Thinking on the Blessed THEOTOKOS

For Robert Stewart

As we enter Advent, we will meditate on the mystery of our Lord Jesus' birth from the blessed virgin Mary. During the 3rd and 4th centuries when the doctrine of the Holy Trinity was coming to its fullness, it became an element of common devotion for some orthodox Christians to call Mary "theotokos" - Greek for "God bearer" or "one who gives birth to God". They were more than happy to call Mary "mother of God" because they believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was the divine son of God in our flesh; the blessed virgin not only bore the savior of the world, she bore divinity in humanity.

This week I came upon an interesting commentary by John Piper (emphasis mine):

“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” a woman cried out to Jesus. And he turned and said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27). The mother of God is the obedient Christian—married or single! Take a deep breath and reorder your world. (By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

I do not want to offend my fellow Christians who have a high esteem of the blessed virgin, for I think they are right in calling her blessed. (See Mary's Song, more traditionally known in the west as Magnificat, esp. @ Luke 1:48. In an advent sermon last year, Dr. Steve Lennox said he considered it the obligation of all Christians to call the virgin Mary blessed.) However, it seems to me that if we are to take Jesus seriously, the virgin mary is no more blessed than anyone who obeys Jesus - "those who hear the word of God and keep it." To rephrase, those who keep God's message from the lips and life of Christ are just as, or perhaps even more blessed than the virgin Mary (noting Jesus' use of the word "rather").

It would be common for many of us to be sanctimoniously sentimental in our reverance for Jesus' nativity this Christmas. But if our devotion has nice thoughts for the holy family and no thought for Christ's teachings, we are of all people most to be pitied: outside of blessedness, according to Jesus. In Luke 11:27 Jesus tells us that he did not come so that his birth would be remembered fondly once a year, but so that we would obey his teaching and be born from above. Jesus cannot save us if we will not obey God's word through him. If we want the blessedness of Christmas to last year round, the solution is to obey Jesus always.

God's word to Mary was that she, a virgin, would bear the son of the most high God, who would receive an eternal kingdom. She assented, saying, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said," and so was blessed. When we kiss the feet of that same son Jesus, and agree to serve him by obeying his word, we will be blessed as well. "The mother of God is the obedient Christian." Or, the obedient Christian is more blessed than the mother of God.

So perhaps this Christmas, after (or before) we read the nativity story from Luke's gospel, we would not count ourselves blessed until we read and seek obedience to the words of Jesus that fill the rest of the gospel and bring us the salvation that was so enigmatically lauded by angelic hosts two milennia ago in a town called Bethlehem.

"Midnight Station" (a haiku)

Hair, stand on end o'er
chilled flesh in fluorescent plight,
awaiting nigh flight.

(Copyright Scott Hendricks 2006)