He will. In fact, she knows He will. She’d just like to know how. That’s trust.