A Letter from the Bishop

Accordingto Luke’s Gospel, the message of the Angel Gabriel to Mary was “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (1:31). In her reply, Mary said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (1:38).

The word 'behold' appears over 1000 times in the King James Version, nine times alone in Luke’s account of the birth narrative. 'Behold' often translates the Greek word 'theaomai' which means attentive seeing, visionary seeing or the apprehension of higher realities. It draws our attention to what God is doing. It says, look, the Good News is appearing before your eyes! The word behold invites us into the scene, to participate in, and to witness, this amazing revelation. Sadly in more modern translations of the Bible the word behold has been replaced by more familiar words that we use in everyday language such as look and see. If I witness a stunning sunset I probably won’t say, “Behold, a great sunset!”. I’d be more likely to say, “Check this out!”.

In the NRSV Gabriel doesn’t say “behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy” but rather, “see, I am bringing you good news of great joy” (2:10).

God’s salvation broke into the lives of Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth as recorded in the scriptures. As we encounter these passages in the seasons of Advent and Christmas may we receive them with fresh eyes and ears. After all, we are different people to what we were this time last year – we’ve lived through devastating floods and another year of a global pandemic. What are these passages saying to us now? Advent is a season of waiting, hoping and expectation. Are we ready to behold? What is the reality and deeper meaning that these passages tell? If we truly behold what God is doing we are not just onlookers but participants.