Why ‘Mary Did You Know’ Is The Most Biblically Illiterate Christmas Tune

The Federalist ^ | Holly Scheer

[SeekAndFind]

According to the Washington Post, the Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know” should be tabled because talking about Mary’s virginity is part of purity culture, which is destructive for rape victims. But there are far bigger and more accurate reasons to axe this song from Christmas playlists. “Mary Did You Know” is one of these newer Christmas classics that deserves to be called neither a classic nor a Christmas song. That’s because it’s biblically illiterate, and Christmas descends directly from the Bible and the Word made flesh who gave it to us.

“Mary Did You Know” (let’s call it MDYK to make life easier) entered the scene during the rise of the praise and worship Christian music genre in 1991, written and performed by members of the Gaither Vocal Band. The Gaithers, popular gospel singers with a Southern flair, have produced a ton of contemporary Christian music for nearly four decades. Since then, MDYK has somehow become a song not only played on the radio but sung in churches, moving it from generic Christian mistake to doctrinally baffling gaffe.

Anyone actually listening to the words who has even a slight familiarity with the biblical account of Christ’s conception and birth shouldn’t need to ask if Mary knew, because the Bible plainly tells us she did.

Oh, Mary Knew

MDYK is a series of questions, all aimed at asking pregnant Mary, the mother of Jesus, various things about her soon-to-be-born son and Messiah. I counted 17 questions, ranging from if she knew that her baby was God himself to questions about his miracles.

Unfortunately, these questions fall in line with the disturbing new trend of presenting the Nativity narrative as a story of Mary being raped by God, and taking turns blaming both Mary and the patriarchy for how women feel during Advent. Together, these ideas question what Mary knew and what she agreed to, and both of these lines of thinking miss the important and pertinent fact that in the Bible Mary herself sings an entire song about her pregnancy.

To answer the questions MDYK poses: Yes, Mary knew she was having God’s Son. Luke 1:30-33, 35 answers this clearly: “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’”

Yep, Mary knew that her baby boy was God himself. Even easier to answer is whether Mary consented to bear the Son of God. Her response on the subject was: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Mary Has Her Own Better Christmas Song

History has given us a far more beautiful and accurate song for Christmas about Mary, one that actually confesses the truth about her, God’s plan, and that tiny baby. That song is the one Mary herself sang, and it’s one that churches around the world still regularly sing: the Magnificat, or Song of Mary:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever (Luke 1:47-55).

Don’t expect the world to get Mary right when they still can’t manage to get Jesus right on Christmas. Don’t be surprised when pop stars want to sing about Christmas without actually reading the Bible.

Making a Christmas album is not a necessarily a confession of personal Christian faith (see Barbra Streisand’s “Classic Christmas” album). Society has never understood the Annunciation, Visitation, or Nativity, and they’re not going to start now. Instead of getting frustrated at people who think Mary didn’t consent, or that if she did she didn’t know the plan for her baby, go read the gospel accounts of Jesus’s birth where she speaks for herself. It’s enough of a fantastical and amazing story without trying millennia later to add contemporary drama.

Mary shows us a picture of a faithful woman, delighted by the honor God bestowed on her to bear the savior of the world, and that’s how we should remember her.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Love the song. Written by Mark Lowry of The Gaithers. My son has sung the solo for two Christmas Eve’s.

[Raycpa]

Never in a million years would I have come up with this author’s take. I always assumed they were rhetorical questions for us to appreciate the miracles.

[sockmonkey]

I cringe every time I hear MDYK, and it has nothing to do with the #metoo #endpatriarchy crowd.

I also cringed when I heard the Cuban Seminarians sing A Little Bit of Jesus in the Bread and Wine back when JPII visited Cuba.

Also, can't stand On Eagles' Wings

[Not A Snowbird]

The arrangement our choir sings is beautiful, but yes. Mary did know.

[MayflowerMadam]

It’s a pretty melody, but not Scriptural. Yes; Mary knew.

[Southnsoul]

“Mary, Did You Know” is one of my favorite Christmas songs and I think this article is utterly ridiculous.

The lyrics are simply contemplating how much of the magnitude of who Christ is as the second Person of the triune God, did Mary really comprehended at the time.

She certainly understood that she had been chosen to bring Israel’s promised Messiah and Savior into the world, however, His being being the word by which the universe was created and his being King over Israel some day, are two vastly different things.

Remember, Israeli girls married young and even Mary, like the disciples, had to be given light gradually.

“Mary, Did You Know” has more of the gospel and the stunning truth that God Himself came into the world and paid our sin debt, then most of the Christmas carols that we sing every year.

People need to stop overthinking a song about mere speculation, because many of us have wondered the same things, and that isn’t a sin.

[fproy2222]

“There is nothing in the Gospels that says Mary knew, at the time of Jesus’s birth, the details of His future public ministry.”

But, going on logic, Mary knew what the scriptures said will happen to Christ.

Psalm 22:16–18 (ESV)
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—

17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

[MD Expat in PA]

In the song, the singers are asking “Mary Did You Know?” and like you, I take them as rhetorical questions not literal questions to Mary implying she didn’t know, but as a device to list all the reasons Jesus is the Messiah and of all the miracles. And nowhere in the song are there lyrics of Mary responding: “Say What? You’re joshing me. Nope, didn’t have a clue. It was all a complete surprise to me!”

I think Holly Scheer should go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! “Chill Holly, Chill!”

[Tax-chick]

There’s nothing there or in the Prophets about walking on water, calming storms, etc. Nor can we assume that Mary associated all the Messianic prophecies of the Psalms and Isaiah with her son.

The Gospels do not say, so it is a matter of one’s opinion. If it’s important for a person to believe that Mary had full advance knowledge of everything, he can make a case for it, although he would have to ignore the Gospel episodes I mentioned above.

[momincombatboots]

Obey the mediots or be mocked. Love the song.

[Mr. Lucky]

Thank you.

[MNDude]

“Have Yourself a Mary Little Christmas”

How little are we talking here?

[SuperLuminal]

A welcome post... Amazing all the important facts that tend to get lost, forgotten, or cast aside in the fog of the endless war against Christianity...

[Verbosus]

I Agee.
I like the song and I don’t like to read why I shouldn’t like it every year.

[P-Marlowe]

I guess the author of this stupid screed has no idea of what a Rhetorical Question is.

Of course Mary knew. The message is for the listener.

Frankly I love the song.

The author needs to attack Jimgle Bells.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Christmas descends directly from the Bible

Hmm. There must be a book missing from every single "new testament" I've ever had access to. I've never read in it about you "you shall have a day of rest on December 25 and have either three masses or a tree."

[freedumb2003]

It is a pretty song with great Penantonix harmonies.

Always saw the question part of the song as a musical rhetorical flourish — to me the song could be restated as a series of STATEMENTS that confirm what we all know.

There is always someone, somewhere who wants to criticize something.

And it is nice when someone creates a new Christmas song if it is good (as opposed the AWFUL “Santa Baby”).

[libertymaker]

You are exactly right. It is a rhetorical question. The song is excellent.

[Buttons12]

So much of Luke sounds like the personal perspective of Mary.

As for music...it’s merely part of the pop culture, why overthink it? That said, I prefer the older songs.

[smvoice]

Little is a relative term..