When God became man: A mother ponders

"So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:16-19).

When the angels departed, the shepherds could do no less. They agreed they must go to Bethlehem and find the One they and their ancestors had been waiting for. They excitedly found the Child and told Mary and Joseph what the angel had said about this newborn.

While their report produced outright wonder in others, it resulted in a quiet pondering for Mary. The word for "pondering" means "placing together for comparison." She apparently compared what the shepherds reported with what Gabriel had told her about nine months before.

Like nearly any other mother, she treasured her newly born child and His birth, but no other mother had heard said what was declared about her Son. She weighed in her own heart what was said, unaware of all that was in store for her firstborn as Savior of the world and Lord of all.