Proclaiming or Pondering?

Now when they [the shepherds] had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

Luke 2:17-19

The shepherds had been brought into the fold, so to speak, as one of the first to learn about the birth of the Savior King. These men, upon hearing from the angel of the Lord that the Christ had been born and could be found in Bethlehem, went immediately to find Him. And as soon as they saw Him, they began telling everyone.

Just think of these men, who spent so much time alone out in the fields with their sheep. No one to talk to, no one to communicate with. Just sheep that required constant attention and care.

And suddenly, Someone is caring for them. Caring enough to share the Good News with them and to lead them to Him. These men were excited. They had found the Great Shepherd, and they wanted everyone to know. Verse 20 of this same chapter tells us that they returned to the fields and their sheep, glorifying God and praising Him for all that they had seen and heard.

These men saw the Christ, and they were changed. Life would never be the same again.

Someone else’s life had changed, as she had seen many great things over the past nine months. Mary had been visited by an angel and told that she, a virgin, would give birth to the Savior. She had given birth in a barn in a foreign city, fulfilling the words of prophets, including Isaiah and Micah. She would soon have wise men visiting the Baby Jesus and bringing gifts for Him. There was so much change going on. Yes, Mary’s life had been changed too, and it would never be the same.

But Mary’s reaction was a bit different at this time. The Word tells us in Luke 2:19 that as Mary watched the shepherds and all that was going on, she pondered these things in her heart.

Mary had moments where she was proclaiming God’s greatness, like when she saw Elizabeth pregnant after years of barrenness. And she would have future moments, too. But, at this time, she was watching and considering. She was communing with the Lord in her heart and trying to understand all of these miraculous events.

The shepherds, probably eager for company and companionship, could not stop sharing what they saw with everyone they met. Mary, surrounded by people and events, needed to sit and quietly contemplate. Both were right in their approach, according to where they were in their walk. 

We too, have moments where we can do nothing more than simply ponder what we are seeing and work through the events in our hearts. Other times, we cannot stop talking about what we are seeing and what the Lord has done. Both are the right response, as we are touched by Him and as our lives are continually being changed.

May we know when to ponder and when to proclaim, recognizing that either way, we are a living epistle, a witness of Christ and of His great work for our salvation.