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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 1:26-56 Gabriel's Announcement to Mary 1:26-27 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. Six months after Elizabeth had become pregnant God sent Gabriel to Mary who lived in Nazareth in Galilee. She was a virgin promised in marriage to Joseph who was descendent of King David. At this point Luke introduces us to another important theme in his gospel – for since Joseph was a descendent of David, the child born to Mary would be considered to have come from David’s family line, from which God had promised to raise up a king (Psa. 132:11); and hence Luke identifies Jesus as the child named in Isaiah 9:6-7. 1:28-29 The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. When the angel entered into her house he greeted her by saying "Rejoice! The grace of the Lord is upon you". Mary was not chosen on her merit, as she realised herself in verse 48; it was by grace that God had chosen her. It is important to note, however, that both Joseph and Mary were Godfearing Jews who lived according to God’s commands. These words greatly disturbed Mary for she could understand neither what the angel meant nor why he had appeared to her. 1:30-31 So the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus As in the case of Zachariah, Gabriel reassures Mary that she has found grace in the sight of God. Then he makes known to her the startling news that she would become pregnant and give birth to a son and that he was to be given the name Jesus (or Jeshua) which signifies God’s salvation. This is the name God had identified with the branch that rises out of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1 and Zechariah 6:11-12.
1:32-33 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end." "He shall be great" in every way: in wisdom, power and glory, for he shall be the Son of God. God will give him permanent possession of the throne of his ancestor David (Matt. 1:1 and 1 Kings 2:4) and he will reign over Israel forever; an indication that Israel shall never have another king after him- he is ‘king forever ceasing never over us all to reign.’ 1:34 Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?" Luke is referring back to Isaiah 7:14, where the word ‘virgin’ may in fact refer to any young woman. Luke includes this verse to clarify that Mary was a virgin in the sexual sense - she had never had sexual intercourse with a man; and that is why she could not understand how she could become pregnant. 1:35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. The angel made it quite clear to Mary that her conception would not involve the seed of man. For the Holy Spirit will come upon her, so that the conception would be brought about by the power of the Most High and the child born would be the holy Son of God. What Luke has in mind here is the incarnation, when God became flesh and dwelt among us. This is also the reason why Jesus was without sin: only descendants of Adam were born in sin, Christ came from above. 1:36-37 And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age — although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God. Another important link that Luke makes here is to show how Mary was a relative of Elizabeth (who you will recall came from the family of Aaron, Israel’s first High Priest). This is important because it provides a link between Luke’s portrayal of Christ as a king and as a priestly servant of God. Gabriel tells Mary that Elizabeth is six months pregnant although elderly and barren; for nothing is ever impossible with God (Jer. 32:27). 1:38 So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. Mary humbly submits herself to obey the message from the Lord (I am the Lord’s servant) and confesses her belief in Gabriel's announcement to her. Then the angel left.
Mary's Visit to Elizabeth 1:39-40 In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. After the angel Gabriel had departed from Mary she immediately set out on her journey to visit Elizabeth who lived in the mountainous area of Judea. On entering the house of Zacharias her greeting to Elizabeth had a startling effect.
1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. As soon as Elizabeth heard the greeting the baby leaped in her womb at the voice of Mary who had now conceived the Messiah. Elizabeth herself was filled with the Holy Spirit; presumably because the child in her womb had been filled (John 1:15). 1:42-43 She exclaimed with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? Under this anointing of the Holy Spirit Elizabeth pronounces her benediction on Mary, that she was the most highly honoured among women to be the mother of the blessed baby in her womb. It seemed incredible to Elizabeth that she should share in the privilege accorded to Mary; that the woman whom God had chosen to bear His Son should visit her. Elizabeth acknowledges that the child that Mary carries is her Lord. 1:44 For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Elizabeth mentions that she knew Mary was the mother of her Lord because her baby had jumped for joy within her. Remember, John’s parents had already been told that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled." Concluding her benediction, Elizabeth notes that Mary is greatly blessed because she had believed what the Lord had spoken to her, and his promise would be fulfilled. It is perhaps noteworthy that in Luke’s narrative Mary had not (so far as we can see) yet told Elizabeth about her encounter with Gabriel, giving us the impression that Elizabeth knew the facts of that meeting by the inspiration of the Spirit.
Mary's Song of Praise 1:46-47 And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior." Mary responded with the words ‘My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’ which reveal that she was completely taken up with God at this time of divine influence in her life. She acknowledges God as her Saviour; although at this time she may not have understood this word in the sense Christians have since come to use it. 1:48-49 Because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on all generations will call me blessed. Because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. The salvation Mary speaks of seems to be a reference to how God had chosen her, a woman of low position, for an important task. In the natural Mary may have had very little to rejoice in God about – but now that he had blessed her, she could not stop rejoicing and praising. And what a way to be blessed - to bring forth God’s Son, the Saviour of the world; which is why all generations would call her blessed (not a reference to her position but her privilege). It would not be because of who she is
or what she had done that people would call her blessed, but because of what God whose name is holy has done for her. 1:50 From generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him. Mary knew that she was not alone in being a recipient of God’s mercy. Throughout all time, God shows his compassion and kindness to all those who fear Him; who listen with tender hearts to believe and obey his word, as Mary had done. Through the child Mary would bear, God would reveal his love and mercy for the whole world. 1:51-52 He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position. There is nothing God cannot do, and when he reached out his hand to do something by his mighty power, because he has willed to do it, there is no one who can stop him. The actions of God scatter and humiliate the haughty in spirit, for they do not have the control over their lives which they had thought – their every breath is in the hand of God. Mary exults in that God had not chosen some rich and powerful princess to bear his son, but an ordinary, poor and hard-working maid. It is in the nature of the majestically exalted and yet lowly-hearted God to overthrow mighty kings and instead to lift up the humble (Isaiah 57:15, 66:2; 1 Peter 5:6), supremely by his action of sending his only begotten son into the world, not to a palace but into a lowly family from Nazareth; into the arms of Mary. 1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty. Those who are full do not look to be filled, and the people who consider they have enough do not receive from God. The poor however know that they are in need and are ready to receive. God gives the hungry good food, the kind that is spiritual and eternal (Psa. 34:10 and Psa. 107:8-9) but has sent the rich and complacent away with empty hands. 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Just as Luke has so far sought to place Jesus birth in the context of a believing Jewish family, so Mary also highlights that the promises God had made to them as a people were being fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. Christ was the promised seed who would reconcile men to God. 1:56 So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home. Mary stayed with Elizabeth until the birth of John the Baptist (three months) and might have witnessed John’s birth, although Luke does not make this clear. Since no mention is made of Mary in the rest of chapter one, she might have left just before the birth of John. © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2013 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org