Upon receiving a visitation from the angel Gabriel, Mary is described as “greatly troubled,” an odd designation for one who is “favored” by God. This, however, is a common biblical theme for those who receive divine messages from angels (not to mention a natural reaction to witnessing the supernatural!). For example, earlier in the same chapter Zechariah is “startled and gripped with fear” during his encounter with the Lord’s angelic herald. Gabriel’s subsequent reassurance (“Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God,” v. 30) and Mary’s quick acceptance reveal that her initial fear was met with responsiveness to God’s plan.

There is another person, however, who was also “troubled” upon hearing the news of Jesus: King Herod. In Matthew 2:1–3 we read:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Like Mary, Herod was “troubled” at the news; in fact, the same Greek root is used, but for completely different reasons. Upon hearing the prophecy, the paranoid monarch devises a plan to eliminate the Christ child that includes manipulation, violence, and tyranny, for even the populace was disturbed at his disturbance.

These two responses, that of Mary and that of Herod — that of submission and that of control, of compliance and rebellion — highlight people’s different reactions to the Gospel. Today, invite personal reflection on these responses to Jesus’ authority. Do you respond with fear or faith, control or submission? In what ways can we, like Mary, humbly resign our will to that of God and say, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38)?