Electus

Electus is a Latin word that means chosen, but it suggests more than just being selected. It comes from the idea of being carefully picked from many and set apart for a reason.

To be electus is more than just being noticed; it is intentional. It brings to mind someone reaching into a crowd and calling one person forward, not by luck, but on purpose.

The word has a quiet dignity. It suggests belonging and having a special purpose, as if your name was written into the story from the very start. Electus means that out of many voices, one was called, and out of many paths, one was chosen.

It is a word that carries both honor and responsibility. Being chosen means moving forward with purpose, not just being set apart.

In ancient Jewish culture (and sometimes even today), it was customary for the father to choose a bride for his son. The marriage choice was not based on emotions or attraction; it was a transaction, with the bride’s father receiving a bride price.

The bride price was to compensate the father of the bride for the loss of a worker in his household; a person who contributed their time, energy, and talents to the success of the home.

In Jewish culture, payment for a woman was a sign of respect, not ownership, because it identified her as someone who had value.

When a woman was selected with the intent of being married and consented, an engagement would take place. An engagement in the ancient Jewish culture was quite different than what is seen in the 21st Century.

The engagement bound two people together in legal marriage, minus consummation. Then, it was customary for the groom to return to his father’s house, where he would prepare a place for him and his bride to live.

The preparations usually took about a year, but no specific time was set. It was actually up to the father of the groom to decide when it was time for the groom to go get his bride.

And there were no cellphones for a groom to keep his bride up to speed on where the house renovations stood. No text to his beloved saying, “Hey Babe – wrapping things up. Headed your way.”

Instead, he would take his bride by complete surprise. His only giveaway was being announced by the sound of trumpets that preceded him, and it was the bride’s job to be always ready for when her groom arrived.

Enter Mary. The future mother of the King of Kings.

We are well aware she was a virgin. She was engaged to Joseph, a descendant of King David, a man of royal blood and noted as a righteous man. And legally, she was married to him, except for the consummation of their marriage.

Biblical historians put her around the age of 14 at this time, which is on par with Jewish customs allowing engagements to women once they had achieved puberty.

Joseph paid his bride price for a virgin, which was double the going rate of any other widow or divorcee. Based on this, one could assume Joseph had substantial wealth. And, according to Jewish customs, we now know that Joseph was preparing a home for their future together.

So Mary, legally married to Joseph, becomes pregnant. We know the story.

And she runs off to see her bestie, Elizabeth, for three months. Outside of the joyous song of praise Mary sings to the Lord in Luke chapter 1, the Bible doesn’t account much for these three months.

As a mom, I can absolutely imagine the adrenaline wearing off and Mary having a full-on freak-out session where she and Liz try to plan for the quite unexpected and unorthodox future she was now facing.

With it being the first trimester, she might have endured morning sickness as her body changed. Amongst the many conversations, you know they had to talk about how Mary was going to explain this to Joseph. After all, who would believe she had not had sex?

Up until this moment in time (and since), nothing like this had ever happened or been recorded. There was no reference point; no ancient text to refer to; no priest to explain this.

How was Mary going to explain her situation? How was Mary going to explain that she was chosen by God to carry the Savior of the world?

The Latin word for “chosen“

When Mary is told by the angel in Luke 1:28 that she is highly favored, and the Lord is with her, and she fully submits to the angel, stating:

Luke 1:38 (AMP)

Then Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

In the act of obedience, of complete submission, Mary is willing to sacrifice her future as she accepts being “chosen”.

Imagine the courage and strength it took for her to leave the comfort of Elizabeth in Judah, to return to Nazareth and face Joseph? To face society?

For three months, she had been planning what she would say; she had probably thought through some contingency plans in case Joseph was not on board with the whole “immaculate conception” thing.

But God was already preparing the way. Mary didn’t know it, but God had already taken care of Joseph and prepared him. Joseph was going to divorce her, not to shame her, but to protect her. And God said no. He had a different plan.

Being chosen comes with a cocktail of emotions. Excitement. Joy. Honor. Delight. But then, as the newness wears off and God requires action on our part, other emotions come into play. Fear. Doubt. Worry. Confusion.

No doubt Mary and Joseph experienced all those things, as they are only human.

Mary may have carried the seed of God, but she endured the shame the world cast on her of being an unwed mother.

She would experience the joy of His birth, and she would also experience the devastating grief of His brutal crucifixion.

As for Joseph, imagine a righteous man, a man who had a claim to the throne of Israel as a descendant of King David, engaged to a pregnant woman, who was not carrying his child.

Try explaining that to your friends over a cold one, and don’t forget to tell them about the two angel appearances you and your wife both had.

Joseph had every legal right to leave Mary, but he chose obedience to God; he chose Mary and became the greatest stepdad in the history of mankind.

It’s important to recognize that God didn’t just choose Mary, but He chose Joseph as well. Mary may have been chosen to give birth to Christ, and that’s no easy thing, but Joseph was chosen to protect Jesus, and that wasn’t easy either.

Both were equally essential assignments from God.

In that split second that God calls you, that God anoints you for His purpose and His plan; when God marks you with His seal, and He calls you His, and He tells you He has a purpose and plan for your life, there is an excitement in being chosen.

And upon choosing you, He paid the bride price with the blood of His most perfect creation, His Son. You are that valuable to him.

And when we mutually consent to this engagement and enter a legally binding covenant with God, He goes to prepare a place for us in His Father’s mansion.

John 14:3 (AMP)

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.

And here we find ourselves, a chosen bride, waiting.

John 15:16 (NLT)

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”

Romans 8:30 (NIV)

“And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”

Every person has an assignment to carry out until our Groom returns for us.

Each assignment is different. Each assignment is equally important to God.

Each assignment challenges our faith and trust in God.

Each assignment pushes us closer and closer toward God.

To be chosen is an honor; to be selected is a gift.

Ultimately, to be chosen is to sacrifice our plans, our goals, our thoughts, and our reputation for the much higher purpose and plan of Christ Jesus.

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