… the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin … Mary[1]
While today, almost everyone recognizes the Jewishness of Yeshua (Jesus), His mother Miriam (Mary), a 1st century Galilean woman from Nazareth, seems to be fully divorced from her Jewish background. She is still better known by the titles Blessed Virgin or Our Lady. However, in the New Testament (especially in Luke’s Gospel) Miriam is depicted as clearly belonging to her people.
For instance, one has to know the Jewish wedding customs of the time in order to understand pregnant Miriam’s predicament. There were two stages of marriage in Jesus’ time: the betrothal and the marriage, and there might be one year or more between them. One of the main reasons for a betrothal period was to assure that the bride was not pregnant. To become pregnant during this time of betrothal was a grave sin and a great humiliation. And yet, it was exactly at this time, when Miriam was already betrothed to Joseph and was awaiting the concluding stage of marriage, that the miraculous conception took place.
Miriam knew she was in a very difficult situation. Who would believe her story? And here we see this young Jewish woman, who just entrusted herself completely to the Lord, seeking support and encouragement in Him, and from Him. True, she goes to Elisheva (Elizabeth), to the small village of Ein Karem, outside of Jerusalem, but probably on the way Miriam entered Jerusalem to pray and to pour out her soul before the Lord. And it looks like God comforted Miriam through the story of biblical Hannah, her suffering and humiliation, her miraculous birth and her praise: “My heart rejoices in the Lord…I rejoice in Your salvation”[2] – because when Miriam greets Elisheva, she is full of joy and gratitude and praises the Lord with almost the same words: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”[3]
[1] Lk. 1:26,27
[2] 1 Sam. 2:1
[3] Lk. 1:46,47