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Luke 1:26-38 (The Annunciation)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called “Preparing for Christmas.” We are not focusing on all the physical preparations for Christmas, but rather on preparing our hearts for Christmas, especially as we look at the Scriptures and see how God prepared for the birth of Jesus that first Christmas.

Last week we saw how God prepared a forerunner for Christ – one who would come before Jesus to prepare the way for him. God spoke to Zechariah in the temple and gave him an advance birth announcement. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth would give birth to John the Baptist who would prepare the way for Christ. Today’s passage presents a second birth announcement. But this second birth announcement comes not to the father of the forerunner, but rather to the mother of the Messiah. (Read Luke 1:26-29 and pray.)

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The event we are looking at today is often called “The Annunciation.” The word annunciation means “announcement,” and it refers to God’s announcement to Mary that she would become the mother of Christ. This passage has been the source of much disagreement over the years, especially concerning the place of Mary in the church and her role in Christian faith and teaching. However, it is also a beautiful passage full of truth and wonder and mystery. Most importantly, it affirms Jesus’ birth to a virgin in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and it presents us with the example of Mary and how she responded when she was told that she would be the mother of the promised Messiah.

I. Greeted by an angel from God (26-29)

   A. The setting (26-27)

And it all starts when God sends the angel Gabriel to speak to Mary. Look at verses 26-27 where we find the setting for the conversation that follows: “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26-27) This is the setting of the passage, and it involves a time, an angel, a town and a woman. All four items here are significant.

The time is “in the sixth month.” The sixth month here refers back to the previous passage where God told Zechariah that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son. Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months. And so, this appearance of Gabriel to Mary takes place “in the sixth month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. This is important because it links together the two announcements of Jesus’ birth and John’s birth.

The angel is Gabriel. Gabriel is one of only two angels who are actually named in Scripture. The other is Michael, the archangel. We only meet Gabriel a few times in Scripture. He appears to Daniel twice in the Old Testament, and then we have these two appearances in the gospel of Luke – one to Zechariah and one to Mary. It is possible that Gabriel may be any number of other angels who appear in Scripture, but these are the only times that he is named and identified. Gabriel described his role to Zechariah with these words: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you.” (Luke 1:19) And so Gabriel is God’s messenger. He stands in God’s presence ready to dispatch messages of extreme importance at God’s command.

The town is Nazareth. The significance of Nazareth is that it was totally insignificant. It was a tiny town in Galilee with a population of about 400 people. It was part of Galilee, located in the northern region of Israel, far from the center of power in Jerusalem in the southern region of Judea. By and large the Judeans in the south despised the Galileans in the north.

Nazareth was such a small and insignificant town, that even the other Galileans despised it. In fact, when one of Jesus’ future disciples, Nathanael, learned that Jesus was from Nazareth, his first response was, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46) The fact that God would come to Nazareth would have been shocking to the first century Jew. But God’s ways are not our ways, and God often passes over what we think is high and important and chooses the humble and lowly instead.

Today Nazareth is much bigger, but still not a huge city. It has a population of about 80,000 people. Here is a picture of modern-day Nazareth.

Notice the large, circular-roofed building in the foreground. This is the Church of the Annunciation. It is built over the presumed location where Gabriel met with Mary here in Luke 1. It is the largest church building in the entire Middle East.

So, the time is the sixth month. The angel is Gabriel. The town is Nazareth. And the woman, of course, is Mary. Back to Luke 1, notice how Luke describes her. First of all, she is a virgin. This is important because Isaiah in the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin.

And then secondly, she is “pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.” (Luke 1:27) “Pledged to be married” means that Joseph and Mary were betrothed. Betrothal is a little different from both engagement and marriage in our culture. It was like engagement in that you were not yet officially married, and you did not yet live together as husband and wife.

But it was also much stronger than engagement in our culture in that once you were betrothed, you legally became husband and wife. And because you were already considered husband and wife, a betrothal could only be broken by death or divorce. If your husband died during the time that you were betrothed, you were legally a widow even though you had never lived together as husband and wife. The betrothal period typically lasted about a year before marriage. The fact that Mary was only pledged to be married explains why she was still a virgin at this time.

But the other important fact here is that Joseph was a descendant of David. The Old Testament prophecies were also clear that when the Messiah came, he would be a descendant of David. Now Mary was also a descendant of David, and so Jesus was already a descendant of David through Mary’s line. So, you may wonder why Joseph’s ancestry was important, especially since Jesus was born of a virgin and therefore Joseph was not his natural father.

Well, it is important because Joseph was Jesus’ adoptive father, and the legal right to rule was passed down from father to son, not from the mother. And make no mistake about it, the Messiah was coming to rule. And so, Jesus was the legal descendant of David through his adoptive father Joseph, and he was the natural descendant of David through his birth mother Mary. Both lines of ancestry were necessary for Jesus to fulfill the qualifications for Messiah.

   B. The greeting (28-29)

So, that’s the context for the greeting. Now let’s look at the greeting itself. Look at verse 28: The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) There are two parts to this greeting, and we should look at the meaning of both.

First, he greets Mary as “you who are highly favored!” This whole phrase is just one word in the Greek (kecharitōmevē). It is a word which means “to give or bestow grace on someone, to show favor.” So, the angel is saying that Mary has been shown favor by God. God has given her grace.

It is important to understand exactly what this word means because the Latin translated this word a little differently. The Latin Vulgate translated this word with the Latin phrase “plena gratia,” which means “full of grace.” If you have a Roman Catholic background, you probably recognize that from the longer phrase, “Ave, Maria, plena gratia,” which translates into English as, “Hail, Mary, full of grace.”

The problem here is that when people think of Mary as being “full of grace,” they usually think that Mary is the one giving grace instead of God – that Mary is filled with grace, that she has an abundance of grace which she freely gives to others. But that is not what this word in Luke means.

It does not mean one who is “full of grace” but rather “one to whom grace is given.” It is not a special word reserved for Mary. In fact, the same word is used of all believers later in the Bible. For example, in Ephesians 1:6 Paul speaks of God’s “glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Ephesians 1:6) The word which is translated “has freely given us” in Ephesians 1:6 is the exact same word that Gabriel uses when he greets Mary in Luke 1:28.

So, we should not suppose that Mary has some special fullness of grace that she then gives to others. Mary does not give grace to anyone. Rather, she receives grace from God, just as all believers receive grace from God. So that’s the first part of the greeting.

Now we come to the second part of the greeting: “The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) Verse 29 tells us that: “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:29) You might wonder why these words would trouble Mary. Basically, the angel has just said, “Mary you have been given grace from God and the Lord is with you.” What is so troubling about that?

It is actually this second phrase that troubles Mary. Because when this phrase appears in Scripture, it usually means that God has a task for you to do. And it’s a task that you could never do on your own. You could never do it without God’s help. That’s why God is with you. He is there to help you accomplish the task.

For example, when Moses commissioned Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he told Joshua, “The LORD himself goes before you and he will be with you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8) When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and told him to save Israel from the Midianites, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12)

So, when Gabriel tells Mary, “The Lord is with you,” he means that God has a difficult task for her, one that she could never achieve on her own, and she will need God’s help to accomplish that task. And so, Mary is wondering, “What kind of task does God have for me to do? What is my mission? How hard will it be?”

No doubt this was a highly unusual greeting. Mary is greeted by an angel. She is told that God has given her grace and that he is going to help her with something extraordinarily difficult. No wonder Mary was troubled at the words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

II. Given the role of birthing the Messiah (30-33)

That brings us to the next section of our narrative, where Gabriel shares with Mary the nature of her task. She has been given the role of birthing the Messiah into the world. And Gabriel tells her two things about her task here. First, Gabriel gives her the promise of a son. Then Gabriel shares with her the identity of her son.

   A. The promise of a son (30-31)

First, the promise of a son. There are three parts to this promise. 1) Mary has found favor with God. 2) She will give birth to a son. 3) She will give him the name Jesus.

Gabriel knows that Mary is troubled by his greeting, so first he reassures her in verse 30: “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30) This is similar to the initial words of greeting. Mary has received grace or favor from God.

Secondly, she will give birth to a son. Verse 31: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) The phrasing here is almost identical to Isaiah 7:14 which says: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) The main difference here is in the name. Instead of Immanuel, she will call this child Jesus. However, both names are accurate portrayals of Jesus and his mission. Immanuel means, “God with us,” and Jesus means, “God saves.” Jesus was indeed “God with us” in the flesh. And Jesus came to save his people from their sins.

   B. The identity of the son (32-33)

The angel goes on in the next verses to share with Mary the identity of the son she will bear. Look at verses 32-33: “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; his kingdom will never end.” There are four parts to this description.

First of all, “he will be great” – great as in famous, important, magnificent. Remember, Gabriel told Zechariah that John the Baptist would be great in the sight of the Lord. But now when he describes Jesus, he adds no qualifying statements. Jesus will simply be great, no qualifiers needed.

Secondly, he “will be called the Son of the Most High.” The Most High is one of the names for God we find throughout the Bible. So, with this second phrase Gabriel identifies this son whom Mary will bear as the very Son of God. Once again, John the Baptist will be called “a prophet of the Most High” (Luke 1:76). But Gabriel says that Jesus will be called “the Son of the Most High.”

Thirdly, Gabriel says that “the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” This is an unmistakable reference to Messiah. The Messiah would come from the line of David and rule on the throne of David. Remember, this is why Joseph had to be in the line of David, so that he could pass on the legal right of kingship to his adopted son.

Finally, Gabriel says that his kingdom will never end. “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” This fully confirms Jesus’ identity as Messiah. I suppose someone could have interpreted “ruling on the throne of David” as simply just another king in the Davidic line. Jesus could have ruled on the throne of David without actually being the Messiah. Many other descendants of David had done this.

But this last qualification removes any doubt. Jesus will rule on David’s throne forever. His kingdom will never end. And so, with this fourfold description, Gabriel is clearly telling Mary, “The Son you will bear is none other than the promised Messiah.”

III. Responding in humble faith and submission (34-38)

Now, put yourself in Mary’s sandals for a minute. Pretend you are a young Jewish woman, maybe 12-14 years old, an ordinary girl living in the small one-horse town of Nazareth. Although you are pledged to be married, you are still a virgin. You have never slept with a man. You believe in God, and you are waiting for the Messiah along with the whole people of Israel.

And now God sends his angel Gabriel to you with this startling greeting and amazing promise. Even though you are a virgin, you will bear a son. And not only that, the son you bear will be the Son of God, the promised Messiah and Savior. Mary’s response is beautiful and instructive. She humbly believes, and she is humbly submissive.

   A. Believing the impossible (34-37)

We find her first response in verse 34: “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34)

Mary’s response here is similar to Zechariah’s response when Gabriel told him that he and Elizabeth would bear a son in their old age. The two responses are similar, but there is one big difference. Mary asked, “How will this be,” whereas Zechariah asked, “How can I be sure?” Mary’s response was a believing response. She was simply wondering how God would accomplish such a miracle. Zechariah’s response was one of unbelief asking for a sign. Gabriel rebuked Zechariah for his lack of faith, but he went on to answer Mary’s question how she, as a virgin, would give birth to the Son of God.

And the answer is right here in verse 35: The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) As we read this verse we are standing on holy ground. It is a verse shrouded in mystery, wonder, reverence and worship. We are not given precise details, but we are given an answer. How would Mary give birth to Jesus while still a virgin? Through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Gabriel says the Holy Spirit will “overshadow” her. This is the same word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe the glory of God’s presence that overshadowed the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34) It is the same word used in the New Testament of the bright cloud which overshadowed the disciples at the Mount of Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:5) We also pick up echoes of Genesis 1:2 here, where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at creation.

God would overshadow Mary with his glorious presence through the Holy Spirit, and he would create the child Jesus within her womb. Jesus’ human nature would come from Mary, which means he would be a true human being. But as God he would also have a divine nature. And so, the holy one born in Mary’s womb would rightly be called the Son of God.

In this way Jesus was born of a virgin without any assistance from a man. We even find a hint of this in the very first prophecy about the Messiah in the Bible. Way back in Genesis 3:15 God said that the Messiah would come from the “seed of the woman,” not the “seed of the man.” Jesus was not the son of Joseph. He was the Son of God, as he has been from all of eternity and will always continue to be. The virgin birth was further confirmation of his divine nature.

And then Gabriel gives Mary a sign. Last week we saw that Zechariah asked for a sign and was rebuked. Remember, you don’t ask for a sign, but if God wants to give you one, that’s okay. And so, Gabriel gives Mary a sign. Look at verses 36-37: “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:36-37)

Elizabeth’s pregnancy is a sign to Mary that God can do all things. Remember, Elizabeth’s pregnancy was also miraculous. She was barren, and she and her husband were old. Now, it was not as miraculous as Mary’s, certainly not as unique, but it was miraculous nonetheless. Both pregnancies were impossible, humanly speaking, but God has never had a problem doing the impossible.

God said something similar to Abraham when he gave Abraham the promise of child in his old age. He asked Abraham, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14) And so, this was Gabriel’s final answer to Mary’s question, “How will this be?” Nothing is impossible with God!

Sometimes you and I are faced with that same question, “How will this be?” in our own lives. You face what seems to be an impossible situation. You know that God has promised to provide for you. You know that God has promised to meet all of your needs, and yet you wonder how will this be? How will God take care of this situation? Whenever you hit one of those “How will this be?” situations in life, always remember God’s words to Mary and to Abraham: “Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.”

   B. Submitting to God’s will (38)

Mary responded to Gabriel’s words with humble faith and also in humble submission. Look at verse 38 which closes out this passage: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38) The word translated “servant” here is the female word for servant. It can also be translated “handmaiden.” Thus, you may be familiar with the King James translation: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (KJV)

“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” These two simple sentences speak volumes of Mary’s devotion to the Lord. God has just given her a task. It is a difficult task, an overwhelming task, a task which she knows will be misunderstood by her family, friends and neighbors. Even Joseph will not understand it at first, and yet she humbly responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Can you say those words to God, no matter what task he may put before you? No matter what path he may ask you to walk? Can you say to God, “I am your servant. May your will be done.” Jesus did exactly that when he went to the cross to die for our sins. Jesus prayed in the garden, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Jesus humbly submitted himself to the Father’s will, and so does Mary here. Mary is a wonderful example of responding to God’s word in humble faith and submission. May we also be so wonderfully responsive to God in our own lives.

CONCLUSION: The annunciation is one of the most beautiful stories in all of Scripture. God came to a young woman who obviously had great faith and trust in him. God gave her the grace and strength to do what she could not do on her own. She would become the mother of the Messiah. Mary believed the impossible. She submitted to God’s will for her life.

And so was born Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He was born in fulfillment of prophecy. He was born miraculously. He was born of a virgin. He was born to reign as king forever.

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe he was the Messiah? Are you trusting him as Savior? I pray that we would all exhibit the same faith as Mary did. I pray that you will learn to trust God for the impossible and submit your life to God’s will.

© Ray Fowler

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