He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." And, in Isaiah 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." Then, in Psalm 2, the psalmist writes "I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You."
Let's look at verse 26, where the miraculous story begins, "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth." The first thing I want you to notice, is this the second time that Gabriel appears in this chapter. As we noted several times, there had been no angelic activity in over 400 years, until Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the temple and announced to him that his barren wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son, chosen by God to be the forerunner of the Messiah. Why does Luke mention this seemingly insignificant detail? To let us know that the promise of God, delivered to Zachariah by the angel Gabriel came true.
Now that Elizabeth is in her sixth month of pregnancy, Gabriel, the holy messenger comes back down from heaven, he's been dispatched by God Himself to bring a divine message to a city in Galilee called Nazareth. By the way, calling Nazareth a city, with only a few thousand people at the most, is a far stretch of anyone's imagination, but the Greeks didn't actually have a word for town, so it got called a city. Ancient Nazareth was a small, little obscure village, located in Galilee, the only thing that makes Nazareth significant is that is its connection to Jesus, it's where Mary lived and Jesus grew up.
Verse 27, "To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary." It is astonishing to think that God would choose Nazareth out of all the places He could have chose from all the world to send His divine messenger, the angel Gabriel, to tell an ordinary Jewish girl, a confirmed virgin, whose name was Mary, out of all the young women He could have chosen from, that she is going to give birth to the Son of the Most High God. The word "parthénos" describes a young girl who is beyond puberty and has never had sexual relations with anyone. According to Roman law, the minimum age of ten years was fixed for girls to become betrothed, a legally binding relationship arranged by parents and the marriage had to take place within two years of the betrothal; twelve was designated as the official age of female puberty. For boys, it was fourteen because they tend to develop slower. They did not live together during the betrothal period and there was no sexual relationship to guarantee their virginity. So, when Scripture says that Mary was a virgin, that's exactly what it means. During that same period of time the boy would prepare a home for her, typically an addition to his father's house. The name of the boy to whom Mary was betrothed was Joseph, a descendant of David, the royal bloodline through whom the Messiah would come. Even though Joseph was not His biological father, this was important because Joseph was His father legally. Mary was also David's descendant. Between the two of them, they gave Jesus' royal heritage in every sense, through blood by birth and legally by right.
Verse 28, "And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." By the way, I want to clear up an error that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary is full of grace, and the implication is that she is able to give that grace to others, that's not what the original text says, the verb "charitoó," means receiver, that Mary being favored by God, is the recipient of much grace, not the source of it. She cannot bestow grace to anyone, she cannot hear or answer anybody's prayers of petition, nor can Peter, John or any other glorified saint. They were all sinners who were the recipients of God's grace, just like you and me, and every other person who receives grace. I can't give anybody grace, I can't forgive anybody's sins, I can only offer them the opportunity to receive the grace and forgiveness that God alone gives through the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, Jesus makes it abundantly clear there was no special commendation for Mary in Luke 11, when 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."
And, in Matthew 12, He said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."
It's interesting that nothing more is said about what time of day it was or what Mary was doing when the angel Gabriel shows up. Before we continue, allow me to point out what I believe is an obvious observation, that Mary's being favored by God did not maker her extremely wealthy, it didn't elevate her beyond being highly honored as the chosen mother to give birth to the Savior, her willingness to submit to God's plan would cost her dearly as God's servant, she would also watch him die as her Savior, as He hung on a cross for her sins. No wonder Jesus says you better count the cost of being His disciple, less you not be able to finish what you've started.
Verse 29, "But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was." If you remember when the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah, he was was troubled and fear fell upon him, but she was very perplexed, it's the Greek verb "diatarássō," greatly disturbed, going back and forth intensely in her mind between her thoughts and emotions, she's confused, wondering what kind of greeting this was. Why is she confused? Because she knew what ever sinner knows, she was unworthy of receiving anything from God except judgment. By the way, that is the proper attitude of every true believer! In Matthew 5, Jesus says "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I am appalled by the attitude of many professing Christians, unwilling to recognize their spiritual condition, flaunting their unrighteousness. Humility may not popular in the church today, but Scripture is very clear, nobody will ever enter God’s kingdom on the basis of pride. You better learn now to recognize the wretchedness of your soul and your utter inability to do anything about it. The Good News is God is willing to forgive your sin, if you're willing to come to Him in true repentance. If there's no repentance, no turning away from sin, as God defines it, there is no salvation and you're headed for judgment and damnation. Tragically, the gospel of repentance has fallen on hard times, it's become politically incorrect to tell people the Truth, we might offend them, I'll tell you this, I'd rather offend somebody to heaven than affirm them in Hell.
Verse 30, "And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid," have you ever noticed the appearances of angels always evokes fear in Scripture? Yet, today, everybody’s got his own angel experience, in fact, some people claim to have guardian angels, I don't believe that we can support biblically, unless we loosely interpret passages like Matthew 18:10, which says "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven." Do God's angels watch believers, yes, Scripture is very clear that angels watch the Church of believers, they're ministering spirits. Hebrews 1:14, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" Angels provide, guide and protect believers, doing what God wants them to do, in fact, there’s no question that angels attend to believers in death. Luke 16 says that angels carried Lazarus, the poor man, to Abraham’s bosom, whether or not you can call them a guardian angel depends on how you define it I suppose.
Mary found favor with God, it was nothing she did, it was God's divine choice. Exodus 33:19, says "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious." Surely Mary knew that in finding favor with God, her life would be dramatically changed, but I don't believe she could have been prepared for the suffering and many sacrifices that she would be called to endure for her faithful obedience to the Lord. As much as I love my children, as much joy as they have brought to my life, it is impossible to describe the heartbreak of watching them suffering through something I can't do anything about, I can't begin to imagine the shear pain that Mary must have faced as she watched the child she gave birth to suffer at Calvary.
Verse 31, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus." After Mary learns that God has chosen to be gracious to her, the announcement comes of what the gracious work of God in her life is going to be, that through her a divine child is to be born, a son, and His name shall be Jesus. Mary, like all of us, knew there was only one way for a female to conceive a child and that was through a sexual relationship with a male. In spite of what everybody in our culture who are estranged from God, the transgender community, is claiming today, they've become senseless, wanting to be their own god. Even those with PhD's are espousing what they think is wise in their own mind, rejecting what Scripture clearly teaches is nothing more than evidence of their ignorance, because there is no absolutely scientific way to explain what is going on today is true. You cannot scientifically base someone's gender on a "feeling," that's an issue of a depraved, reprobate mind. Believe me, God did not make a mistake, by only creating two people, one male and one female. I won't belabor the point, I'll just conclude in saying the Bible is its own greatest defense.
Verses 32-33, "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, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of His kingdom." This is a splendid summation of the deity of Christ and exactly why He came into the world, to save people from their sins and that when He returns, He will rule and reign forever and ever in an eternal kingdom! By the way, that's proof He's going to return and there will be an actual kingdom, not just a spiritual one! A Truth that's repeated over and over again throughout Scripture.
Jesus means "the Lord is salvation." It is the fulfillment of an amazing prophesy given to King Ahaz by Isaiah in 735 B.C., when God will be born in a virgin, found in Isaiah 7, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Immanuel means God with us, and refers to the incarnation of Christ. Luke does not specifically refer back to the Isaiah prophecy, but Matthew does when the angel gave Joseph essentially the same message, before they came together in a sexual relationship.
Verse 34, "But Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" To say that she is amazed is an understatement, a confirmed virgin conceiving a child has never happened before, how in the world she became pregnant, it violates everything that she knew to be true about the laws of nature. Scripture promised a virgin conception for the Messiah, the Old Testament prophets prophesied it and that's precisely what happened. The virgin birth has been under an attack by Satan to assault the deity of Christ and Christianity, first by denial and secondly by counterfeit. Satan's strategy has always been to undermine the Truth of God, as far back as the Garden of Eden. Today, he uses false teachers to propagate his damning, destructive lies to attempt to destroy the Gospel and keep people away from saving faith. That's why they like to use John chapter 8, when the woman was caught in the act of adultery and Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones. When everybody was gone, and He was left alone with the woman and said, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you? She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either." This is a satanic deception to make people think that Jesus is so gracious, that He does not condemn sexual sin. What they strategically choose to omit, is where He said to her "Go, and from now on sin no more." Some even use it to claim the reason didn't condemn her for adultery is because He was illegitimate Himself. That is inconsistent with Mary's character, not to mention an out right denial of what Scripture teaches. Mary herself confirmed that she was a virgin without the possibility of misunderstanding.
Every record in Scripture confirms that she was a virgin. But if you can get people to believe that Mary had been unfaithful and Jesus was born of man and not of God, then He couldn't be the Son of God. The purpose of these blasphemous lies, is nothing more than Satan's attack against the nature and deity of Christ. Allow me to point out that Mary didn't stay a virgin after Jesus was born, her and Joseph went on to have other children, in the conventional way. Of course, all Christ rejecters deny what Scripture says. I'll tell you this, Satan has the right interpretation of Scripture and he knows that every word is true. That's why he's has been doing everything he possibly can to either deny it or confuse it. You know what I find fascinating, is that the Bible doesn't even bother with all of that. Mary didn't deny the virgin birth, she wanted to know the method since she was a virgin.
In verse 35, the angel answered her question of how it is going to happen, "The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God." She must have been amazed as she contemplated what the angel told her, she would become pregnant without ever knowing Joseph, knowing is a euphemism for sexual relations. I can't even begin to imagine what she must have been feeling as a descendant of David, the Son of God, created by God, began to grow inside her womb and astonished when He started to kick inside of her until the day His birth came, born with the exact identical nature of God.
If she was amazed, not fully understanding all that it meant that He would one day be King, how much more should we be amazed today at not only His incomprehensible birth, but His life and every Word that He spoke as He preached the Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet discourse, and His death and resurrection, having the fullness of the revelation of the Gospel.
Verse 36, "And behold, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren." Elizabeth becomes a sign for her of a miracle of conception, though not a virgin conception, it was still a miracle that God allowed two old people, beyond the capability of having children, to conceive a child. At six months pregnant, there wouldn't have been any question about the miracle God had already done, as she entered the house of Zachariah and Elizabeth, having been barren all those many years. It's one thing to hear something is going to happen, it's something else to be able to see evidence of it having happened. I believe this was a way to strengthen her faith in what the angel had told her about her own miracle pregnancy.
Verse 37, "For nothing will be impossible with God." I love this verse, it is a tremendous reminder of the limitless power of our Great God! Everything God has done in the past, from creation to the resurrection proves it. Jeremiah 32:17 says, "Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You." What a privilege it is to serve the God who can do anything, whose power knows no limit!
That brings us to verse 38, "And Mary said, "Behold, the slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her." Notice Mary uses the word slave, or "doúlos," referring to someone who is under the ownership of another, without any rights of their own. The importance of this is that Mary doesn't see herself as somebody special but a slave to God, she is acknowledging her submission to the unfolding purposes and plans of God, which she views as her service to God, no matter what the risk. She doesn't ask who is going to explain this to Joseph or to her parents, or to anyone that sees her. She just says "Do what You want, Lord, I'm Your slave, I trust You to take care of all the details."
What a stark contrast to the professed followers of Christ today, who have trusted the deceptive words of Satan! Habitually living in sin, lying, cheating and stealing, practicing every kind of filthiness, committing sexually immoral acts, some that does not exist even among unbelievers and even flaunting it in God's face, putting gay pride and transgender flags all over His Church, without any regard for the consequences, as if to boast, "I know what You've said, but I'm not going to listen to You. I'm going to do what I've always done!" All while claiming to be saved, making a mockery of Christ's sacrifice, and, it's becoming worse every day with the immense pressure of the federal government to protect pro abortionists and the LGTBQIA2+ community, even humanizing pedophiles, redefining them as "minor-attracted persons,"because the term pedophile has become demonizing ... and only God what else as new identity categories continue to emerge, none of which are true.
In our liberated, modern corrupted culture, the concept of submission and acknowledging the designated positions of headship and authority, whether it's wives to husbands, husbands to wives or children to parents, employee to employer or the congregation to church leadership is not only unpopular, it conjures up intellectual arguments, dismissing the Bible as outdated in its principles, primitive in it's thinking. If you're going to claim to belong to Christ, than it's crucial to understand that your salvation separates you from the rest of the world, and you can no longer afford to walk like everybody else walks. You need to make up your mind which side you want to be on, imitators of Satan, making you a child of God's wrath, or imitators of God, making you a child of His grace. There is no middle of the road.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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