November 9 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Luke 11:24–28

Devotional

Some fondly imagine that it must have involved very special privileges to have been the mother of our Lord, because they supposed that she had the benefit of looking into his very heart in a way in which we cannot hope to do. There may be an appearance of plausibility in the supposition, but not much. We don’t know that Mary knew more than others. What she did know she did well to lay up in her heart. But from what we read in the Gospels, she does not appear to have been any better instructed than any other of Christ’s disciples. All that she knew we too may discover.

Does it surprise you that we say so? Here is a text to prove it: “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them” (Ps. 25:14). Remember the Master's words—“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (Jn. 15:15). So blessedly does this Divine Revealer of secrets tell us his heart, that he keeps back nothing that is profitable to us. His own assurance is, “If it were not so, I would have told you” (Jn. 14:2). Does he not this day show himself to us as he does not to the world? It is even so!

And therefore we will not ignorantly cry out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Instead, we will intelligently bless God that, having heard his Word and obeyed it, we first of all have as true a communion with the Saviour as the Virgin had, and second, we have as true an acquaintance with the secrets of his heart as she can be supposed to have obtained. Happy soul to be thus privileged!

[June 24]

Extracted from C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening (public domain), language modernized by Larry E. Wilson.