Luke 1:26-33 (NIV) In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Luke is always quite precise about his dates. He can be, because he researched carefully everything that he included in his gospel. Six months after Elizabeth conceived John, Gabriel appeared again, this time to Mary to announce the conception of Jesus.
Luke is careful to point out that Mary was both a virgin and engaged, which would make the guarding of her virginity even more vital, since her wedding night was approaching, and there would be strong negative consequences if Joseph did not find her to be a virgin.
Joseph was a descendant of King David, as well as being a completely righteous man (Matthew 1:19). Mary herself was a devout and righteous young woman and, just like God had chosen Zechariah and Elizabeth to be the parents of John, He chose Mary to give birth to Jesus, and Joseph to be His earthly father, tasked with guiding Him, teaching Him, and protecting Him.
Gabriel’s greeting, which made Mary wonder what exactly was going on, was actually very straight forward. Mary was indeed highly favored, because she had been chosen to be the instrument through which the Son of God would come into the world. And as such, God really was with her, present in her life and in the events that would soon take place in a unique and unprecedented way.
The description of the child that Mary would bear left no doubt as to who He would be. Even His name, Jesus, or Yehoshua in Aramaic, meaning “the Lord is the Savior,” painted a clear picture of what He would accomplish (outlined even more clearly in Matthew 1:21: “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”) The child would also be called the Son of the Most High, which clearly identified His divine origins. He would rule over God’s people, His rule being symbolized by David’s throne, even though Jesus’ kingdom would ultimately extend over the whole world, something that neither David nor any of his successors ever imagined. And finally, Jesus would not be the beginning of a dynasty; He Himself would reign over God’s people forever.
All of these element combined to form a very clear picture in Mary’s mind: the baby that she was going to give birth to was going to be the long-awaited Messiah! People had been waiting for Him for centuries, and the time had finally come. And she was going to be His mother!
Father, the way You do things is amazing. You continually work the plan You have designed until every single element falls into place. You choose exactly the right people to be the key players in Your plan based on their hearts, not on the externals. And those You choose, You bless with Your presence. I praise You today for who You are, and for what You are doing, even now! Amen.