When we want to do something which we think is important and will have a major impact on the world, we try to enlist the help and support of the wealthy, the powerful and the influential. But God works differently. The prophet Isaiah wrote, ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV) And so, when it came time to bring the Savior into the world, God did it in a way which no one expected. He did not cause the Savior to be born in the palace of the Roman Emperor. He did not have the Savior raised in the house of a famous philosopher. He did not enlist the help of a wealthy banker or merchant. Instead, God selected a poor, young peasant girl from an obscure village to play a crucial role in His plan to redeem mankind from sin.
In chapter 1, verses 26 through 38 of his inspired Gospel, Luke tells us what God did, “Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘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. There will be no end to his Kingdom.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?” 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. 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. For nothing spoken by God is impossible.” Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”
It is no wonder that Mary was greatly troubled by the angel’s greeting. In normal circumstances a Jewish woman would have been delighted by the news that she would give birth to a son. But these were not normal circumstances. Though Mary was engaged to be married, the wedding had not taken place. Bearing a child before the wedding would be a betrayal of Joseph, her betrothed. It would break the vows she had made to him. It would dishonor her family name. It would set all the tongues in the village wagging and ruin her reputation. So, how was this news an indication that she had found favor with God? How could the angel say that the Lord was with her? From a human point of view it seemed like her life was about to be ruined.
Then, there was the practical aspect of the situation. Virgins don’t bear children. It is worth noting that Mary did not doubt what the angel said – she was merely confused about how it would be fulfilled. The angel assured Mary that God, the Creator, is not bound by the normal methods of reproduction. The child would be conceived by the power of God. In a sense, every child is conceived by the power of God for it is God who gives life. Yet, Mary’s situation was different in that no man was involved. God’s Holy Spirit would place the child in her womb though she was a virgin. Since God’s Spirit is holy, the child would also be holy. Since no man fathered the child, he would be called the ‘Son of God’.
But who is this child which would be born? The angel instructed Mary to give him the name ‘Jesus’. This is the Greek pronunciation of the Hebrew name ‘Joshua’ which means, ‘Jehovah saves’. This was a clear indication that this child would be the Savior which the Jewish prophets had long promised. The angel of the Lord explained it this way to Mary’s fiancé, Joseph, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 NIV)
Not only would the child become the Savior, he would be ‘great’. The angel did not elaborate what this means. However, in another place we read, “…God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 NIV) To put it another way, there is no one who is greater than the child Mary bore.
The angel told Mary that Jesus would be called ‘the Son of the Most High’. Aside from the fact that Jesus had no physical father, there is another reason Jesus is the Son of God. He shares the same character as God. Scripture says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” (Colossians 2:9 NIV) Because of this Jesus would later say, “…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9 NIV)
Not only is Jesus the Son of God, He is also the ‘son of David’. Scripture provides two different genealogies for Jesus. Scholars believe that one of them traces Jesus’ legal lineage while the other gives His actual line of descent. The important thing is that both genealogies trace Jesus’ ancestry back to King David. In both cases Jesus is the heir of King David.
For hundreds of years the Jewish prophets proclaimed that God would enthrone an heir of King David who would reign over Israel forever. For example the prophet Isaiah writes, “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7 NIV) The angel told Mary that her son would be the fulfillment of these prophecies.
Mary humbly submitted herself to God’s will. She believed and accepted what the angel told her even though she would have to face gossip, the loss of her reputation and possibly the loss of her marriage. Should we be any less willing to accept who her child is?
Even though Mary submitted to God’s will, it left her in a terrible position. How could she possibly explain her pregnancy? Who would believe her? How could she face Joseph? There was only one person she could talk to – her aged relative Elizabeth who also was pregnant. Mary hurried to visit her. If you would like to know more, listen to our next program.