50b An Angel Visits Mary [Luke 1:26–38]
The Bible passage: [Luke 1:26–38]
The Story:
God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this was.
The angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. Listen, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You are to name Him JESUS. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God, and God will give Him the kingdom of David. He will reign over the house of Israel forever. His kingdom will never end.”
Mary asked the angel, “How can this be? I have never been intimate with a man.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. I want you to know about your relative Elizabeth – she has conceived a son in her old age. She was considered to be barren and now she is in her sixth month. Nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May everything you have said come to be.”
Then the angel left her.
The Lessons:
- Mary was chosen because she was known by God to be faithful to Him (or righteous). She would have still been a teenager. We’re told that she was engaged to Joseph. In the Jewish culture, being engaged was a serious commitment. To end an engagement required a formal divorce. At the same time, an engaged couple was not to be sexually intimate until the marriage took place.
- The title Son of God points back to where Isaiah said that He would be Immanuel (which translates to “God with us”). [Isaiah 7:14] Jesus was God in human form.
Next: 50c Mary Visits Elizabeth [Luke 1:39-45]
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