Treasures Can Take Many Forms

Charles Spurgeon wrote in Morning and Evening about today’s verse that Mary’s reflections had engaged her whole being, including “her memory—she kept all these things; her affections—she kept them in her heart; [and] her intellect—she pondered them; so that memory, affection, and understanding, were all exercised about the things which she had heard.”

Treasure in Scripture can be literal, but it is often metaphorical, especially when it is used as a verb. As you’ve probably noticed, treasure can be multiple parts of speech. It can be a noun—the valued objects themselves. It can function as an adjective, as in the phrase “treasured possession” (see tomorrow’s study). And it can be a verb, indicating the act of regarding and treating something as precious, as Mary did in today’s reading.

What were “all these things” that Mary was treasuring and pondering in her heart (v. 19; see also v. 51)? They were probably memories of the remarkable events surrounding the birth of her child, Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. She was no doubt reflecting on the visit of the shepherds and their description of angels singing the original Hallelujah Chorus. She was remembering Gabriel’s original surprising and humbling announcement. She was thinking about the visit to her also-pregnant cousin Elizabeth. She was pondering all that she and Joseph had seen and heard over the past nine months. Now, the Messiah had arrived, and He lay there in her arms as she pondered these things.

These were memories to treasure and cherish! Mary wanted to commit each detail to memory, praising God for her part in His story. Later (we infer), she would share her memories and experiences with Luke who did research among the eyewitnesses of Christ’s life in order to write his Gospel (Luke 1:1–4).

Pray with Us

In conclusion, please add to your prayer list Stephen Asare, Nathan Van Hoff, Laura Lemus, Kayla Andersen, and Daniel Munoz from Donor Development. Ask God to help them always speak with wisdom and grace as they extend MBI’s thankfulness to our friends.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He has just published his first book, On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.