Mary, although a poor, unknown Jewish girl, was chosen by God to bear the Messiah. In this account, we have Gabriel’s message to her concerning the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
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Gabriel’s Visit To Mary
Luke 1:26-38
This morning we are going to be studying the account of the greatest message ever given to a human being. There is nothing more significant in the history of the world than God actually becoming a man for the purpose of saving mankind. And can there be any message more stunning and more tremendous than to hear that you will be the one who will bring that person into the world?
Last week we studied the story of how an angel named Gabriel appeared to Zacharias while he was ministering in the temple, and told him that, in spite of the fact that he and his wife were old, advanced in years and barren, God had decided that Elizabeth would bear a son. They were to call his name John. He would be great in the sight of the Lord as evidenced by his complete consecration to the Lord, including his choice not to drink wine or liquor, and as evidenced by the Holy Spirit filling him even when he was in his mother’s womb. He would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and would turn back the hearts of multitudes to the Lord their God. In the process, John would make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Well, instead of believing the message of the angel, and rejoicing, Zacharias asks Gabriel how he can know this for certain. In other words, he wants a sign. He wants some proof, that this will actually come to pass. Instead of focusing on the Lord and His promise, he focuses on himself and his wife and their inability. In response, Gabriel brings swift judgment upon Zacharias, making him deaf and mute until the baby is born. About this time, Elizabeth became pregnant, and the word of the Lord was fulfilled. Now, having announced the birth of John the Baptist, this same angel, Gabriel reappears to another woman to announce the birth of another son.
In this passage we have Gabriel’s Salutation, Information, Explanation, and Attestation. Then, in response, we have Mary’s Resignation.
1. Gabriel’s Salutation 1:26-30
The Messenger
We discover in verse 26 that the messenger was no other than the angel Gabriel. In fact, the word “angel” actually means messenger. There are only two angels in all of the Bible that are ever named – Michael and Gabriel. Michael is a warrior angel, and Gabriel is a messenger angel. It appears that God had given Gabriel the responsibility of delivering the messages related to the birth of Jesus Christ. 500 years previously, this same angel had delivered a message to Daniel, telling him that in 483 years from the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, Messiah the Prince would come. Then this same angel came to an elderly priest in the temple and told him that his elderly wife was going to bear a son would prepare the way for the Lord. Now, this same angel has come to tell Mary that she will bring God’s Son into the world. My hunch is that it was also Gabriel who appeared to Joseph in Matthew chapter 1 and told him not to divorce Mary, but to take her as his wife, because the child that was conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. In that passage, the angel’s name is not given, but it would be consistent for this angel to be Gabriel, for, after all, he does seem to be entrusted with the details surrounding bring Christ into the world. Later we find an angel appearing to some shepherds out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night. It is also my hunch that this was also Gabriel, for this angel told them, “today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Oh, what a blessed privilege was given to Gabriel. He of all the millions of angels was given the privilege of announcing to humans that God was visiting His creation in order to save it!
The Time
Verse 26 tells us that Gabriel came “in the sixth month.” The sixth month of what? The context tells us that it was in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Elizabeth had kept herself in seclusion for five months after becoming pregnant. No doubt, she knew that if she went out into her social circles, she would end up telling her friends and relatives the wonderful news that she was going to have a son. And, no doubt, these same friends and relatives would have thought that she had lost her mind. So, rather than do that, Elizabeth just kept herself in seclusion until it was very apparent to all that she was actually pregnant by her bulging belly. But, since Elizabeth had kept herself in seclusion, none of her family or friends knew that she was pregnant. Certainly, Mary had never heard this wonderful news. Even though Elizabeth had kept the news a secret, Gabriel spilled the beans (1:36).
The Place
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth” (1:26). Notice, that Gabriel was sent from God. In verse 19 Gabriel told Zacharias, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.” Gabriel had the unspeakable privilege of coming directly into the presence of the Most High and receiving orders from Him. He had been dispatched from the presence of God to deliver a message to Zacharias, and now He has come from the presence of God to deliver a message to Mary.
Where did he come to? Our text tells us it was to a city in Galilee called Nazareth. Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee. Later in John 1 we will find Nathanael asking Phillip, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” suggesting that Nazareth was despised by the Jews at that time. What a contrast! Six months earlier when Gabriel came, he went to Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. Now he comes to a lowly, obscure village. Then he came into the temple, into the Holy Place, to the right of the golden altar of incense. Now he comes into a humble home. Then he came to a man who was a priest. Now he comes to a girl who is unknown in the world. All of this teaches us that Jesus’ first coming was to be a coming of humiliation. He was to be conceived in the womb of a poor, unknown peasant girl in an obscure village in Galilee. It would have been condescension if Jesus had come into the world as a king to reign. Instead he comes into a poor family to be a servant. Truly, Jesus is meek and lowly in heart, and His followers will be the same.
The Recipient
Who was the recipient of this mighty angel’s message? Verse 27 says, “to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” We are told four things about Mary in this passage. We are told that she was a virgin, that she was engaged to Joseph, that she was a descendant of David, and that her name was Mary.
The most important of the four pieces of information is that she was a virgin. The prophet Isaiah had said in Is. 7:14, “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.” Now, why was it important for Mary to be a virgin? I’m going to step out on a limb and suggest a couple of things. I don’t know that I can prove these assertions, so you be Bereans and examine the Scriptures to see whether these things are so. My first suggestion as to why Jesus had to be born of a virgin is so that he would not inherit Adam’s guilt. Adam did not sin merely as an individual, but as the Head and Representative of all those born of him. When Adam sinned, he not only brought a curse upon himself, but on all of his descendants. Since he represented us, his sin is counted for our sin. We know this must be true, because unborn babies, and infants die, although they have never made a conscious decision to sin. If the wages of sin is death, why do unborn babies and infants die, even though they haven’t committed sin of their own? The answer must be that they have inherited Adam’s guilt. Thus, if Jesus had come into the world in the normal way, He must have been born under a sentence of condemnation and would have needed a Savior Himself.
The second reason Jesus had to be born of a virgin is so that he would not inherit Adam’s corruption. When Adam fell, he became corrupt in every member of his body and every faculty of his soul. Furthermore, when he fathered a child, that child was born in his own likeness, not in the likeness of God as Adam had been created. And so has it been ever since. Sinful parents have given birth to sinful children. If Jesus had come into the world in the ordinary way, no doubt he would have inherited a corrupt nature as all other men have. However, because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that chain was broken, and He was able to enter the world without sin. If Jesus had come into the world with a sinful nature, he could not have been the Lamb without spot or blemish. He must be without sin Himself, if He is to take away the sins of others.
We also learn from the narrative that Mary was “engaged” to Joseph. Actually, the word in the original is “betrothed.” In first century Jewish culture it was common for the parents to arrange the marriages of their children. If two sets of parents were friends and in the same social strata they might decide that they would like their children to marry. Now when that decision was made the children might be only two or three years old, but already the decision had been made. Then later, when the actual marriage was a year away, these two individuals would be betrothed. It was like our engagement, only it was much more binding. In fact, they couldn’t just break off their engagement. They had to get a legal divorce to separate during the betrothal period. During the betrothal period, the young man and woman were legally married, although they did not consummate the marriage. Then, after a year’s time in which the young man would be building a home for them, he would come and marry his betrothed so that she would live with him. At the time the angel appeared to Mary, she and Joseph were betrothed, and thus legally married, although they had not come together sexually as husband and wife.
We also learn that Mary is of the house and lineage of David. This will become important later when we read that her son will be given the throne of His father David. There is a prophecy in 2 Samuel 7:12 in which God says to David, “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.” Jesus is that descendant of David.
The Salutation
In verse 28 Gabriel says to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Now, you have to admit, that this would be a strange greeting. You might think Gabriel would say, “Hello Mary. You don’t know me, but I know you. You see, I’m an angel, and I have been sent from God to give you the most wonderful message. In fact, you don’t know this, but you are favored highly by God, and He is with you.” No, old Gabriel just cuts right to the chase and says, “Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you.” It is interesting that the Lord’s favor to Mary is emphasized, because again in verse 30 Gabriel reiterates, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” The word is “charis” which means grace. God’s favor and grace were richly upon Mary. That’s how God was with her. Why was Mary so highly favored? Because she was chosen out of the millions of girls who had ever lived to be the one through whom God would enter the world as a man.
The Response
How did Mary respond to this odd greeting? The text says that was very perplexed and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. Mary was part of the fallen race of mankind, and as such was a sinner herself. No doubt she was wondering why this heavenly being would appear to her, and tell her that she was specially favored by God and that God was with her in a special sense. It just didn’t’ make sense to her, and frightened her.
Now, having seen Gabriel’s Salutation, let’s look at Gabriel’s Information.
2. Gabriel’s Information 1:31-33
Mary Will Conceive And Bear A Son
Not only was the conception of a son miraculous for Mary because she was a virgin, but the identity of this son and what He would do is equally remarkable. In the words of Gabriel here, we have in miniature the whole broad sweeping truth concerning the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
The Person Of Christ
His Humanity: Who would this son be? Well, the text says “you will conceive in your womb and you will bear a son.” All of this tells us surely, that this son would be Mary’s son. He would come forth from her. He would share her genes and chromosomes. He would look like her, and perhaps share some of her personality traits. In every way, this son would be human, born from Mary. Did you know that the humanity of Jesus Christ is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith? 1 John 4:1-2 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” If Jesus were not a real human being, He could not be our Head and Representative as Adam was. Just as Adam fell, and we inherit his guilt and corruption, so Christ succeeded, and we inherit His righteousness and life. Man fell; man must come and undo what the first man did and restore us to our lost condition. Therefore, Jesus got hungry. He got thirsty. He got tired and needed to sleep. He suffered. He bled. He died. He was true man.
His Deity: Not only is Jesus true Man, He is also very God. How do we know this? Notice how Gabriel identifies Him. Verse 32 says, “He will be called the Son of the Most High.” What does the expression “Most High” refer to? It’s very simple. It refers to the One who is higher than every other. It refers to God as the Sovereign of the universe. He is the Supreme Ruler. His decisions cannot be questioned or thwarted by anyone. The term “Most High” is a very common title for God. In fact Gabriel uses it again in verse 35, “the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Zacharias uses it when he prophesies about John in Luke 1:76, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High.” Gabriel is telling Mary that Jesus will be called the Son of God. And that is exactly what he says in verse 35, “the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
A son shares the same nature with his father. A pig does not share the same nature with a cow. A horse does not share the same nature with a toad. But father and son share the same essential nature. Gabriel is telling Mary that the One she would bring into the world will be none other than the Son of God and God the Son! Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” Notice that Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature. He is the visible mirror image of God. He is God become flesh. He is not Michael the archangel. He is not the spirit brother of Lucifer. He is not merely a prophet. He is not simply a good religious leader. Jesus is God the Son.
The Work Of Christ
His Righteous Life: Verse 32 tells us, “He will be great.” We are told that John the Baptist would be great in the sight of the Lord. However, John’s greatness cannot even begin to compare with Jesus’ greatness! His greatness is seen in His inherent spotless holiness. Notice verse 35, “and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” Gabriel told Mary something about her son that could never be said of any other child. Jesus was the holy Child. Friends, your little beautiful baby is not a holy Child. Your little boy or little girl is a sinner, fallen in Adam. This baby to be born will be holy from conception, holy at birth, holy in his childhood years, and holy throughout his entire life. Imagine having a child to whom you never have to say, “Why didn’t you clean your room when I told you to?” or “Stop teasing your sister.” Imagine having a child who never disobeyed, who never got an attitude, who was never stingy, or selfish, or unkind. We can’t even conceive of such a child! But Jesus was that child. He is “holy, harmless, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” He knew no sin. He could say to the religious leaders, “Which one of you convicts Me of sin?” Now, don’t you try that one out. You may just get a bunch of people raising their hands. And the beautiful thing is that He lived His righteous life for us, so that He could credit us with having lived the very life that He lived!
His Saving Death: The angel said in verse 31, “you shall name Him Jesus.” The name Jesus means “Jehovah saves.” This tells us two things. First, it tells us that He is Jehovah. Second it tells us that He came into the world to save sinners. And that shouldn’t surprise us because 1 Tim. 1:15 says, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” That was His primary mission. He did a lot of other things while He lived among us. He healed the sick, He cast out demons, He preached, He performed miracles, He raised the dead. But the overarching purpose for which He came was to “save.” He came to rescue sinners who were in danger of eternal damnation. He came to remove God’s wrath from them. He came to justify those who were condemned. And of course, we know that the way He accomplished all of this was through His substitutionary, sacrificial atoning death upon Calvary. This child would live a righteous life, and die a saving death.
His Glorious Reign: Not only will this One be holy, not only will He be the Savior, but He will also be a King. “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” (1:32-33). It is said of Jesus in Isaiah 9:7, “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.” I believe we are intended to understand David’s throne in a figurative sense. David’s literal throne is no longer present. It has disintegrated long ago. Just as David was himself a type of Christ, so David’s throne is also typical for the throne that Jesus Christ now occupies at the right hand of God. Peter explains how Jesus has been given David’s throne in Acts 2:29-31, “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to Him with an oath to seat one of His descendants on His throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ.” Peter says that Jesus ascended David’s throne upon His resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand. Just as Jesus has been raised and has ascended to take His rightful throne over His spiritual kingdom, made up of the true Israel of God, so He shall remain the King on that throne forever, world without end. We never need to worry that a rival will somehow usurp His authority and pull Him down from His throne. He will reign forever!
3. Gabriel’s Explanation 1:34-35
Mary’s Question
Mary asks Gabriel in verse 34, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Her question was completely different from Zacharias’ question. Zacharias did not believe the word of the angel and was judged with muteness and deafness. Mary did believe the word of the angel as we find Elizabeth saying in 1:45, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” Her faith resulted not in judgment, but an explanation from the angel. Mary was not asking out of a doubting, questioning, sign-seeking spirit. She was asking because she wanted to understand how this would happen. Put yourself in her situation, you ladies. You are a girl of 13-16 years old. You’ve never been intimate with a man, and all of a sudden someone shows up and says you are going to get pregnant and bring the Son of God into the world. Pretty hard to swallow, huh? This is absolutely humanly impossible. And so Gabriel condescends, and tries to help her understand how this will take place.
Gabriel’s Answer
Gabriel’s answer is shrouded in mystery. He said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” That’s it. Mary asks, “How can this happen?” He answers, “The Holy Spirit will make it happen.” We can’t really go any deeper than that. In some mysterious, inscrutable way, the Holy Spirit came upon and overshadowed Mary so that she became pregnant with the Son of God.
4. Gabriel’s Attestation 1:36-37
Zacharias asked for a sign because of his unbelief and he was judged. Mary didn’t need a sign because she believed, but a sign was given her. Gabriel directs Mary to her relative Elizabeth and says that she has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. Why did Gabriel tell Mary that? When Mary went to visit Elizabeth and found out that it was exactly as Gabriel had said, it would confirm to her that the message he had given her would also come true. Wasn’t that kind of the Lord? He wanted to confirm and attest to the message of the angel, and so he told her of another miracle, so that when she found out she could trust the word of Gabriel concerning Elizabeth, she could know she could trust the word of Gabriel concerning her own child.
5. Mary’s Resignation 1:38
We find Mary’s resignation in two ways: she realized she was the Lord’s slave, and she resigned herself to the Lord’s Word.
She Realized She Was The Lord’s Slave
“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord.” Mary knew something that many Christians don’t get. She knew that she was the bondslave of the Lord. It was not her place to command God, and to tell Him what to do. No, the place of a bondslave is to humbly accept and obey the will of her master. That’s exactly what we find Mary doing here.
She Resigned Herself To The Lord’s Word
“May it be done to me according to your word.” We read those words and it doesn’t land on us, like it would have landed on Mary. Think about it. If the becomes pregnant while she is betrothed, people are going to talk. They are going to think she has been fornicating. It’s going to be embarrassing. Not only that, but this could place her marriage to Joseph in great jeopardy. He’s never going to understand when she tells him what has happened. In fact, that’s exactly what happened. Joseph was going to divorce her privately, no doubt assuming that she had been unfaithful to him, until the angel appeared to him and explained the situation. And not only that, but according to Deut. 22:23-24 if she were to be convicted of fornication, she and her partner were to be stoned to death. Mary was putting her reputation, her marriage, and her life on the line when he resigned herself to God’s will. Now don’t get the idea that God was asking her to do something strange and out of the ordinary. This is exactly what the Lord requires of every disciple? The Lord says we must hate our dearest relatives and our own life, carry our cross, and give up all our own possessions if we are to be His disciples (Luke 14:25-33). We must put our reputation, our relationships, and our own life on the line to follow Jesus.
Life Application
You may be thinking that Mary had such a glorious privilege. Surely she is unique among all God’s children. In one sense, yes, that’s correct. But in another sense, all of God’s children can enjoy an even greater blessing. In Luke 11:27-28 the Bible says, “While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Did you hear that?! The truly blessed person is not Mary, but the one who hears the word of God and does it. That comes from the lips of Jesus Himself!
Furthermore, just as Mary had the unspeakable privilege of bearing in her own womb the very Son of God, the Scriptures teach that in a spiritual sense all believers have that privilege. Paul says to the Galatians, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). Paul speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col.1:27). He also speaks of “Christ dwelling in our hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17). Just as Mary had the privilege of Christ being formed in her, so in a spiritual sense in every true believer Christ is being formed in us. He is in us, dwelling in our hearts by faith. Just as Mary was the favored one, so are you, if you are in Christ! Oh, the Christian life is a supernatural life! Jesus, alive from the dead, is living in you! You are more blessed than Mary if you hear His word and do it. Let these rich promises cause you to hear and observe His word, and prize His indwelling presence!
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