Luke 1:34
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

Mary understood what Gabriel said! Mary believed what Gabriel said!

Mary’s question displayed her faith. How?

She asked how this event could occur because she was a virgin.

Her question reveals spiritual comprehension. Mary understood Gabriel was referring to a miracle child to be born while she was still a virgin, prior to her marriage to Joseph.

The birth of Jesus to a virgin is a miracle many people find difficult to believe.

Some say the reference to the Virgin Birth in Scripture is merely theological, not historical. But if believers intentionally made this up, they also caused all kinds of problems to go along with it, such as inviting the charge Jesus was an illegitimate child. Given this idea, Luke would have been far better off not giving this information. It would be too unbelievable. Luke reported it because it was true.

Note these three facts:
* Luke was a medical doctor, and he knew perfectly well how babies were made. It would have been just as hard for him to believe in a virgin birth as it is for people today, and yet he reported it as fact.
* Luke was a thorough researcher who based his Gospel on eyewitness accounts. He probably talked with Mary about the events that he recorded in the first two chapters. This is Mary’s story, not a fictional invention.
* Christians and Jews, who worship God as the Creator of the universe, should believe God has the power to create a child in a virgin’s womb.

Jesus’ miracles, transfiguration, and resurrection were all actual, historical events which defy explanation.

We believe by faith not by reason!

Luke 1:31-33
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Jesus is not only great, but He is Son of the Most High. To Jewish ears this would be the same as calling him God. The Jews were not expecting a “divine” Messiah, this is why He was rejected.

It is clear from Mary’s reaction to Jesus in His early years she did not recognize Gabriel’s promise to be a declaration of Jesus’ actual divinity (2:41-52; Mk 3:31-33). Her hymn of praise stresses Jesus’ royal and saving role, not the “God with us” idea.

Jesus is the holy One; He is begotten of God; but the full implications of these statements were not to be realized for some time. Luke chooses to present Jesus from the “earth up” showing how, one step at a time, people came to see who Jesus really was. Luke begins with Jesus as the promised king and teacher who then reveals Himself as God in the context of His ministry. Only slowly do people grasp all of what is promised.

This approach matches how most people come to see who Jesus is. The church often tells the story from heaven down and for many people this makes no sense.

Luke’s approach is the path of people’s experience. His approach is different from the Gospel of John, which presents Jesus as sent from heaven to earth. At the start of John’s story there is no doubt Jesus was God in the beginning.

Both approaches are true; they are just different ways to consider the person of Christ.

Which approach do you think is easier for an unbeliever to comprehend and accept

Luke 1:29-33
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Gabriel repeated to Mary she had found favor with God. The words meant Mary had become the recipient of a gift bestowed on her by a superior, by God Himself. This phrase did not point out any special virtue in Mary; she was not sinless.

Some have suggested Mary was favored because of who she was, she had in herself grace to bestow on others. They have also suggested she remained a virgin forever. Scripture gives a different understanding! God chose Mary, blessed her and she unpretentiously accepted His call to be the mother of Jesus. She went on to have other children (Luke 8:19; Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3).

Gabriel explained this child would grow in her womb, be born as all human children are born and be named Jesus. This son will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest. The word “Son” was an Old Testament designation of the Messiah. God would miraculously create a human child who would actually be His Son, the long-awaited Savior (Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:9-16; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 7:14; 9:1-7; 11:1-3).

Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. This was a common name, meaning “Jehovah saves.” Just as Joshua had led Israel into the Promised Land, so Jesus would lead His people into eternal life. The symbolism of Jesus’ name was not lost on the people of His day, who took names seriously and saw them as a source of power. In Jesus’ name people would be healed, demons would be banished, and sins would be forgiven.

God’s favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame.

God’s blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain: her contemporaries would ridicule her; her fiancé’ would consider leaving her; her son would be rejected and crucified.

But through her son would come the world’s only hope! This is why Mary has been praised by countless generations as the young girl who “found favor with God.”

Mary’s submission was part of God’s plan to bring about salvation.

If sorrow weighs you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out His plan.

Luke 1:28-29
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

In spite of the angel’s friendly entrance, Mary was startled and his words caused her to be concerned. She “wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” The word used here is a common verb for “reckoning up different reasons” (ATR). She was both upset and puzzled.

She knew she was a young woman of humble social position, (48, 52), and therefore she did not understand how it was possible for her to be addressed in such grand terms.

When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he called her a favored woman. She was favored because she would be a special recipient of God’s grace. The phrase the Lord was “with” Mary indicates God would give her His help in the privilege and responsibility she was about to receive.

Zechariah had been terrified at Gabriel’s very appearance (1:12), Mary was more fearful at the words Gabriel spoke.

This young woman from a small town was confused and disturbed as to why someone would greet her in such a way.

She was confused by the words he spoke! Why would she be singled out by the Lord as the object of special favor? The idea shocked her.

Psalm 138:6, is appropriate here, “For though Jehovah is high, he has regard for the lowly”?

Also Isaiah 57:15, “For this is what the high and lofty One says– he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

What does Mary’s response to Gabriel tell us about her?

What does Mary’s response to Gabriel tell us about the kind of people through whom God choses to work?

Luke 1:28-29
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Here is a place where we can illustrate how tradition often gets added to truth when it comes to the Holy Land and the life of Christ. If you are ever privileged to visit the Holy Land, when you are in Nazareth you will be shown “Mary’s well.” The tradition is this is the location where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and made the announcement of the birth of Christ.

The earliest written account which lends any credence to a well or spring being the site of the annunciation comes from the Protoevangelium of James, a non-canonical gospel dating to the 2nd century. The author writes: “And she took the pitcher and went forth to draw water, and behold, a voice said: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, you are blessed among women.'”

Luke does not mention water in his Gospel account of the annunciation. In fact the word translated “went’ argues against the idea of the meeting being outside.

The word “went” or “entering” is used of visiting a friend, relative, or neighbor. One would enter by the door. The familiar word of salutation, namely, “Greetings,” shows us from the very start the angel is trying to create an atmosphere of tranquility.

Gabriel continues, “You are highly favored!” Here Jerome’s Latin version, the Vulgate, reads gratiae plena, “full of grace.” This was wrongly interpreted as if it meant, “Mary, you are filled with grace which is at your disposal to bestow on others.” Unfortunately, this is how the verse has been interpreted in the teaching of Catholicism. This “small error” has created a disastrous doctrinal problem by allowing Mary to enter into the obtaining of salvation.

For over 1,000 years (c. AD 400-1530), the Vulgate was the definitive edition of the most influential text in Western European society. For most Western Christians, it was the only version of the Bible ever encountered. The Vulgate’s influence throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance into the Early Modern Period is even greater than that of the King James Version in English; for Christians during these times the phraseology and wording of the Vulgate permeated all areas of the culture.

However, Jerome got it wrong! The true sense is, “You are full of grace which you have received . . . you are in a unique sense a divinely favored person.” The following context proves this interpretation is correct, for the angel adds, “The Lord is with you.”

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15

Luke 1:28-38
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Before going into the details of verses 28-38, covering the meeting between Gabriel and Mary, it is a good idea to take a brief look at the whole.

Note the following items:
a. The angel’s polite and tactful greeting (verse 28).
b. Mary’s fear and confusion (verse 29).
c. The angel’s encouragement. His promise Mary will conceive and give birth to a very special child (verses 30-33).
d. Mary’s appeal for an explanation, since she is not living with a husband and does not understand how, she can conceive a child (verse 34).
e. The angel’s reassuring reply (verses 35-37).
f. Mary’s brave self-surrender, after which the angel leaves (verse 38).

Notice how perfectly Mary’s preliminary reactions, items (b) and (d), are placed in between the angel’s words of encouragement and clarification!

Unless this bird’s-eye view is taken first of all, and kept in mind throughout, one is likely to get sidetracked with the trees and ignore the forest.

Luke 1:26-27
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Six months after Gabriel delivered God’s message to Zechariah, God sent the angel with another message, this time to a virgin named Mary who lived in Nazareth.

This was a long way from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish life and worship. Located on a major trade route, Nazareth was frequently visited by Gentile merchants and Roman soldiers. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth.

Mary was not a prophet or a priest; she was not in God’s temple performing acts of service. Instead, she was a young woman who was living at home and planning her wedding, she was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.

In Jewish marriages, the word “pledged” (or “betrothed”) had a different meaning than today. First, the two families would agree to the union and negotiate the betrothal. This included a price for the bride which is paid to the bride’s father. The second step was a public announcement. At this point, the couple was “pledged.” This is like engagement today, except it was much more binding. At this time, even though the couple was not officially married, their relationship could be broken only through death or divorce. No sexual relations were yet permitted. This second step lasted for a year.

During that time, the couple would live separately, with their parents. This waiting period would demonstrate the bride’s purity. If she were found to be pregnant during this time, the marriage could be annulled. After this waiting time, the couple would be married and begin living together.

Mary was young, poor, female; all characteristics which to the people of her day would make her seem unusable by God for any major task.

Take Him at His word.

Luke 1:26-33
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke places the story of the announcement of Jesus’ birth right after the announcement of John’s birth. By doing this, he highlights the similarities and differences between the two births.

The announcement of John the Baptist’s birth shows the Lord answering the prayer of an elderly couple by blessing the barren womb of Elizabeth with a healthy child. The announcement was public (in the temple), to an important official (the priest Zechariah), and an occasion for public rejoicing. In contrast, the announcement of Jesus’ birth was in private, to a person of low social station in ancient Israel (a young woman), and an occasion for Mary to recommit herself to God’s will.

John the Baptist was described by Gabriel as “great in the eyes of the Lord,” Jesus was described as “very great,” “the Son of the Most High,” and an heir to an everlasting kingdom.

John’s birth was remarkable because of the age of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Jesus’ birth was miraculous because Mary was a virgin.

The clearest contrast is the different ways Zechariah and Mary responded to the angel. Unlike Zechariah, Mary did not doubt the angel’s message. While Zechariah asked how he could be certain his wife would bear a child, Mary simply believed and submitted herself to the Lord’s will with these words. She not only took Gabriel’s statement “Nothing is impossible with God” as her statement of faith, she also awaited God working out His will in her life: “May everything you have said come true.” With these words, Mary committed herself to facing the hardships obeying God would involve.

Unfortunately, we often follow Zechariah’s example instead of Mary’s, doubting the truth of God’s Word, asking for proofs. Instead, we should follow Mary’s simple demonstration of faith.

Wait for the Lord
Zechariah thought it unbelievable he and his wife could conceive a child. But God delivers on time! We can have complete confidence God will keep His word. His promises may not be fulfilled the next day, but they will be “at the proper time.”

If you are waiting for God to answer a request or to fill a need, remain patient and “wait for the Lord.”

No matter how impossible God’s promises may seem; what He has said will come true at the right time.