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LUKE - Christ, the Savior of the World
A Bible Study Course on the Gospel of Christ according to Luke
PART 1 - HISTORICAL EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRIST'S BIRTH (Luke 1:5 - 2:52)
2. The Announcement of Jesus Christ's Birth (Luke 1:26-38)
LUKE 1:26-33
26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name ‘Jesus.’ 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”
The name of the city of Nazareth does not appear at all in the Old Testament, for God’s triumph became clear only in the New Testament. The pious Jews called Galilee with contempt “the circuit of backward Gentiles” (Isaiah 9:1). However, God, in his design, intended to reveal his glory in thick darkness. The coming of Christ did not take place in the temple and its clamor, but in a simple house on the outlying areas of the town. Today, the angel of the Lord does not reveal the design of the Holy One only in capitals and churches, but also in village caves and nomad tents. He often finds more obedience of faith among the simple and the lowly than with the clever, rich and religious.
Mary was a virgin of the tribe of David. We do not know much about her past. However, her name signifies in Hebrew “bitterness” or “sorrow”. Her father probably so called her because she did not have a child. He was not aware that God’s promise was revealed from the beginning and that the long-expected Messiah was to be born of a woman and not of a man (Genesis 3:16). Mary was a true woman representing our troubles and sorrows. We all went astray. There is none who does good, no, not one. Christ said, “No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Luke 18:19).
Yet, there is a great difference between Mary and us. Our hearts are hard, whereas her heart was prepared to believe and hear the word of God and to obey his Spirit. Mary took strength from the Scriptures and continued as a pure virgin expecting God’s guidance. She agreed to be betrothed in the city of Nazareth to Joseph, the carpenter who was also a son of the same royal family of King David as she was. Both of them were worthy of participating in God’s promises to this seed (2 Samuel 7:12,14). The angel of God entered into the house of Mary and prepared her to accept the greatest of all miracles, to listen to the word of the Lord, believe it and accept it, for Christ is born only of the word of God in which the Virgin believed.
The first two words of the angel sounded as if the door of heaven was opened wide, for the messenger of God testified peace and grace to the world as a foundation for the New Testament as all the other evangelists did in the beginning of their gospels. Mary was highly favored and chosen by God among all mortal women to bear the Eternal One down her heart. All the blessings of heaven and the fullness of the Godhead centered and dwelt in the baby that was in her body. Christ was not filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb as John the Baptist was, but was in effect God himself with Mary. Until now, God is near to men, but hidden. However, Mary began her powerful new communion with God, which indicates that Christ resides in our hearts through faith.
Mary was not perfect in herself like Christ who spoke with the angels as his ministers, but became troubled and afraid, because the light of God uncovered all her humanity. However she did not speak quickly, but kept silent and thought as quick as lightning of what this wonderful salutation could mean. Would that all humans hear God’s call quickly and consider it prayerfully so that they may receive from the Holy One a more profound and clear answer than they heard at first.
The angel knew the Virgin’s thoughts and confirmed to her that she found favor with the Holy One. She was not the spring of all favors, but God’s favor was made incarnate in her child. This is why the angel told her she should not be afraid of the mighty angel, but should cast away all fear and embrace his grace and love. Mary sought the living God Throughout her life until she received the fruits of her prayers and yearnings.
Mary perfected her trust in God and set her hope completely on grace trusting God’s pure love and holy protection.
Because of her certain faith, the angel revealed to her seven secrets about her coming child:
- That her child would not be a daughter but a son who is known before his birth and a reason for her great joy.
- That his name was Jesus which means “God’s help and salvation” as the sign of the new age.
- That he was great before God not as John was but as a divine person of the Godhead.
- That he is the Son of God in person. God from God. Light from light. True God from the true God. Begotten, not created, in one essence with the Father.
- That he was appointed as a king according to the promises given to David the Psalmist who was anointed with the Spirit of God.
- That Jesus was of David’s seed by right and by descent. Both Mary and Joseph are of royal line and Jesus was a true human from a true human. He was not a ghost or a traveling spirit.
- That the kingdom of Christ is not temporal or earthly like David’s, but spiritual and everlasting as Jesus confessed before Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world… For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:36-37). However, most of the Jews did not want to hear the voice of God, and they crucified their king. Yet, the Lord can make this obstinate people submit to Him so that they kneel before him and worship the one whom they have pierced.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are my King and I am your unprofitable servant. Please forgive all my unbelief and teach me to have true faith in your divinity, birth and humanity so that I may consider your words and accept them immediately upon hearing them and your power may become greater in my weakness.
QUESTION 12: What is the meaning of the angel’s salutation to Mary?
QUESTION 13: What is the difference between Jesus and John?