Advent: 20 Days to Go
In this installment of our Christmas adventure, we see the angel Gabriel make another special announcement about God’s plan. This time, to a young girl from Nazareth named Mary...
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
--Luke 1:26-38 KJV Bible
God sent the angel Gabriel to a town of Nazareth to tell a young woman His plans for the birth of the Messiah. Her name was Mary. She was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. According to Jewish law, engagement or betrothal was as binding as actual marriage.
When he appeared, Gabriel addressed Mary as "favored one," or one filled with grace. This same phrase is used only one other time in the New Testament--Ephesians 1:6, where the Apostle Paul states that all believers in Christ are filled with grace. In Mary’s case, she would be the mother of Christ. The boy child would be named Jesus, meaning “Yahweh saves,” or “the Lord is salvation.” Jesus would fulfill the role as the prophesied Messiah from the line of David.
When Mary asked how this would happen, Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary. The virgin birth was a special miracle performed by the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, whereby the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, took to Himself a genuine, though sinless, human nature and was born as a man, without surrendering in any aspect His deity.
Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was miraculously pregnant. This woman, in her old age, and was in her sixth month with child.
Mary was both surprised and humbled at the prospect of being the mother of the Messiah. However, she demonstrated submissiveness to God's will by stating that she was God's servant. Mary understood that a servant did whatever their master said, and did not question the master's motive, authority, or reasoning. Mary accepted her role and asked that God's will be done.
Next time, an angel visits Mary’s betrothed husband, Joseph...
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26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
--Luke 1:26-38 KJV Bible
God sent the angel Gabriel to a town of Nazareth to tell a young woman His plans for the birth of the Messiah. Her name was Mary. She was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. According to Jewish law, engagement or betrothal was as binding as actual marriage.
When he appeared, Gabriel addressed Mary as "favored one," or one filled with grace. This same phrase is used only one other time in the New Testament--Ephesians 1:6, where the Apostle Paul states that all believers in Christ are filled with grace. In Mary’s case, she would be the mother of Christ. The boy child would be named Jesus, meaning “Yahweh saves,” or “the Lord is salvation.” Jesus would fulfill the role as the prophesied Messiah from the line of David.
When Mary asked how this would happen, Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary. The virgin birth was a special miracle performed by the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, whereby the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, took to Himself a genuine, though sinless, human nature and was born as a man, without surrendering in any aspect His deity.
Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was miraculously pregnant. This woman, in her old age, and was in her sixth month with child.
Mary was both surprised and humbled at the prospect of being the mother of the Messiah. However, she demonstrated submissiveness to God's will by stating that she was God's servant. Mary understood that a servant did whatever their master said, and did not question the master's motive, authority, or reasoning. Mary accepted her role and asked that God's will be done.
Next time, an angel visits Mary’s betrothed husband, Joseph...
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