Mary Was Promised Soul-Piercing Pain & Incredible Joy

After Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought Him to the temple to fulfill the purification rites required by the law (Luke 2:22-35). 

While there, the Holy Spirit came upon a righteous man named Simeon and he prophesied that Jesus would be God's salvation, a light to all nations. What joy Mary and Joseph must have felt. But Simeon went on to say that many would oppose Christ. Turning to Mary, he said, “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 

Their baby was the long-awaited Savior whose words and purposes would bring Him rejection and suffering. And their love for Jesus would bring them soul-piercing pain. 

When we love Jesus, we also become vulnerable to ridicule, scorn, and Satan's attacks, sometimes even soul-piercing pain. This is especially true in our current anti-Christian, pro-Muslim, pro-liberal world, where Scripture is increasingly defined as hate speech (source, source). 

We are warned of this in 2 Timothy 2:3, 2 Timothy 3:12-13, Philippians 1:27-30, 1 Peter 2:20-21, and 1 Peter 4:12-16.

But like Mary and Joseph, we also experience incredible joy and eternal rewards. So let's stand firm with Jesus against our godless culture, reminding ourselves:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Matthew 5:11-12

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For more encouragement, read about some Christians who have given much and been blessed beyond measure: Divine Appointment in Timbuktu! and Alone in a Foreign Land: "Don't Give Up!"

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