Charitoo...honored with grace

Do you remember what the angel first called Mary? Highly favored one. He greeted her by calling her the highly favored of the Lord. Wow–wouldn’t that be amazing? To have God’s own messenger come down from heaven and say that you were the favored one of God!

The Greek word that is used there is charitoo, which means “to make graceful; encompass with favor; to honor with blessings.” That definitely describes Mary! She who was a common Jewish girl became the mother of the King of creation. She was given the greatest honor a woman could be given. The name “highly favored one” fits her perfectly.

Charitoo is only used one other time in the Bible. If you were a Bible Bee junior or senior last year, you probably memorized this verse. Do you know who it describes? You! Ephesians 1:6–To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. He made us accepted, He encompassed us with favor, He honored us with the blessing of becoming His child. Is that not the very definition of a Christian? We are honored with blessings! We are also the highly favored ones of the Lord! Think about that for a minute...isn’t it amazing? The King of Kings chose us to be His people and accepted us. That is almost too incredible to be true!

People probably honor and respect Mary more than any other woman in the history of the world. She was the mother of God. Can you think of any greater honor? Yet, the honor that was given to her is described in the same phrase that was used to describe the Ephesian Christians...the same term that describes us as Christians. We are given an equally great honor–we are the children of God (1 John 1:3). Does that make us–or Mary–perfect? No, we are all still sinners, but God has encompassed us with favor and filled us with His grace. He chose us to carry His Light in a dark world. Just as Mary, the highly favored (charitoo) of the Lord, brought Jesus into the world, we, the ones He made accepted (charitoo) proclaim Him to the world. What higher honor, what greater blessing, can be given to us than to bear His name and carry His Light to the farthest corners of the earth? Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you (Luke 1:28)!