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.

Luke 1:24-25
After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

There is a close connection between verses 23 and 24. Zechariah returning to his home after completing his term of service becomes more meaningful than it would be if viewed merely as the end of a little paragraph. Zechariah went home and Elizabeth became pregnant just as Gabriel had said.

The conception of John reminds us of the conception of Isaac (Gen. 21:1, 2). It took a miracle to open Sarah’s womb (Heb. 11:11, 12). This was also true in the case of Elizabeth (Luke 1:7, 18, 36, 37).

Elizabeth conceived, for God’s promises never fail.

Then she kept herself in seclusion five months. Many people believed barrenness was a sign of God’s disfavor. It seems clear she decided not to appear in public until people could see the Lord had looked upon her with favor and had removed from her the “disgrace” of barrenness. This would show she was, really, a very devout woman.

Now she can proclaim her pregnancy was a divine blessing bestowed upon her by God.

“The Lord has done this for me.” Blessings should not only be counted. They should be traced to the Giver, so that acknowledgment and thanksgiving can be given.

In your life what has God done for you which you need to acknowledge?

Luke 1:21-23
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home.

According to The Talmud it was normal for the priest whose duty it was to offer incense to leave the altar as quickly as possible, so as not to accidentally commit some act of sacrilege. But in the this case, completely contrary to custom, the priest “stayed so long in the temple” before returning from the Holy Place.

Finally Zechariah appeared, but he could not pronounce the blessing because he could not speak. The angel’s words had already begun to come true; the sign of fulfillment had taken place in Zechariah’s life.

The crowd could probably see fear staring from the priest’s eyes; he was probably still shaken from his encounter with the angel. At his advanced age he must have looked as if he had “seen a ghost.”

In Jewish tradition, the silent gestures indicated God had acted in a special way. But Zechariah could not tell anyone about it. Zechariah alone knew God was moving forward in His plans to bring the Messiah to His people. But Zechariah would remain silent until his promised and longed-for son arrived.

When have you doubted the reality of God’s wonderful provision for you?

What could God do in a person’s life today that would have as big an impact as the angel’s visit to Zechariah?

Luke 1:18-20
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

The angel’s “I am Gabriel” follows Zechariah’s “I am an old man.” However, this is not the intended contrast. The contrast is between the priest’s skepticism and the angel’s certainty.

Man is always prone to doubt!

Gabriel has delivered God’s good news; it will come to pass, when the appropriate season arrives. Zechariah has called in question a promise which sprang from the heart and mind of God Himself. Where Gabriel is from this is unthinkable; Zachariah must show proper respect for God! He must be disciplined and reminded he is mortal; mortals do not question the Master Gabriel serves.

Gideon asked for a sign from God; but he asked for a specific sign.

Do you want a sign from God?

Luke 1:18
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous– to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah’s reaction to the cheering words of the angel was disappointing: his response to the angel’s word came perilously close to doubt.

Zechariah wanted more than the word of this heavenly visitor; he wanted a sign: How can I know this will happen?

Zechariah saw only the obstacle; he and Elizabeth were both past childbearing years, so he reminded the angel of this fact as if it had somehow been overlooked.

This reaction was definitely the response of disbelief.

It has been pointed out Abraham, Gideon, and Hezekiah reacted similarly to amazing promises.
* Abraham asked, “How am I to know” (Gen. 15:8)?
* Gideon asked for a sign; in fact, for two signs (Judg. 6:36-40)?
* Hezekiah asked for a sign to show he would be healed (2 Kings 20:8-11)?

There are differences, however:
* Abraham’s response was definitely one of faith, not of unbelief.
* The same holds true in the case of Gideon.
* The phraseology employed by Hezekiah shows he wanted to believe God’s promise.

Zechariah’s response almost amounted to, “I don’t believe you, for people as old as we are do not become parents.”

The point to be made here is not criticism or surprise at Zachariah’s unbelief, who could blame him for not immediately saying, “Oh that’s wonderful I knew God would answer our prayer!”?

Often we forget the humanity of the people we learn about in the Bible. The point to apply in this case is God can and will use any of us; even those who doubt!

God is sensitive to our doubts, understands them, and will react to them exactly as His Son did in Mark 9:24, “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'”

How has God helped you overcome your doubts?

Luke 1:14-17
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous– to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

This is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in Luke’s Gospel. Our writer is well acquainted with the third person of the Trinity. Luke refers to the Holy Spirit more than any other Gospel writer; it is a major theme in his writing.

Luke was thoroughly familiar with the work of the Holy Spirit, as we see in the book of Acts. He recognized and emphasized the Holy Spirit’s work in directing the founding of Christianity and in guiding the early church.

The presence of the Spirit is God’s gift to all believers given at Pentecost.

Prior to that, the Holy Spirit was given to the faithful for special tasks. The fact John would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth, indicates a special blessing for this child.

This also marks the restoration of the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit which had not been present in Israel for over 400 years; since the days of the prophet Malachi.

What would God say to the world after 400 years of silence?

What will it be like when Jesus returns after being gone 2,000 years?

Luke 1:16-17
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous– to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The meaning of the phrase “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children” is not immediately clear, but these meanings have been suggested.

It may mean John’s messages of repentance would unify broken family relationships, help fathers in their parental responsibilities, or change the lives of disobedient children so their fathers would approve of them.

Another opinion is based on the Malachi reference; “fathers” may refer to the patriarchs, great men of faith who would be greatly displeased with their descendants’ faithlessness toward God. John’s call to repentance would turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, bringing many of his contemporaries back to God. This would please those faithful ancestors. Those who listened to and obeyed John’s message would become a people prepared for the Lord. They would be ready for their Messiah.

I went through pages of discussion trying to figure out what this phrase meant. I came to the conclusion that none of the commentators had any more idea than I did. I remember sitting under Dr. Noel Smith as a student at BBC. One of the things I specifically remember him saying was, “when you go to the commentaries to find a meaning you will usually find what is troubling you was troubling the commentators.” That is exactly what I found in this case.

My conclusion is we do not specifically know the meaning of this phrase. It could simply have been a first century idiom meaning get right with the Lord. That is my personal opinion created and supported by myself! The phrase following sums it all up “Make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Why do we have to be so technical and specific when the plain sense is there; John will cause people to repent and turn to God!

How can you strengthen your realization that God is in control of the events of your life?