All of a sudden, an Angel appeared!

To Mary, a young Jewish girl engaged to be married. And the news? She will have a Baby, God’s Son! Such a happening could lead to Mary’s death, by stoning in fact! A Baby … prior to the actual wedding!

Being “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit of God, and that “visitation” making a girl pregnant!

On top of all that, rearing God the Son in one’s own home!

No wonder Luke 2:19 tells us: “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

The verb “kept” is “suntereo” in Greek, meaning “to guard” or “carefully watch” something!

And the parallel verb “pondered,” the subject of today’s Lesson, is spelled “sumballo” as Luke would have written it. It literally means “to throw together!” As in: “batting something back and forth mentally!” Rolling it over and over in one’s mind! Reflecting on it and analyzing it … unable to thing of anything else!

Mary the “ponderer!”

Oh, how I wish we could do that with the words of Scripture. Yes, what Gabriel told Mary is now Scripture. If we could take a Psalm or a Proverb or a Paragraph of some Prophet … and “sumballo” it all day long!

Ponder it.

Meditate on it.

“Chew” on it.

Eat it (as did both Ezekiel and John on Patmos).

Find it necessary (as did Job).

In Acts 17:18 “sumballo” is translated “encountered” in our King James Bibles.

Yes, Mary “encountered” all that had been told her!

And she submitted to God’s Plan!

Listen to her. “Be it unto me according to thy word.”