Luke 1:26-38
Notes
Transcript
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will 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 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” 35 The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 “See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
This is a story of God's grace and power being at work.
God's choice of Mary is often something that ends in some traditions with Mary being venerated, as almost God like herself. Don't get me wrong, Mary is clearly an incredible woman (whick we will get into later), however, this story is more about God's Grace and power than it is about human choices.
In one sense this story is as different from the preceding story as a young virgin differs from an old couple advanced in years. However, the reader is most aware of how closely parallel the two accounts are.
The two storys are run in parrell and give us great insight into what God is doing at this moment.
Often when we look at this passage, we focus on the obvious differences between Zachariah and Mary, particularly in their response to Gabriel, but this morning I want to do something different and focus more upon what God is doing in this moment.
Both these stories are of God’s initiative of grace and power: of grace in that what is soon to happen will express God’s favor toward the world; of power in that God can work through the unable, an old couple and an unmarried girl.
Elizabeth and Mary will have sons because God is able; they will have sons for our sake because God is gracious. The word of God’s grace and power in both cases comes through the same messenger, Gabriel.
These two storie, of Mary and Zachariah make explicit what was already implicit in the narrative—namely, the real needs here are not those of Mary or even of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Israel is estranged from God, under alien rule, oppressed. God’s covenant with his people has not been realized fully. Hence, God is intervening in human history to bring forth an everlasting kingdom. In doing so, he solicits and embraces the partnership of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary—themselves Israelites and representative in their own ways of the people of Israel.
Mary Chosen by God's Grace.
Mary Chosen by God's Grace.
Throughout chapters 1–2, Mary is portrayed as favored of God (v. 30), thoughtful (v. 29; 2:19, 51), obedient (v. 38), believing (v. 45), worshipful (v. 46), and devoted to Jewish law and piety (2:22–51).
Luke names her in the company of believers when the church began
14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Charles H. Talbert, Lukan scholar, argues Mary is presented as the ideal Christian and is too much neglected in the Protestant Church (Charles H. Talbert, Reading Luke, pp. 22–26).
We are tempted to down play her significance due to the Catholic veneration of Mary but she is clearly an amazing woman.
However, we must be careful to notice that none of her qualities is offered as the reason God chose her; that reason lies tucked away in the purposes of God.
It wasn't because she was a super believer that God shose her, his purposes are his alone, and we know that it is through and by grace that God acts.
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
God has done this amazing thing!
He choose an unwed teenager from Galilee!
He choose to bestoy his grace upon Mary
Related to this point, in the unsepected choice of Mary, is the contrast with Zechariah. The devout, divinely chosen priest Zechariah responds to Gabriel’s words with hesitation rooted in unbelief.
Mary, on the other hand, though she is only a young girl, embraces God’s plan, proclaiming herself as God’s servant. These points of dissimilarity bespeak something profound about the focus of God’s redemptive initiative in the Third Gospel, and portend the joy with which “the little people” will receive divine favor. We see this later in the chapter in, Mary's song which we looked at last week.
His choice tells us that he picks the most unlikely, the overlooked and forgotten. They have a role to play in his sotry of salvation for the world.
Think about the heros in our movies, we often struggle to find ourselves represented. Here is someone being chosen that shows that God can use anyone!
Who are the people you lease suspect. God can use them, he can use you. (Talk about Grampy)
God is at work in the people we least suspect!
Another difference in the narrative that tells us something of what God is doing in this moment is the places where the encounters take place.
Zechariah’s encounter with Gabriel takes place at the center of the Jewish world, the Holy Place, only a veiled doorway from the presence of God’s glory.
But Gabriel travels to Mary, far away from the temple mount in Jerusalem, to Nazareth in Galilee—insignificant, despised, unclean.
God is at work in the places that we least suspect!
Where are places that you least suspect God to be at work.
God's grace and power are evident in this passage.