Category: New Testament
Scriptures:
Luke 1:26-1:38
Luke 1:26-1:38
26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.
30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and will call his name ‘Jesus.’
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.
36 Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”
38 Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.
Commentary
The story of the Annunciation to Mary is one of the best known stories of the Bible, being told and re-told countless times in Churches around the world. It has also been represented many times in Christian art down the centuries.
The opening sentence of the text tells us that the angel Gabriel is sent by God to a specific place and to a specific person at a specific time. What this means is that when the Lord intervenes in our lives and approaches us, he does so at the right time, place and in the circumstances of his choosing.
The first words of the angel to Mary deserve our attention. First, he tells her to ‘Rejoice!’ Mary does exactly that in her great prayer of the Magnificat when her spirit ‘rejoices in God my Saviour’ in the presence of Elizabeth. God asks that despite ongoing trials, worries and imperfections, that we rejoice when our lives are united with Him. That is why the angel asks her to rejoice, because the reason for her joy is that ‘the Lord is with you’.
Another reason why Mary is asked to rejoice is that God favors her. It is interesting to note in the Bible how equality is important but is trumped by the concept of election. People are chosen – not because they are loved more than others but because God has plans for them that involve the salvation and inclusion of others.
Luke then reveals that the angel’s words terrified Mary, but why was she terrified? It was not the angel's appearance but the words used by Gabriel, which would have been known to Mary. As a Jewish girl she would have recognized those words as similar to those spoken by God to Abraham and Moses as they were being asked to respond to a major calling. Hence she naturally had trepidation in learning that something big was about to be asked of her.
Then the angel revealed to Mary who her child would be. He did not describe who the child was going to accomplish, but rather who he was. His name, Yeshua, meant the one who saves. He was from the line of David and would be son of God. And as Saviour, his victory would not be overturned – it would be for all time and places.
When Mary asks the angel: ‘But how can this come about since I am a virgin?’ When we are approached by God and sense a calling and a demand of us, we also can have feelings of fear, disorientation and understandably seek reassurance before we say yes. But there can never be cast iron assurances when it comes to the future that can only be know by God alone. And so, in the face of uncertainties we must give our ‘Yes’ to God as did Mary, because ‘nothing is impossible to God’.
Then comes Mary response. ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done on to me according to your Word’. With these words, Mary reveals what is in her heart. Even though she does not fully understand the implications of her ‘Yes’, she will still give it because she is God’s handmaid and servant. Although she does not see how things will turn out, she trusts God totally and lovingly submits herself to God’s Word and His will.