The Announcement of Jesus
The Announcement of Jesus Son of God • Sermon • Submitted
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If you can bring yourselves, in your affections, your feelings, your passions, your desires, and all that you have in your organization, to submit to the hand of the Lord, to his providences, and acknowledge his hand in all things, and always be willing that he should dictate, though it should take your houses, your property, your wives and children, your parents, your lives, or anything else you have upon the earth, then you will be exactly right; and until you come to that point, you cannot be entirely right.
“But when we are really in that power, we shall find this difference, that whereas before, it was hard for us to do the easiest things, now it is easy for us to do the hard things.”
Brigham Young
—A. J. Gordon
Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1366.
***PRAY***
If you have your Bibles…please turn to .
While you’re turning there, I want to recap what we learned last time.
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.
We learned that Gabriel’s message to Zacharias was the very words of God because he stands in the very presence of God.
That Zacharias’ faith was weak despite the presence of God’s #2 angel.
We learned that Zacharias was disciplined for his doubt/unbelief but the discipline was also a sign from God.
We learned that Zacharias’ unbelief was not unlike others in history, but God saw inside his heart to see his doubt clearly.
We learned that God would accomplish His will despite our doubt.
We learned that Zacharias’ and our doubt causes us to miss out on:
The privilege to bless people.
The privilege to share the good News.
The privilege to celebrate.
Our challenge was to determine in what areas of our life do we doubt God in that make us:
Unable to speak
Unable to see
Unable to hear
We just finished studying the Announcement of the Forerunner, now we begin a study on the Announcement of the Messiah.
Verse 26
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
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.
Good old Luke and his details .
You ever
Well that first verse made me ask the question, Why did God wait 6 months to visit Mary to announce Jesus’ coming?
Why is that phrase there?
In the sixth month
Why did it happen at this time?
This is a really good detail from Luke and it will serve a greater purpose for us when we get down to verse 56 in a couple of months.
Just kidding about the couple of months, but when we do get down to verse 56 we’ll talk about why this little detail matters.
a city in Galilee called Nazareth.
Another nice little detail that will serve us in understanding the rest of this chapter. This time though at verse 39.
27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
I’m going to slow down a little here. Because there’s a lot of extremely interesting historical information here that will shape your understanding of Mary at the end of our study.
1. This idea of engaged.
This word engaged is the Greek word Mee-steuoh (mnesteuo).
Engaged is just not an adequate word to understand what Luke is saying here.
Neither is pledged or espoused as it is translated in the NIV and KJV respectively.
The Authorized version translates it espoused and the NIV pledged.
To most Americans, there is nothing legally or even morally binding in a relationship described with these words.
Only the ESV adequately renders this word Betrothed. This is the sense or the meaning that Luke was trying to convey to us.
The word has the sense of being legally promised in marriage to someone else.
This is an interesting way to define this word. Because I don’t think that on the surface it really describes the full breadth of this agreement.
From our 21 century perspective, this just seems like another way of saying legally married.
And technically this is true, but let me define it to you a little differently so you can get the meaning more fully.
In this case, Mary was legally promised by NOT HER, but by her Father
Mary was legally promised by her father, NOT MARY, but by her father toooo NOT JOSEPH, but to Joseph’s father.
True, Mary is to be Joseph’s wife, but the legal agreement is between the two fathers.
Let me explain:
In this case, Mary was legally promised by NOT HER, but by her Father
Most Old Testament texts about marriage reflect Israelite agrarian society in the early Iron Age. Families lived off the produce of the earth. Men, women, and children worked the land, to process its yield, in order to survive. The family property was owned and managed by the male head of the household, who would pass it down to his sons. Sons would remain in their parents’ household, marrying women from outside the immediate family and raising their children on their father’s land (Wright, God’s People, 53–58). Children contributed to the household labor pool, learned how to manage the family farm, and some inherited it upon the death of the family patriarch. In order to keep the property intact, the father would leave most of the inheritance to his oldest son (Deut 22:17).
Jocelyn McWhirter, “Marriage,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
Families lived off of the fruit of their farming efforts. Men, women and children all worked the land in order to survive.
Since the family property was owned and managed by the male head of the household, it would be passed down to his SONS.
Sons would stay within his parents’ household, marry and raise children on their father’s land.
Children were important contributors to the family business, so to speak…to the livelihood of the family.
So, giving a daughter away to be married, an important contributor to the livelihood of the whole family was no small loss.
The losing father had to be satisfied that he was getting a good deal before taking that loss.
In other words, the losing father had to be compensated appropriately before he would give away this commodity…i’m sorry did I say that out loud?
I mean give away his daughter to be married.
On the flip side…the gaining father had to make sure he was getting his money’s worth.
You know the old saying…you get what you pay for??? Well, the gaining father wanted to make sure he was getting what he was paying for. And what he was paying for is not just a wife for his son…no she was ultimately being added to HIS workforce.
So the parents of the son had a significant stake in deciding who would enter their household and mother the future heirs of the family business.
Sometimes the brother of the potential wife had a stake in the decision whether to let her go or not.
The reason for this is most likely the male head of the family, the father, was old and close to death and that brother would be inheriting the family property and he would want to make sure that he was well compensated for losing a worker from his inheritance.
For example:
Laban and Rebekkah. In Abraham is about to die and he sends his top servant off to find a wife for Isaac.
****this is why Laben was involved in Rachel’s betrothal
God guides Abraham’s servant to Rebekkah and in verse 29 Laban enters the scene.
You see Laban pulling out all the stops to make sure Abraham’s servant is treated like royalty.
31 And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?”
He’s taking care of the guys camels
Feeding and watering them.
He brings him and his crew water to wash up with
He prepares food for him and his crew.
You can almost picture it…Laban is running around doing whatever he can to find favor in Abraham’s servant’s eyes.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Marriage in the Old Testament
Most Old Testament texts about marriage reflect Israelite agrarian society in the early Iron Age. Families lived off the produce of the earth. Men, women, and children worked the land, to process its yield, in order to survive. The family property was owned and managed by the male head of the household, who would pass it down to his sons. Sons would remain in their parents’ household, marrying women from outside the immediate family and raising their children on their father’s land (Wright, God’s People, 53–58). Children contributed to the household labor pool, learned how to manage the family farm, and some inherited it upon the death of the family patriarch. In order to keep the property intact, the father would leave most of the inheritance to his oldest son (Deut 22:17).
Why in the world is Laban going to all this trouble?
You can almost picture it…Laban is running around doing whatever he can to find favor in Abraham’s servant’s eyes.
Look back at verse 30
30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
The ring was a half a shekel in gold and the bracelets were 10 shekels in gold.
That’s almost $5,000 in todays economy.
So Laban saw that bling and his mouth started to water. He did not want to miss out on this money making opportunity.
So Laban saw that bling and his mouth started to water. He did not want to miss out on this opportunity.
Verse 50-51 is the real indicator that he (Laban) had say so in the betrothing of Rebekkah.
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 “Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.
Back to the text
Back to the text
2. Virgin
TWO times in the same sentence Luke uses this word Virgin. THREE times in this passage we’re studying.
Laban will lose Rachel’s contribution to his household economy, while Jacob will gain her labor and her child-bearing potential. Consequently, Jacob needs to pay his future father-in-law a bride-price (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184). For her part, Rachel will bring material assets to the marriage, including her maidservant Bilhah (; see also ; ). A wife retained control over the property she brought to the marriage. If she lost her husband through death or divorce, it would serve as her economic safety net (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184).
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Arranged Marriages
The general Old Testament practice was for parents to arrange marriages for their children. The parents of a son had a significant stake in deciding who would enter their household and mother their grandchildren. Their role in securing wives for their sons can be seen in stories about the marriages of Ishmael (Gen 21:21), Isaac (Gen 24:1–9), and Er (Gen 38:6). When a man chose his own wife—as with Jacob, Shechem, and Samson—his parents still had an interest in his choice (Gen 28:1–5; 34:4; Judg 14:1–3).
15 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18 She said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 21 Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not. 22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?” 24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.” 26 Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.” 28 Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32 So the man entered the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become rich; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. 36 “Now Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him all that he has. 37 “My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 “I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 “He said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 41 then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’ 42 “So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; 43 behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 44 and she will say to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ 45 “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. 47 “Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. 48 “And I bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49 “So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.” 50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 “Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.” 52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord. 53 The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” 56 He said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said, “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59 Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.” 61 Then Rebekah arose with her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
Gen
Laban will lose Rachel’s contribution to his household economy, while Jacob will gain her labor and her child-bearing potential. Consequently, Jacob needs to pay his future father-in-law a bride-price (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184). For her part, Rachel will bring material assets to the marriage, including her maidservant Bilhah (; see also ; ). A wife retained control over the property she brought to the marriage. If she lost her husband through death or divorce, it would serve as her economic safety net (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184).
Women’s family members were equally interested in finding good husbands for them. For example, Abraham’s servant deals not only with Isaac’s future wife Rebekah but also with her brother Laban and her father Bethuel (). When Jacob falls in love with Rachel, he must arrange the marriage with her father Laban (). It is worth noting that Jacob must compensate Laban before he can marry Rachel (; see also ; ; ). Laban will lose Rachel’s contribution to his household economy, while Jacob will gain her labor and her child-bearing potential. Consequently, Jacob needs to pay his future father-in-law a bride-price (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184). For her part, Rachel will bring material assets to the marriage, including her maidservant Bilhah (; see also ; ). A wife retained control over the property she brought to the marriage. If she lost her husband through death or divorce, it would serve as her economic safety net (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184).
Women’s family members were equally interested in finding good husbands for them. For example, Abraham’s servant deals not only with Isaac’s future wife Rebekah but also with her brother Laban and her father Bethuel (Gen 24:15–61). When Jacob falls in love with Rachel, he must arrange the marriage with her father Laban (Gen 29:15–20). It is worth noting that Jacob must compensate Laban before he can marry Rachel (Gen 17; see also Gen 34:12; Exod 22:16–17; Deut 22:29). Laban will lose Rachel’s contribution to his household economy, while Jacob will gain her labor and her child-bearing potential. Consequently, Jacob needs to pay his future father-in-law a bride-price (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184). For her part, Rachel will bring material assets to the marriage, including her maidservant Bilhah (Gen 29:29; see also Gen 24:59–61; Josh 15:18–19). A wife retained control over the property she brought to the marriage. If she lost her husband through death or divorce, it would serve as her economic safety net (Perdue, “Israelite Family,” 184).
When the Bible repeats words that closely together, it usually means there’s something important behind the repetition.
First and most familiar is its an fulfillment of prophecy. We’ll unpack that in a minute when we get to the words of Gabriel.
Jocelyn McWhirter, “Marriage,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
Jocelyn McWhirter, “Marriage,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
But, there’s an interesting fact relating to the betrothal of a woman.
The betrothal agreement gave the man exclusive reproductive rights with his wife.
Since the male leader in the family will be handing down everything to his son, it was important for a man to marry a virgin so that he could know that he was passing down his property to his biological children.
The betrothal agreement gave the man exclusive reproductive rights with his wife.
So, the betrothal agreement gave the man exclusive reproductive rights with his wife.
****Then go into detail about Joseph’s royal line and Mary’s for that matter.
So it was important for a man to marry a virgin so that he could know that he was passing down his property to his biological children.
This is a nice segue into the next interesting fact from this verse.
Nowhere in the text, or in either gospel for that matter, do we get any indication that Joseph and Mary’s families had anything of real value to offer…or anything to pass down.
In fact, Warren Wiersbe says:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
She was engaged to a carpenter in Nazareth named Joseph (Matt. 13:55), and apparently both of them were poor (Lev. 12:8; Luke 2:24).
She was engaged to a carpenter in Nazareth named Joseph (), and apparently both of them were poor (; ).
She was engaged to a carpenter in Nazareth named Joseph (), and apparently both of them were poor (; ).
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 172.
What is interesting to me is not what they did have to offer…but actually what they SHOULD have had to offer.
3. Joseph was of the house of David or of the descendants of David.
Joseph was of the house of David or of the descendants of David.
Joseph is the heir apparent. If not for the usurping of the Israeli throne by the Herods, and not to mention the Roman occupation, Joseph is in line to be king.
According to the genealogy found in Matthew, Joseph is of the kingly line.
At the same time...according to the genealogy found in chapter 3 of Luke, Mary is also a descendent of David, from Solomon’s brother Nathan.
So although she would never reign as king, she certainly would have been reaping the benefits of being born into the royal family.
You say SO WHAT Danny, none of that matters because now they are ruled by a non-Davidic puppet king...whose loyalty lies in the super power of the day Rome.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
(Lev. 12:8; Luke 2:24). Among
Well the so
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 172.
Well remember last time we met, people were waiting outside while Zacharias burned incense. They waited for him to come out to see if he saw a sign.
People were still doing this despite not hearing from God for 400 years.
Well the so what is that just like we learned last time from the people that were waiting outside for Zacharias…those people that even after 400 years of silence were still waiting for a sign from God...
If they continued that practice for this long…wouldn’t they still recognize the royal line?
At
Wouldn’t they still be holding onto the prophecies?
12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Joseph and Mary may have been poor. They may have nothing of material value, as far as we know, to offer each other.
But, perhaps they did. Perhaps their genealogy was the value.
Just like the people waiting for Zacharias didn’t forget, the royal family probably didn’t forget.
And as they waited for God to send Messiah to reign, perhaps they were waiting also for their family to be restored to Royal status which is why their father’s arranged this marriage?
If any of that is true…and I want to point out that is my own conjecture,
If this is true…it is lost on Mary.
but if any of is true...it is lost on Mary. Mary definitely did not think of herself as royalty.
No
Verse 28
Perhaps there was a thought....a glimmer of hope that…some foolish thought by the fathers of these two that a marriage with these two descendants of David would somehow unlock the coming of the Messiah.
****I’m trying to get to a point of saying that Mary and Joseph could still be recognized by everyone because at least Joseph should be king. each new person that was supposed to be king the people would have been wondering if he was the messiah.****Everyone knows he would come from a virgin, but didn’t know how.
****I’m trying to get to a point of saying that Mary and Joseph could still be recognized by everyone because at least Joseph should be king. each new person that was supposed to be king the people would have been wondering if he was the messiah.****Everyone knows he would come from a virgin, but didn’t know how.
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.
The Greek word chairo has the idea to HAIL…to greet with a wish of happiness!
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.
Luke
The Greek word chairo has the idea to HAIL…to greet with a wish of happiness!
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.
AND
Favored one has the idea to become the recipient of God’s grace or blessing.
So, Gabriel suddenly appears out of nowhere to this 13-14 year old girl and yells…CONGRATULATIONS you have just received God’s great grace!
Except, she didn’t do anything to deserve it…God simply decided it was Mary that would conceive, bear and rear the Messiah.
One commentator puts it like this:
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
She had not been chosen for this task because she possessed a particular piety or holiness of life that merited this privilege. The text suggests no special worthiness on Mary’s part.
Wiersbe says it was:
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
God’s gracious choice, not Mary’s particular piety (cf. Gen 6:8); for unlike Luke 1:6, nothing is made of Mary’s personal piety either before or after this verse. The emphasis is on God’s sovereign choice, not on human acceptability.
Continue
The Lord is with you is not a wish but a statement. Gabriel is telling Mary that at this very moment, that God’s mighty power is present with her and on her.
The Lord is with you is not a wish but a statement. Gabriel is telling Mary that at this very moment, the God’s might power is present and on her.
Which is why I’m led to believe is the reason that Mary is not gripped with fear like Zacharias was.
I don’t believe that we can deny that Mary was at least a little scared especially since Gabriel told her not to be afraid.
If she wasn’t...why else would Gabriel tell her not to be afraid.
Besides that, since Luke doesn’t describe what Gabriel looked like here, we have to assume he appears to Mary the same as he did to Daniel.
And what Daniel and Zacharias saw gripped two grown men with fear…but not a 14 year old girl.
Continue
She was perplexed and pondering what kind of salutation Gabriel had used.
This has the idea that Mary was extremely confused or puzzled by what has just happened.
The New American Commentary says
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
Mary’s surprise was not primarily because it was not customary for a man to greet a woman but because it was not customary for an angel to greet a woman
In Mary’s mind she’s asking questions like:
Why would an angel come to great HER?
In what way was she highly favored?
How is God with her?
This is why I believe her royal lineage, her being betrothed to the rightful king of Jews…was lost on her.
She saw herself as a simple little Jewish girl.
Wiersbe says:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
Mary’s response reveals her humility and honesty before God. She certainly never expected to see an angel and receive special favors from heaven. There was nothing unique about her that such things should happen.
Luke 1:31-33
And Mary knew this about herself.
While Mary was pondering those questions, Gabriel gives her the answers
While Mary was pondering those questions, Gabriel gives her the answers
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.”
The fulfillment of prophecy is bursting from this passage.
Mary, a virgin is going to conceive and bear a son and call him Jesus…God’s salvation:
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
I
He will be great and called the son of the Most High
So many have foolishly taken this entire section we’re studying and used it to elevate the greatness of Mary.
But Warren Wiersbe says that it emphasizes the greatness of the Son.
But Warren Wiersbe says that it emphasizes the greatness of the Son.
He says
He says
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
Gabriel affirmed both the deity and the humanity of Jesus. As Mary’s son, He would be human; as Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32), He would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35)
Here’s another prophecy being fulfilled by this child
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
Gabriel affirmed both the deity and the humanity of Jesus. As Mary’s son, He would be human; as Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32), He would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35)
Wiersbe continues:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
For unto us a Child is born [His humanity], unto us a Son is given [His deity]” (Isa. 9:6). The emphasis is on the greatness of the Son (cf. Luke 1:15), not the greatness of the mother.
But wait....there’s more.
the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.
That’s a fulfillment of the covenant God made with King David.
This is a fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Sam 7
16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
and He will reign over
Mary may not have studied the Scriptures like the average Jewish boy, but she certainly would have learned about the covenant that God made with David.
Now Gabriel tells Mary that this son will be the fulfillment of the covenant God made with King David.
She certainly would have learned all that was said in Isaiah about the Messiah.
She certainly would have learned about the Messiah.
If you thought she was perplexed with Gabriel’s greeting…think about how perplexed and shocked she is now.
THINK ABOUT IT!
All that prophecy about a virgin giving birth to the Messiah…it was talking about her.
This is why that song, Mary Did You Know is so deep to me.
Mary did you know, that your baby boy has come to make YOU new.
The child that you delivered, would soon deliver you.
Mary did you know when you kiss your little baby you kiss the face of God
Luke 1:34
Right now the heaviness of it all is hitting her.
She has just been told that SHE would be give birth to the Messiah…the Son of God.
God Himself would come from her womb.
And then she says:
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
And you’re like uh oh…because you’re remembering what happen to Zacharias.
But there’s a difference between her question and Zacharias’.
Wiersbe says:
Mary knew WHAT would happen, but she did not know HOW it would happen.
Her question was not an evidence of unbelief like in the case of Zacharias.
It was rather an expression of faith. She believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance.
How could a virgin give birth to a child?
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: Hear the Good News! (Luke 1)
Mary knew what would happen, but she did not know how it would happen. Her question in Luke 1:34 was not an evidence of unbelief (cf. Luke 1:18); rather, it was an expression of faith. She believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance. How could a virgin give birth to a child?
Luke 1:34-36
I had a great conversation of this passage with Ethan on Friday. We discussed the idea that Mary was still naive in a lot of ways and had not lived long enough to develop the skepticism that Zacharias had living so long without serving in the Temple or having a child of his own.
We also pondered that this may be an example of why Jesus says we should have faith like a child to enter the kingdom of God.
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.
Possibly it reinforces the commentator I quoted last week who said:
L
God sees the depths of our hearts and it is evident that God was able to see something in Zacharias’ heart that was far different than what was in Mary’s
Gabriel graciously answers Mary’s question:
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.
And then even though Mary didn’t ask for a sign, Gabriel gives her one:
And then even though
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.”
One commentator describes it like this:
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
Elizabeth’s conception of John the Baptist when she was past childbearing age reveals God’s miraculous power and confirms the angelic message to Mary. God already had done the impossible in Elizabeth’s case so that the problem Mary raised in 1:34 is insignificant
And then, the beautiful submission of the slave of the Lord.
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.
It’s Mary’s submission that we find our application.
It is her submission despite the consequences that are going to fall upon her.
Mary is about to conceive and it won’t be by Joseph the man she has been betrothed to.
OT law reflects the significance of male reproductive rights and family honor.
One commentator explains it like this:
This made it necessary for a father to guard the virginity of his daughters so that he could see them safely married. A family’s honor thus depended on the patriarch’s ability to control the sexual activity of his female dependents, including wives, daughters, and unmarried sisters (Yee, “Hosea,” 301–02).
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Marriage and Extramarital Sex
For example, Deuteronomy 22:13–21 imposed a severe penalty on a bride whose husband discovered that she was not a virgin. She was stoned to death because she had besmirched her father’s honor and violated the reproductive rights of her future husband.
Her father made an agreement with Joseph’s father. A large part of that agreement is that he would make sure that he guarded her virginity.
Mary’s divine conception will appear to her father and everyone that he was unable to do that.
Her whole family will be dishonored by this.
Her father had the legal right to have her stoned to death.
*****ADD THIS TO HOW TO THINK OF JOSEPH.This made it necessary for a father to guard the virginity of his daughters so that he could see them safely married. A family’s honor thus depended on the patriarch’s ability to control the sexual activity of his female dependents, including wives, daughters, and unmarried sisters (Yee, “Hosea,” 301–02).
Old Testament law reflects the significance of male reproductive rights and family honor. For example, imposed a severe penalty on a bride whose husband discovered that she was not a virgin. She was stoned to death because she had besmirched her father’s honor and violated the reproductive rights of her future husband. The adultery prohibition also functioned to guard a husband’s reproductive rights and family honor. If a woman who was either married or betrothed to a husband were to have sex with any other man, both she and the man were put to death (; ; ; ). The story of David and Bathsheba demonstrates the importance of a husband’s reproductive rights (). After David has sex with Bathsheba, her pregnancy threatens to expose him to Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, the man whose rights he has violated. He therefore tries to deceive Uriah, and finally has him killed.
Joseph had the legal right to divorce her.
If she was not stoned to death, having been divorced for adultery would have tarnished her ability to find another husband…since a virgin wife was much more preferred.
This mark will be with her always:
41 “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”
John 4:81
Mary knew all this when she submitted to God to be His vessel to bring the Messiah into the world.
Mary knew all this when she submitted to God to be His vessel to bring the Messiah to the world.
I know we can say that its easy for Mary to submit in this way, she has the luxury of being visited by Gabriel, the angel that stands in the presence of God, who spoke the very words of God.
Don’t we have that same luxury.
Like Mary, don’t we have the very words of God to give us assurance that He will fulfill His promises?
Mary submitted to the will of her God unconditionally. Knowing the horrible consequences that she would face.
Knowing that she was submitting to public disgrace.
The Holman NT Commentator describes it well:
Holman New Testament Commentary: Luke C. Earth Prepares for the Savior (1:26–38)
As pregnancy had lifted Elizabeth’s disgrace it would soon bring the virgin Mary disgrace. Both agreed to do what God required (see v. 25).
Nothing was too great a cost for her to submit.
Nothing was too great for her to submit.
So after studying the text, that’s the question we have to ask ourselves today.
So that’s the question we have to ask today.
Is there a consequence that is too great for us to submit to the will of God?
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 6125 The Path I Feared
The Path I Feared
I said, “Let me walk in the field.”
He said, “No; walk in the town.”
I said, “There are no flowers there.”
He said, “No flowers, but a crown.”
I said, “But the skies are black,
There is nothing but noise and din.”
And He wept as He sent me back.
“There is more,” He said, “there is sin.”
I said, “But the air is thick
And fogs are veiling the sun.”
He answered, “Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone.”
I said, “I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say.”
He answered, “Choose tonight
If I am to miss you, or they.”
I pleaded for time to be given.
He said, “Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide.”
I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town;
I said: “My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?”
Then into His hand went mine;
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see.
***PRAY***
Jocelyn McWhirter, “Marriage,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).****Then go into detail about Joseph’s royal line and Mary’s for that matter.
***Consider the fact I may not be able to unpack all of the prophecy behind the announcement of the Messiah.
***Something to really consider is that Mary will know this is the Messiah by the prophecy being fulfilled in this announcement.
****VERY SIGNIFICANT TO WHY MARY WAS SO WILLING AND SO UNAFRAID WHEN GABRIEL SHOWED UP. BOTH HER AND JOSEPH WERE OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID. PERHAPS THIS WAS AN EXPECTATION OF HERS. PERHAPS EVERY MEMBER OF THAT FAMILY THOUGHT THEIR NEXT CHILD WOULD BE THE ONE.