Becoming a Bondslave
How do you respond to surprises? A late-night knock on the front door, a sudden job termination, or an unexpected marriage proposal would make most of us feel uncomfortable, at least initially. Likewise, when we face a spiritual call to action, we often struggle to adjust to the Lord’s sovereign timing and fail to step forward in faith.
Before she was Jesus’ mother, Mary experienced an unexpected encounter with the angel Gabriel. After Gabriel greeted Mary, leaving her troubled, he told her God had selected her to bear “the Son of the Highest,” to whom “the Lord God will give . . . the throne of His father David” (Lk. 1:32).
Because Mary was a virgin, she sought clarification. Gabriel informed her that a miracle would initiate her pregnancy; and she responded instantly, saying, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38). Unlike her husband Joseph’s contemplation of the news (Mt. 1:19–20) and her elderly relative Zacharias’s doubt concerning an angelic announcement of his own son’s birth (Lk. 1:18–20), Mary’s response was nothing short of incredible.
Mary had no knowledge that Gabriel had visited Zacharias. God’s assignment for her came out of the blue. While many young Israelite women likely hoped to bear the Messiah, Mary appeared thoroughly surprised that she was the one whom God had chosen.
Mary probably was a young teenager at the time, looking forward to her wedding to her betrothed, Joseph. A host of questions likely accompanied this angelic announcement. What about her future? Her dreams? Her marriage? Her family? Yet, Mary immediately and completely accepted God’s sovereign plan for her life, a powerful testimony to her godly character.
What enables someone to accept God’s plan so readily—to respond so quickly to such life-changing revelations of God’s will? Luke’s account of the angelic encounter doesn’t explicitly reveal why Mary responded as she did. But his record provides some insight.
Mary’s Self-Perception
Mary identified herself as the “maidservant [Greek, doulē] of the Lord.” In his Gospel, Luke used four Greek terms to describe a servant: (1) pais (“child,” 1:54; 7:7; 12:45); (2) oiketes (“household servant,” 16:13); (3) diakonos (“servant” or “minister,” 22:26, NASB); and (4) doulos (“bondslave,” 1:38, 48). Mary referred to herself by the term doulē (the feminine version of doulos), the lowest of the four “servant” titles, because she understood she was the bondslave of Yahweh. She considered herself to have no will of her own and made herself fully available to serve her Master.
Mary’s response fleshes out the parable of the unworthy servants (17:7–10), which concludes with Jesus stating, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’” (v. 10). Mary’s view of herself was at least partially responsible for her immediate and positive response to Gabriel. She reiterated her self-image to her relative Elizabeth, saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (1:46–48, emphasis added).
Mary’s perception of herself as the Lord’s bondslave should characterize each of us who is redeemed by God and fit for His Kingdom service. Such self-awareness helps pave the way for an immediate and positive response to the plans God introduces into our lives, whether announced or incidental.
Mary’s God-Perception
Mary’s words to Elizabeth, often called “Mary’s Song of Praise,” reveals that her understanding of God’s person and character also influenced her acceptance of His sovereign plan for her life. Her song of praise reveals a wonderful grasp of God and His Word. Her view of God informed her view of herself, which produced her humble response to Gabriel’s message. Mary’s statement intimated three attributes of God that fostered her willingness to accept His sovereign administration.
1. God’s Omnipotence
When Gabriel told Mary she would conceive supernaturally, he said, “With God nothing will be impossible” (v. 37). God’s Word provides many examples of this power. Mary seemed to reference psalms of praise for God’s strength when she stated,
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts (vv. 49, 51; cf. Ps. 98:1; 118:15).
God’s omnipotence ensures that He can do all that He desires. His capabilities are unlimited—from parting the Red Sea to making water flow from a rock to raising the dead (Ex. 14:21; Num. 20:11; Jn. 11:43–44).
2. God’s Omniscience
God’s knowledge of all things is infinite. In her song, Mary said, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly” (Lk. 1:52). Her words echo the sentiment of Job 5:9–13:
[God] does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth, and sends waters on the fields. He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot carry out their plans. He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
Because God knows all things actual and possible, He knows everything about us—our past, present and future—and He is not surprised by anything that happens. The apostle Paul taught that we are “being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:11–12).
3. God’s Loyal Love
Mary knew that God loved her with His hesed, His loyal love, saying, “His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation” (Lk. 1:50). Her words echoed Psalm 103:17: “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children.” Mercy is used here to reference God’s loyal love. Likewise, Psalm 98:3 declares, “He has remembered His mercy [Hebrew, hesed] and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Mary basked in the hesed of her God.
By truly appreciating these three attributes of God, we deepen our confidence in His sovereign administration, which enables His servants to embrace all circumstances. Because God is omnipotent, He accomplishes all that needs to happen, with no barriers or limitations. Because He is omniscient, He knows all the details, possibilities, options, nuances, and circumstances of His servants’ lives. And because He demonstrates loyal love, He always seeks His servants’ best interests within the grand scheme of His sovereign plans.
Since these things are true and trustworthy, we can conclude that there is no better place we can be than where God positions us. Human insufficiency may tempt us to believe that if something appears better than what we have, God doesn’t know it, can’t supply it, or doesn’t truly love us. Mary’s doctrine informs us that God knows what is best for us and is both capable of and committed to doing what is best for us. It also means that we can aspire to no greater status than the humble position of Christ’s bondslave.
Such practical doctrine encouraged Mary’s quick and faithful response: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). May we respond to our Lord with the same humility when He calls us.
