Mary’s Story

Preface Note: This is an excerpt from my book, “Journey of the Messiah: The Awakening.” The book is written in the first person as if Jesus is telling HIs own story. Technically, the book is ‘historical fiction’, yet, I stayed as close as possible to the biblical and historical account. “Mary’s Story” is an excerpt from Chapter Six IMA’S STORY. This excerpt is an imagined conversation with Jesus and His mother describing the circumstances surrounding His virgin birth. In the book, Jesus called His mother by the name Ima, Joseph by the name of Abba, and God the Father by the name “FATHER”. –Harry L. Whitt

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The story as if told by Jesus as a teenager:

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Upon finishing My work, I remembered there was a cool melon waiting to be sliced. There was nothing like the completion of a task with a sweet reward waiting!

Ima was just taking some flatbread from the domed griddle that was heated by coals. She had prepared a small vessel with olive oil, a bit of sour wine, and an even smaller amount of sesame oil blended with a pinch of salt and spices. This was special, as if for a guest. I asked who was coming for the meal. She smiled and said, “You!”

“Oh, Ima, sesame oil, bread, and a melon just for Me!”

Her face was beaming. “Yes, just for You, my sweet son!”

This was a special treat for an evening meal, but now the sun was straight overhead. I knew Ima had something on her mind. This noonday meal was when all the neighbors would be taking a midday reprieve from the heat in their homes or under a special tree. We would be undisturbed.

We thanked God for the bread and ate it with little talk. I loved Ima’s flatbread, and it was especially good with the added sesame oil mix.

After the bread, she asked Me to cut the melon. Its red flesh, juicy texture, and sweetness was so delicious. It was a wonderful dessert and a beautiful time with just Ima and Me. After we had eaten our fill, we both leaned back and sighed. Ima’s face shone with sweet contentment. She loved being with her firstborn, and I cherished these few moments with just her.

After a pause from our light conversation, she became serious and smiled a nervous smile. She broke the brief silence with a question: “Jesus, your Abba and I have been concerned about you lately. You seem a little distracted and keep to Yourself more. Are You well?”
“Yes, Ima. I am fine!” I replied.

She was not exactly satisfied with My answer. I countered her questioning look by saying, “Yes, really. I am fine. I have been talking much with My Heavenly FATHER.”

As if correcting Me, she said, “You mean you have been praying to Adonai, yes?”

“Well, yes, praying but more than praying, actually! We have been talking. He has been talking with Me about My purpose. He has been showing Me in detail about His plan and purpose for Me on earth.”

Tears began to roll down her face, replacing her sweet smile. When she found her composure, she asked a cloaked question that we both understood: “So You know who You are?”

“Yes, Ima. I know who I AM! FATHER has shown Me who I AM and His purpose for Me. I AM the SON OF GOD!

She turned a little pale at My statement, followed by a flush of redness. With an awkward look on her face, she asked, “What all do you know? I mean, how much do you know?”

“Ima, it is difficult with words to describe this to you. I know I AM from Him, but FATHER has shown Me that many things are not yet fully in view. FATHER will reveal as I go forward. I must adhere to His timing. I can only do what He shows Me and say what I hear Him say.”

Ima, still softly crying, looked at the ground. Then she asked, “Do you know how you came about?”

“I only know that Abba is not My true father and you are innocent of any ill happenings; the details My FATHER has left to you. It is your story to tell. Whenever you feel it is proper, I am ready to listen and learn.”

Ima wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled a slight smile as she glanced at the door to confirm we were alone. She looked relieved but burdened with the task of unraveling her long-held story.

Then she began: “Joseph and I had committed to a betrothal to be married. I was so excited to begin my young life as a wife with such a good man. Your grandfather Jacob and Joseph had spoken with my father, making all the marriage arrangements. After the arrangements came the preparation for the coming wedding.

“One day as I was gathering firewood from the hillside behind our house, a strange thing happened. Unexpectedly and unannounced, this powerful angel stood before me. His name was Gabriel. He called me highly favored and blessed and said that the LORD was with me.

“I was so scared! Why would an angel appear to me? Why was I favored by God? I was just a common village girl in this lowly village of Nazareth. I was trembling with fear and in great awe of this angelic being. It was a frightful experience!

“The angel told me not to be afraid because God held me in high favor. Then he told me I was to conceive and bear a Son whose name would be Jesus. He told me that You would be great and called the Son of the Most High God. He said You would receive the throne of King David and that You would reign forever, for Your kingdom would be endless.

“I was so confused because I was not yet married to Joseph. We had not come together as husband and wife. I was an innocent village girl, but my mother had explained the ways of life to me. So I told the angel, ‘How can I bear a child since I have not known a man intimately?’

“I remember the angel taking his eyes from me and looking heavenward. He told me the Holy Spirit would come upon me, the power of God would overshadow me, and this Holy Child would be called the Son of God. He told me of Elizabeth’s miraculous conception of John in her old age, who was now six months into her time with child. He also said that with God nothing was impossible.

“This was more than I could comprehend at first. It was like a tangle of thread in my mind that was difficult to untangle. I only knew to accept what God had spoken through the angel. I had questions, but I had no doubt. I simply replied to the angel, ‘Behold the maidservant of the LORD! Let it be to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38). Then the angel left as quickly as he came.”

My FATHER had left this story for Ima to tell. As she unfolded her mystery, I kept my eyes closed. When she recounted the details, it was revealed in My spirit as if it was presently happening. I could see the scene as if before My natural eyes. Not only did I see the scene, but I also immediately knew Ima’s thoughts and emotions as that teenage bearer of the Son of God.

She paused, and I looked up into her eyes. Tears continued to course down her cheeks, and she sobbed the cry of relief. Tears came to My eyes as well. I embraced her, and she sobbed and sobbed while melting into My embrace.

Finally, I pulled away from her loving arms and held her at arm’s length while looking deep into her dark, moist eyes. “Oh, Ima. This is all true. I know! You were such a brave young lady. My FATHER chose well. He chose you of all women to be My mother. Thank you for choosing to be My Ima!”

She had been crying, but now the deep well of her emotion flooded even more, and she wept with deep release of her spirit. The wave of her emotions, held for many years, finally broke through the gates of her soul. I held her again and allowed every drop to pour forth. Then when her weeping ceased, she laughed a soft, embarrassed laugh and said, “I did not choose You. All these things just happened.”

“Oh yes, Ima. You did choose! You said, ‘Let it be according to Your will.’ Yes, you chose Me, and We chose you!”

Now she smiled a knowing and relieved smile.

Changing the conversation from her, I asked, “So what about Abba?”

Ima answered with an exasperated smile. “What about Joseph? What about my mother and father? I had to tell them first. A betrothed couple cannot talk about such things.”

We both laughed.

She continued, “My mother and father were quite bewildered. Nothing like this was possible in their minds. They knew I was a good girl, and I could see their minds trying to find a time I had been alone with Joseph or with another man.

“I saw they wanted to believe me, but it was also a very difficult story to accept. They had doubts. I knew it was a great struggle for them. My father just shook his head and said, ‘I must talk with Joseph about these matters.’

“He went the next day and told Joseph I was with child and about my claims of a message from an angel. Joseph also found it difficult to believe. He told my father he needed time to consider all these claims. Father said Joseph felt confused, betrayed, and shamed. And oh how that broke my heart! It was so painful to think about all the trouble I had caused them.

“The next day, Joseph and his father visited my father as I stayed hidden in our little house. Joseph had made the decision to keep all this as quiet as possible. He would give me a certificate of divorcement and the family could send me away to a distant relative, at least until the baby was born. Then I was to live out my life in shame and get by the best I could. He even offered to not contest the dowry he had paid, but my father declined his offer. My father said that in these circumstances, it would not be right for the bride’s family to keep the dowry. Joseph was and is such a good man.”

I smiled and agreed, “Yes, Ima. He is a very good man with a kind heart.”

Ima rejoined her story: “Joseph was a good-hearted man, and there was mercy in his plan. He could have called me before the elders and called for a public stoning, as I was seen as an adulterous woman with an unlawful child. This was all according to the Torah.

“There was no doubt in my mind at the reality of the angel’s appearance and words. I of all people knew I had not been with a man. Knowing that it was such an unbelievable story made the doubtful looks bearable, but they were still painful. My poor mother and father. I felt so sorry for them. They were very courageous and as merciful as they knew to be.

“I was devastated at the news, but I knew this was a strange story indeed. I prepared to leave my mother and father before my child within me grew to a size that would be hard to hide. My mother and father decided I should go to our kinfolks in the hill country of Judah, just west of Jerusalem in the city of Ein Karem.

“My long journey of more than a week was made with trusted travelers. Our travel took us south. The couple with whom I would stay were a kinswoman named Elizabeth and her husband, Zacharias. I was happy to go to her home. She was a very kindhearted woman. She was known to be barren for many years, but the angel said she was six months with child. I did not tell this to my parents but knew it to be true. They had no idea she was with child.

“The journey was grueling. I was sick many mornings because I was with child. The sickness made the travel even more difficult. There was also the added burden of trying to hide my condition.

“I was so happy to finally arrive in the city where Elizabeth lived. It had been the last Passover since we had seen each other. Zacharias met me at the gate. He seemed not able to speak for some reason. He motioned with his hand for me to follow him. Then he opened the door, pointing inside for me to enter. Since he could not speak, I thought it best to announce my arrival, ‘Shalom Elizabeth!’

“Immediately she began to speak as if a prophesy, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’” (Luke 1:42).

“Elizabeth continued to speak in the same prophetic tone: ‘Why am I privileged to have the mother of my LORD visit me? My baby leaped for joy in my womb at the sound of your voice. You believed. Adonai has blessed you for believing. The LORD will certainly bring to fulfillment all things He has told you.’

“It was a thrilling moment of affirmation. Up to this point, no one believed me. The Spirit of God moved upon me, and I glorified God with a song. You may have heard me sing this song in the mornings, yes?”

“Oh yes, Ima. I know this song you often sing. I love to listen to the words, and I enjoy the melody also. It is a beautiful song filled with glory to FATHER from His special servant’s heart,” I answered.

She smiled at My words and continued her story: “I planned to stay with Elizabeth to help her with the baby and housekeeping. At three months, I felt compelled to return to Nazareth, not knowing what good or bad awaited me there.

“I left for Nazareth just before her baby was born. Soon after I arrived in Nazareth, one day, Joseph appeared at our home unannounced. He spoke with my father at the gate of our little yard. He insisted he needed to say things to my father, mother, and me. My father protested that this was not proper, but Joseph was very persistent. Finally, my father consented.

“We four gathered, and my parents sent the other children away. When the house was cleared of young ears, my father beckoned Joseph to speak. I could see Joseph was extremely nervous but also determined.

“Joseph began, ‘I know Mary is known to be a righteous girl, but her news was just too difficult to believe. How can a young lady be with child without the company of a man? As these things weighed heavily on my mind, four nights ago, as I was sleeping, an angel appeared to me in a dream. He told me not to be afraid to take Mary for my wife. I would have come sooner, but I did not know Mary had returned until yesterday.’

“We all were surprised at this change. Then Joseph continued to relay the events of his dream: ‘The angel confirmed this child’s conception was by the Holy Spirit. His name is to be Jesus. The angel spoke of Isaiah’s prophesy of the virgin being with child. Immanuel, God with Us, describes His being. I now know that Mary is this prophesied virgin, and this child is God With Us in her womb. This marriage can go forward as planned. I will be the husband of Mary and the guardian father of this appointed Son.’

“I remember this moment so well. I was so relieved and so grateful that God had sent His messenger to me and to Joseph. My father and mother were relieved but still overwhelmed by all the events. They finally believed me and my unbelievable story.

“My admiration for Joseph was beyond words. My heart was so full of love for him. I thanked God for all the changed minds. Joseph is such a righteous and good man. God surely chose him too.”

I smiled at Ima. “Yes. We chose him too!”

We both laughed with tears of joy. I hugged her again, and she smiled with relief and peace.

She asked one more question: “What now?”

I told her, “It is not My time now, but one day it will be. Until then, we take one day and one step at a time until the time appointed. FATHER will reveal to Me when He chooses.”

She smiled in agreement and stood to leave.

I took her by the hand, causing her to pause. “Ima, I know this journey with Me has had moments of difficulty and the future will have more days of trials. But you must know, My FATHER chose you for this journey. You are highly favored! Never doubt the destiny of My FATHER, regardless of what a day brings.”

She smiled in agreement and didn’t say another word. FATHER had chosen a strong woman for My mother. I was so thankful for her, and I could see the courage and strength of her heart.

We smiled and parted to do chores around the house. Abba and My brood of siblings soon returned and devoured the remaining melon as the sun was nearing the western horizon.

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Author’s Note: Thank you for reading this excerpt from my book. I encourage you to purchase a copy of “Journey of the Messiah: The Awakening” from the publisher, WestBow Press. Purchase the book here.

Harry L. Whitt