Called Into Questions Sample

A Questioning Faith

Mary has just heard from an angel that she will give birth to the Messiah, the long-awaited Savior of Israel. No wonder she has questions. When the angel calls her favored one, she is perplexed and so tries to reason through what sort of greeting this might be. Her inquiry has a disarming simplicity—she does not deny that such an event is possible but wants to see how it will happen. Mary believes, but seeks understanding: her questions are not disobedient, but preparation for her glad conformity to God. She does not stop with understanding, either, but consummates her learning when she surrenders her will to God: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

We can see how faithful Mary is in her questioning by comparing her inquiry to Zechariah’s in Luke 1:18-19. When the angel tells him that his aged wife will bear a child, whom he will call John the Baptist, Zechariah asks, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Zechariah wants to be certain that the messenger is trustworthy, as the announcement contradicts his expectations for his and Elizabeth’s barrenness. His question seems humble but also has notes of an unwarranted disbelief. While Mary’s “How will this be?” takes the fulfillment of the angel’s announcement for granted, Zechariah is skeptical.

Mary’s questioning arises from her confident knowledge of God, not her ignorance. Her obedience is not blind: she knows the Word of God well enough that the angel’s answer resonates with her. She is prepared for the angel’s message by her loving study of Scripture, which makes her eager to reason with him. “Nothing will be impossible with God,” the angel tells her. Only what the angel actually says is: “No word will be impossible with God.” The phrase turns our attention to the Scripture that is being fulfilled, to the word that “shall not return to me empty” referenced in Isaiah 55:11.

She understands the work that is being done through her, even if she did not anticipate being chosen as the vessel for God’s incarnation. Mary’s knowledge of Scripture kept her open to the surprising power of God and taught her the questions to ask when God revealed Himself to her. Her devotion is undivided: her heart, mind, strength, and life are all receptive to the love of God. Her loving questions are a sign of her trust in God and a mark of her agency as a person before Him. She believes so that she might see the Son of God become flesh in her. She questions to understand.