Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-2; John 1:14 - The Child Delivered by Mary

INTRODUCTION

How well do you know the royal family?

[ILLUS] Prince William and Princess Kate (the Prince and Princess of Wales) attended the Celtics vs. Miami Heat basketball game at TD Garden back in November 2022, a part of their first trip to the United States in nearly a decade.

While the couple’s presence drew attention from fans (some even chanting “USA” when they appeared on the jumbotron), the Celtics players and staff largely treated it as a normal game.

Afterward, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked if he had met the Royal Family (Prince William and Princess Kate) when they attended the game.

Coach Mazzulla replied, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph? I’m only familiar with one royal family.”

Coach Mazzulla is right. There is only one royal family, but many are not as familiar with that royal as they should be.

[CONTEXT] Last Sunday morning we began to focus on the Christ child as we head toward Christmas.

We saw that the Christ child was the child promised by God.

Today we’ll see that the Christ child was the child delivered by Mary.

But we don’t just want to focus on Mary this morning, but Joseph too, and, of course, Jesus.

[PRAYER] Let’s pray and ask God to help us become a bit more familiar with this royal family....

[READING - Luke 1:26-38]

Luke 1:26–38 NASB95

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

MAJOR IDEAS

{Gabriel’s Announcement to Mary}

Luke 1:26 says, “in the sixth month,” which means in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. That’s when Mary’s situation changed.

Verse 27 says that Mary was a virgin engaged to a man named, Joseph.

But in v. 28, an angel named Gabriel showed up and told Mary that she was a favored one because the Lord was with her.

This was obviously unusual, so Mary was left perplexed and pondering (v. 29), but Gabriel said she had nothing to fear for she had found favor with God (v. 30).

But what shape would this favor take?

Would Mary become powerful?

Would she be rich?

God’s favor doesn’t always look like we expect.

Verse 31 tells us what God’s favor would look like in Mary’s life, “...behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

Every child is special. Every child is a gift from God.

But plenty of women have conceived and born sons.

What makes this Son worthy of an angelic announcement?

What makes this Son a demonstration of God’s favor in Mary’s life?

Gabriel tells us why He is so special in v. 32.

He will be great.

He will be called Son of the Most High.

The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David.

He will reign over the house of Jacob forever (v. 33).

His kingdom will have no end.

This news left Mary perplexed and pondering once again, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (v. 34)

She was betrothed (which was legally binding and more serious than our modern engagements) but Mary was not yet married. She was chaste—as all young women should be—and had kept herself pure—as all young women should.

As a chaste and pure virgin, there’s no conceivable way that she could conceive a child.

But then Gabriel answers—something inconceivable will cause Mary to conceive; something miraculous will take place (v. 35).

Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

The mysterious and miraculous power of God will cause the virgin to conceive and deliver a Son—the Son of God.

{Fast-forwarding Nine Months}

If we fast forward—maybe about 9 months—to Luke 2:1, we read.…

Luke 2:1–7 NASB95

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-4 explain in practical terms why Joseph was in Bethlehem. A Roman census required it, but it was God who ordained it.

Being the town of David’s birth, Bethlehem was known as the city of David. This was in fulfillment of Micah 5:2...

Micah 5:2 NASB95

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

It was only fitting that the one who would have the throne of David be born in the city of David in fulfillment of God’s Word.

Luke 2:5 tells us that Joseph went to Bethlehem to register with Mary, who at this point was still only Joseph’s betrothed; they were not yet officially married and wouldn’t be until after Jesus’ birth.

{Joseph’s Dilemma}

But perhaps here we should stop here, go back a bit to consider Joseph’s dilemma.

Look with me to Matthew 1:18-25...

Matthew 1:18–25 NASB95

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18 says that before Joseph and Mary came together in marriage she was found to be with child.

As I said before, betrothal was something stronger than our modern notion of engagement.

It was the first stage in Jewish marriage and usually lasted around a year.

It was legally binding.

And the seriousness of it is reflected in Joseph being called Mary’s husband in Matthew 1:19.

Even though it was official, everyone already thought of Joseph and Mary as married.

But before that year of betrothal was up, Joseph experienced—or thought he experienced—the deepest betrayal of his life: Mary was found to be with child.

Matthew says, “she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit,” but Joseph didn’t know about the Holy Spirit part.

He just knew that Mary—the one that he and everyone else thought of as his wife—was suddenly pregnant.

I wonder how Joseph found out.

When Gabriel told Mary that she would have a son, he also told her that her relative, Elizabeth,—the woman who was previously called barren—would also have a son.

Mary hurried to see this for herself.

When she arrived, Elizabeth was already six months pregnant, and Mary stayed with her three months.

Did Mary leave just before Elizabeth’s Son, John the Baptist, was born or was Mary there when Elizabeth gave birth to her son?

I’m not sure.

But I wonder if Joseph came to visit Mary during those three months.

Was it then that Joseph heard tales from both Mary and Elizabeth about miraculous pregnancies?

If so, I wonder about the look on his face as he listen to their stories.

But maybe Joseph didn’t see Mary until she returned home from Elizabeth’s house?

If that’s the case, at three months along, Mary was perhaps beginning to display the tell-tale baby bump.

Did Joseph notice it and ask about it?

Did Mary initially hide it and later reveal it?

However Joseph found out, it came as a devastating shock.

His betrothed had betrayed Him.

But with the Lord, our trials can be tricky.

With the Lord, what at first appears to be an unbearable burden often turns out to be a blessing.

Being a righteous man (Mt. 1:19), Joseph still wanted to do right by Mary even if she had—as he supposed—done wrong by him.

He decided to divorce her (i.e., end their betrothal) quietly, sending her away secretly.

Her pregnancy was a disgrace upon him, but he didn’t want to disgrace her.

But before Joseph could set the wheels of divorce in motion, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

Was this Gabriel?

Maybe so, but Matthew doesn’t say.

In Matthew 1:20, the angel says, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid...”

Mary was afraid.

So was Joseph.

But just as Mary was chosen by God for her task, so was Joseph.

He too was favored.

Matthew 1:20–21 NASB95

20 ...“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew tells us that all this took place to fulfill the promise of God in Isaiah 7:14…

Matthew 1:22–23 NASB95

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Now, what would Joseph do?

Would he believe this angel in his dream?

Would he obey God?

Would he marry Mary, the mother of the Son of God?

Would he see the Savior born, the one who would save His people form their sins?

Would he see the word of God fulfilled in the virgin being with child, bearing a son, Emmanuel (God with us)?

Matthew 1:24-25 tells us...

Matthew 1:24–25 NASB95

24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Joseph had not been betrayed as he supposed, and now his ruined reputation, the potential embarrassment—none of that mattered.

As all young men should be, Joseph was a righteous man who wanted to obey God.

{Mary’s Dilemma}

Likewise, Mary was a righteous woman who wanted to obey God.

After Gabriel’s announcement to her, Mary had her own decision to make.

Would she serve God as the virgin mother of the Son of God?

What about her reputation?

Her relative, Elizabeth, believed her story, but what about the rest of her family, the rest of her community?

Don’t you know the rumors swirled!

“I heard she and Joseph consummated the wedding a little too early.”

“Oh yeah, well I heard it was worse than that; I heard the baby doesn’t even belong to Joseph!”

We know such things were being said about Mary because during Jesus’s public ministry, when He accused the Pharisees of not being real, spiritual children of Abraham, they accused Him of being a child born of sexual immorality (Jn. 8:39-41).

Mary was no fool; she knew nasty things would be said about here, but rumors and reputation cast aside, Mary said, “I am the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word,” (Lk. 1:38).

As it should be for us all, what mattered most to Mary was obeying God’s will.

{Back to Bethlehem}

Back to Bethlehem in Luke 2:6-7...

Luke 2:6–7 NASB95

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The very first and very best Christmas gift didn’t come in fine, festive Christmas wrapping laid under a tree.

No, He came wrapped in swaddling cloths and was laid in a manger.

Mary had delivered her Son.

The Son of God had come in the flesh.

{The Word Became Flesh}

Theologians call this the incarnation.

The word incarnation comes from the Latin, with the prefix “in” meaning “in” just as it does in English, but the major part of that word “carne” means “flesh”.

Incarnation literally means “in the flesh.”

Jesus was and continues to be God in the flesh.

John talks about this in the first chapter of His Gospel.

John 1:1–2 NASB95

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:14 NASB95

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We ought to pay attention to everything John says here but especially to the words Word and Flesh.

In the world in which John lived, the things of the Spirit and the things of the flesh or things made of matter were polar opposites.

People (not necessarily John, but people) believed that reality started out as purely spiritual (i.e., non-tangible, non-matter, non-flesh) and then devolved into the material.

Thus, anything material was less pure than anything spiritual.

Many in John’s day viewed the material body, the flesh, as corrupt and impure.

The body was something that the soul needed to escape from.

This is why Paul was later be mocked before the Aeropagus in Athens.

It wasn’t just that the Athenians thought bodily resurrection was impossible, it was that the idea of raising the body was ludicrous.

In their view, people needed to escape from the body, not have their bodies resurrected.

John, then, is making a startling claim when he says “the Word became flesh!”

God is spirit, but in Jesus Christ the divine Spirit took on flesh.

In his book, The Child in the Manger, Sinclair Ferguson writes, “...the Word became flesh in the form of an embryo. He lived within the dark chamber of his mother’s womb in the fetal position. He became a tiny human life, dependent on the nourishment he received from Mary—a small human speck in his own vast cosmos.”

{The Word Dwelt Among Us}

But John also said that the Word who became flesh dwelt among us.

The phrase “dwelt among us” could also be translated as “tabernacled,” a verb that probably reminded the first Jewish-Christians to read John’s gospel of the ‘tabernacle’ or ‘tent of meeting’ where Moses met with God.

The tabernacle was the place where Moses met with God face to face, as a man speaks with his friend (Ex. 33:11).

You may remember that when Moses met with God in the tabernacle that he would come out with his face glowing with the glory of God.

But now that John says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, things are the other way around.

Sinful Moses had to go inside the tabernacle to met the glory of God...

...but now, in the holy Child, the glory of God has tabernacled among us...

...and we have seen His glory.

{What Sort of Glory?}

What sort of glory is John referring to?

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention the revelation of Jesus’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, and we may expect John to tell that story to explain the glory of Jesus, but John doesn’t mention it, which was kind of weird because he was one of only three—along with Peter and James—to have witnessed it.

But for John, the glory of Jesus shines most clearly in Jesus’s death and resurrection.

About half of John’s gospel is spent reveling to us that the Word who became flesh to dwell among us dwelt among us to lay down His life for us.

The glory of Jesus is revealed in His perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.

Again, as Sinclair Ferguson, writes...

“His native land was eternal glory. There he was worshipped and adored by seraphim and cherubim. He came from that world into the darkness of the virgin’s womb. From there he emerged into the sinfulness of our broken and needy world. Eventually he turned a Roman (cross) into an altar, and in the darkness of Calvary offered himself to his Father as a sacrifice for our sins. That the Word who was with God should do this for us—this is his glory.”

CONCLUSION

Have you seen His glory? Not with your physical eyes, of course, but with the eyes of faith as you see Jesus live for you, die for you, and rise for you in the pages of God’s Word?

Have you trusted in Jesus as the Word made flesh, the one who who dwelt among us to save us from our sins?

God has no greater gift to give you than the gift of His Son.

Have you received Him?

If you don’t receive Him, then you will forever perish in your sins.

If you do receive Him, you will live forever forgiven in the joy of His presence.

Those are the only two options, and the choice is yours...

If you haven’t done so before, today is the day to receive Jesus Christ—the child delivered by Mary—as your Savior and Lord.

[PRAYER]

RESPONSE

Well, this morning we’ve “come to behold Him” in the Scriptures, and I’m praying that we’ve all “come to adore Him.”

If we have, it is time to “sing in exultation.”

He is the “Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.”

“Jesus, to Thee be all glory given.”

Let’s stand as we sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hymn #199.