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Luke 1:26-55 Faced with a devastating, unwanted pregnancy,
Mary obeys God and becomes the mother of a new, restored humanity.
Mary, the new Eve
A story is told of a young man who became so excited about Zen Buddhism that he read every book on it he could find and saved enough money to travel to Japan. When he met a famous Zen master in Japan, the young man could not restrain himself. He began to tell the master about all the books he had read and all the questions he wanted answered.
While the young man talked excitedly, the master simply smiled and poured him a cup of tea. Noticing that the master kept pouring tea well after the teacup was full, the young man interrupted his self-absorbed monologue and said, “Um, excuse me, Master. The teacup is full.” To this the master replied, still smiling, “Likewise also you, my son. If you wish to be filled, you must first empty your cup.”
This series of Bible Explorations began with a study of Genesis 3:1–6 that raised questions about the traditional, negative view of Eve found in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and 1 Timothy 2:13–14. I suggested we see Eve not merely as the first transgressor, but also as the first to explore the divinely given power to think and choose.
Emptying our cups once in a while may help us to see new possibilities for understanding God’s Word, especially when we look at familiar texts in not-so-familiar ways.
Thus Eve, the first woman, had the first theological conversation in Genesis 3. And in Luke 1 another woman, Mary, does something just as radical and more significant. The lengthy first chapter of Luke is dominated by women. The only man, Zechariah, is forced by the angel Gabriel to be silent (1:20–22). Zechariah’s inability to speak recalls Adam’s silence throughout Genesis 3:1–6, and Joseph’s silence throughout Luke’s birth narrative.
If we follow Paul’s understanding of Christ as the new Adam (Romans 5:12–19; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22; 45–49), then Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the new Eve. Just as Adam’s disobedience is reversed through Jesus’ obedience (Romans 5:19), so Eve is restored in Mary. Eve, the mother of fallen humanity, was “cursed” by God for disobedience (Genesis 3:16). Now Mary is blessed for her obedience, becoming the mother of a new, restored humanity (Luke 1:42, 45, 48; 2:34–35).
Scandal or blessing?
Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s announcement of what could have seemed like a devastating, unwanted pregnancy (Luke 1:26–38) contrasts with the disbelief of Zechariah when Gabriel announces what should have been welcome news (1:11–23). Zechariah’s wife, however, clearly recognizes her pregnancy as a blessing — a restoration from disgrace to wholeness (1:25, 57–58).
Like Elizabeth, Mary seems to welcome her miraculous conception: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (1:38). But while Elizabeth’s pregnancy is joyous news in her family and community, Mary’s casts a dark shadow of suspicion and disdain. Her belief and obedience to God are seen as unbelievable, the result of disobedience.
God invades human history
If we do not empty our cups before hearing this most familiar of Biblical narratives, we may miss the point.
What happened in Genesis 3 was scandalous for humanity; what happens in Luke 1 is perhaps just as scandalous and more surprising. Elizabeth, who might have expected to become pregnant, couldn’t for many years; Mary, who was expected not to become pregnant, did. Luke invites us to reflect on the beautiful, disturbing and sometimes scandalous way the divine story invades human history.
This story also encourages Protestants to consider the special significance of Mary. If Adam and Eve represent all humanity, in contrast, Jesus and his mother, Mary, are unique manifestations of humanity. Just as there is only one Jesus the Christ, fully human and fully divine, there is only one theotokos, the God-bearing mother of new, restored humanity.
Rather than being hesitant or tentative about Luke’s claim that all generations will call Mary blessed (1:48), why not embrace this radical instance of God’s disruption of human history?
Kang-Yup Na, a Presbyterian minister, is an associate professor of religion at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa.
Part 10
Between the lines
In this 10-part Bible study series, hidden treasures await those who seek God’s word “between the lines.”
New series coming in September: It’s about time |
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