Other than Jesus, his mother, Mary, is the most central figure in the story of His birth. It’s easy to think of Mary as the silent, doting figure that we have seen in Christmas plays, but there is more to Mary than just that.

Mary was younger than we’re comfortable thinking about. Scholars estimate that she was only twelve or thirteen when we meet her in the gospel accounts. That was the typical age when most girls were engaged in her culture, and she is introduced to us as being engaged to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. In those days, engagements were binding legal relationships arranged by the couple’s families, which were only severed by death or divorce.

When the angel Gabriel visited her to explain that she was about to conceive a child, she was naturally bewildered. She was still a virgin, so how could this be? Gabriel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35 NIV). The phrase “overshadow” was a reference to the way God’s glory had been with the Ark of the Covenant. His divine presence would cause this biological miracle, the conception of His Only Son.

Mary must also have been very concerned. News of her pregnancy would at the best be met with suspicion and speculation. At the worst, the path God chose for Mary could have cost her life. If she were found guilty of adultery, a woman in her culture could be stoned to death. Who would believe an unmarried pregnant teenager who claims she is still a virgin? Who would believe that the child was divine? Mary must have been afraid.

The context Mary lived in was not an easy one. She was a woman in a world where men made all the rules. She was a Jewish woman living in Galilee, which the Romans had conquered. In Galilee, she lived in the town of Nazareth, which was looked down upon by the rest of the Jews for not being Jewish enough; Nazareth was a crossroads of sorts, and there were a lot of Greek and Roman influences there. According to the people of her time, Mary was considered to be of the wrong gender, from the wrong nationality, and living in the wrong town – knowing all this, God chose to give her His Son.

God knew exactly how confused and fearful Mary would be, which is why the first words His messenger said to her were, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30 NIV).

The most important thing about Mary’s story, however, was her response to God’s word. She wasn’t given a lot of information. She was told she was to name the child Jesus, that he would be called the Son of God, and that he would reign from his ancestor David’s throne over a never-ending kingdom (Luke 1:31-35). Other than what to name her miraculous child, that wasn’t a lot of practical information to go by.

Mary, however, was willing to do whatever God asked of her, even though she didn’t know what the consequences would be. She had been raised in the faith. She was taught from a young age the promises that God had made to Abraham and David, and she knew to expect the arrival of the Messiah. So Mary was filled with hope instead of fear. She told the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant… May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38 NIV).

This Christmas, remember that you are a beneficiary of someone else’s obedience. Let that inspire you to be willing to do what God has called you to do. You may not have all the details or answers to your questions, but you can still trust in God’s word and commit to God’s will. As Gabriel told Mary, “no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37 NIV).