The angel Gabriel said to Mary, "You are blessed among women...blessed from the greek word eulogeo, meaning well spoken of. We contemplated her obedience in the previous blog; the angel tells her she is and will be well spoken of. Her simple, yet exemplary life gained God's favor and attention and her faith in His fresh words to her would guarantee it in the future.
But this word "highly favored one" in Luke 1:28 deserves special attention. In the greek it is charitoo, meaning and conveying the idea of being uniquely privileged...even the sense of being afforded a once in history opportunity. In her case, she was the privileged bearer of the Christ child, a once in history role. The scripture seems clearly intent on emphasizing this same once in history fact about every one of us.
Remarkably, this same word, used of Mary, is used of us today. This word is found in only two places in scripture: in Luke 1, of Mary, and in Ephesians 1 of each and every believer in Jesus. Of each believer, charitoo is used in Ephesians 1:6, and joined with the fact that each of us have been called "blessed" also (Eph. 1:3). As ones who have been "chosen" (Eph. 1:4), we each have a unique role assigned to us that no one else, other than ourselves, individually, can fulfill.
Adapted
It's amazing that the Holy Spirit would move the Apostle Paul to use the same word, used only one other time in scripture, in reference to Mary, and apply it to each of us. The implications, possibilities and potential of this truth are huge and time and space will not allow it to be explored here. But suffice it to say, that as Mary was uniquely privileged and empowered by his word, we too, through Jesus have been uniquely privileged, graced and empowered for possibilities and limitless potential in our contemporary lives; a unique opportunity, in our current sphere of influence, to do something, through Jesus, that noone else can possibly do or achieve. It is staggering to contemplate. ...Oh the timeless power and relevance of the Gospel.
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEACE AND GOODWILL TOWARD MEN.
Ponder this, get excited in it...and run with it. Merry Christmas!
Mitch
