“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35
Mary had just gotten the incredible news that she would be mother to the Son of God. No big deal. Happens all the time, right? Ok, maybe not. Maybe this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments when everything slows down and you’re struggling to understand what’s being asked of you. Mary had something big to figure out once the angel had said that she’d have a son. How? If she’d never had sex and was only engaged to Joseph, how was she supposed to have this child?
Overshadow. The NIV, KJV, ESV, and NASB actually all picked the same translation of the Greek verb here (which doesn’t happen all that much). And this verb spoke volumes to Mary and speaks volumes to us. We can find ourselves being in situations like Mary’s (although much unlike Mary’s, I think we can admit!) where God has given us a great opportunity to do something for Him, but it’s going to cost us something. Think of Abraham who was told to hit the road with his family without knowing the final destination. Think of David who was anointed king and then found out that his kingship was going to be on hold for over a decade. “God, how are you going to do this?” And He answers almost the same way every time: “I’ll overshadow you.”
Now many times we don’t like to be overshadowed. Usually it means that we’ve done something but someone else is getting the credit. Usually it means that we deserve attention but are being robbed of it. But when it comes to God, we can thank Him BIG-TIME that we’re able to be overshadowed. See, God is into calling us feeble followers to accomplish things that are far beyond our capabilities, things we can’t do without Him. And so it’s much more like a dad who stands behind his young son as he learns to bat at a baseball. Sure, the son is holding the bat and he’s following through in obedience to what his dad is telling him to do, but the dad is ultimately overshadowing his son. He’s gripping him by the hand, both letting him know that he’s there as well as that he’s going to help. He’s standing right behind him so that the son is protected and so that, more than just instructing him on what to do, he’s joining him in the process.
The Christmas story began in a miraculous way. A young teenage girl was told that, though she was a virgin, she was going to have a child who would save the world. It was something she could never handle on her own. So thank God He overshadowed her. She needed that. He was just looking for someone who was willing to go to bat. And He’s always looking for people who are willing to come to bat.