Apr 23
2
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 3:1–20
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’ Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’ To the woman he said, ‘I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.’ And to Adam he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’ The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” (Genesis 3:1–20, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Luke 1:26-38
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘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 called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:26–38, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
It is interesting that when the first promise concerning the coming Redeemer was made by God in the curse that was pronounced upon the serpent in the presence of Adam and Eve shortly after their fall into sin, it was specifically said that the Savior – the one who would crush the serpents head – would be brought into the world, not by the man’s seed, but through the women.
And also notice the name that was given to her. “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” (Genesis 3:20, ESV). In Hebrew, “Eve” sounds like the words meaning “life-giver” and “living.” Notice that she is given this name after she was deceived by the serpent, after she was used to bring temptation to Adam, and after Adam’s fall into sin, which brought humanity into a state of sin and death. The name “Eve” almost seems inappropriate given the way she was used by the Evil One to bring sin and death into the world. But in fact, the name is fitting for two reasons: One, by God’s grace, life would go on on planet earth. The human race would descend from Eve. In this physical sense, she is the mother of all living. Two, by God’s grace, she is the mother of all who are given spiritual and eternal life through faith in the Redeemer (or Messiah) who would, in the fullness of time, be brought into the world through her. The name “Eve” was fitting, therefore. But note this: it could only be given to her because of the grace of God, and because of the promise of the Redeemer that was delivered by God in the curse pronounced upon the serpent – “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’”
Now, it is true that many descended from Eve. Indeed, all of humanity descended from her. But the Scriptures are clear that some were of her seed, spiritually speaking, because they shared her faith and they served her God. Many of her physical descendants, on the other hand, were of the Evil One. They did not believe the promise concerning the Redeemer. They did not serve God, but Satan. These are the seed of the serpent, spiritually speaking. So then, two spiritual lines descended from Eve, and the hostility that existed between these two lines is evident in the Genesis story.
There is a sense, therefore, in which the seed of the women and the seed of the serpent are to be understood as a collective seed. Eve was the mother of a living, that is to say, of all humanity, collectively. And Eve was the mother of all who belonged to God in the world through faith in the promised Redeemer, collectively. All others belonged to the Deceiver, collectively, for they aligned themselves with him.
But notice, the seed of the women is also singular. Listen again to the first promise of the gospel in Genesis 3:15. God cursed the serpent saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [collective] and her offspring [collective]; he [singular] shall bruise your head, and you [singular] shall bruise his heel.’” The point is this: though Eve would have many descendants, only one of them – a male son – would be the promised Redeemer who would crush the serpent’s head. And this does also mean that though many women would descend from Eve in human history, only one would have the great privilege of giving birth to this promised Redeemer.
When, how, and by whom would this Redeemer be brought into the world? These things were not clearly revealed at first, but they would grow in clarity with the passing of time and with further revelation.
Is it possible that Eve thought she had given birth to the promised Redeemer when she gave birth to her first son, Cain? I think so. But those hopes were dashed when Cain proved himself to be an evil man, that is to say, of the seed of the serpent. Being driven by envy, he killed his righteous brother, Able. So the LORD replaced Able with righteous Seth. From Seth, the righteous line continued. And in the process of time, it was clarified, by way of covenant promises, that the Messiah would descend from Abraham. And after that, it was clarified further, by way of more covenant promises, that the Messiah would descend from King David. All along the way, there are hints that the birth of the Messiah would be miraculous. As I’ve said, the first promise of the gospel revealed that the Redeemer would come from the woman, but the man’s involvement was not mentioned – perhaps this was a hint at the virgin birth. In the era of the patriarchs, the line of Abraham was threatened by old age and barrenness, but God miraculously preserved the line by bringing life out of death. These were not virgin births, but they were miraculous. I think they are to be regarded as a foreshadowing of the virgin birth. And then we come to that famous prophesy of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV), which means “God with us”.
Even with this very brief and selective sampling of Scripture references from the Old Testament, you can see how things grew more clear with the passing of time concerning the birth of the Messiah. Over time it became clear that the promised Messiah would be brought into the world through a woman, a daughter of Abraham, a daughter of David – a virgin. The Messiah would be truly human, therefore. But his birth would be miraculous. Indeed, he would not only be the son of King David, he would also be David’s Lord! He would be Immanuel, which means “God with us”. He would be the eternal Son of God incarnate. These truths were revealed dimly and in a mysterious way in Old Testament times. These truths became very clear when the Messiah was finally born into the world in fulfillment of these promises and prophesies previously made.
Brothers and sisters, all of that Old Testament history must be in our minds as we consider this story concerning the announcement that was made to the virgin Mary by the angel Gabriel. When this angel appeared to this young woman the words that he spoke to her made it very clear that she would be the one, singular, daughter of Eve who would be blessed to bring the One, the singular, son of Adam and Son of God into the world to defeat Satan, overthrow his kingdom, and Redeem God’s people from bondage to Satan, sin, and death and to reconcile them to the Father.
Let us now go to our passage for today to consider it in detail.
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The Setting
Verses 26-27 set the stage for what follows.
The phrase, “In the sixth month”, has reference to the announcement that came to Zachariah the priest from the angel Gabriel concerning the miraculous birth of his son, John, who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
Six months after that announcement, “the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth…” The angel Gabriel was busy in those days, wasn’t he? He had delivered messages to the prophet Daniel hundreds of years earlier which revealed the timing of the arrival of the Messiah. And now that the time had fully come, he is the one to deliver the news, first to Zechariah, and now to Mary.
The text says that he “was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth…” Nazareth was a small, poor, and insignificant village located about 66 miles to the north of Jerusalem. This was the hometown of Joseph and Mary. And although Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, Nazareth is where he would be raised.
Notice that two locations are mentioned in Luke chapter 1. First, the Holy Place of the temple in Jerusalem, and second, the humble, off-the-beaten-path, town of Nazareth. The two locations could not be more different. The one was considered by the people to be most holy and most glorious; the other was lowly, disregarded, and even despised. In fact, there was a saying in Jesus’ day that went something like this: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). And yet this would be the town in which Jesus the Messiah was raised.
Not only was Jesus raised in a humble and lowly place, he was also raised by humble and lowly parents. Notice that this announcement came “to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph”, a carpenter. Given the town in which they lived, their age, and Joseph’s profession, it is reasonable to assume that they were poor.
Note this theme, for it will reoccur in Luke’s Gospel. When the eternal Son of God assumed a human nature to be the Messiah, he came in a humble and lowly form to Redeem those humble and lowly in spirit and to lift them up to glory.
Later in Luke chapter one, we will encounter the song that Mary sang in response to all of this heavenly news. Listen for this as I read: “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.’” (Luke 1:46–55, ESV)
So then, the opening chapter of Luke’s Gospel begins to present Jesus the Messiah to us as a humble and lowly Savior. He was not born and raised in centers of power and prestige – Rome or Jerusalem. And neither was born to parents of wealth and renown. No, he came humbly into this world. And if we are to have him as Lord and Savior, we must identify with him in his lowliness and humility, for through him God “has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”
Though it is true that Jesus would be raised in a humble town by humble parents, his parents did have the proper genealogy to give birth to and raise the Messiah, for they were of “the house of David.” The Old Testament Scriptures make it clear that the Messiah would descend from King David. And the New Testament Scriptures are clear that Jesus of Nazareth did in fact descend from David, with Mary as his birth mother, and Joseph as his legal and earthly father.
And so who was this young virgin who was betrothed (we might say engaged, although betrothal was legally binding), to Joseph? Verse 27 tells us, “the virgin’s name was Mary.” I think it is right for us to try to imagine what it must have been like to be Mary. Also, I think it is right for us to imagine what it would have been like to be Joseph. Both were probably young, but Mary was likely younger (perhaps as young as 14 or 15 – people grew up faster in those days, it seems). All of this news would have been very shocking to them. But they demonstrate great faith, as we will soon see.
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Gabriel’s Announcement
Now that the stage has been set, let us consider the announcement of the angel Gabriel.
Beginning in verse 28 we read, “And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’” What a marvelous greeting this is. To be “favored” by the Lord is to have the Lord’s grace and kindness set upon you. Though I do not doubt that Mary was a devout, faithful, and righteous young woman (relatively speaking), it is a mistake to assume that she merited or earned the favor of the Lord by her righteousness. This idea would contradict the clear teaching of Scripture, which says, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10, ESV). Mary was “favored” by the Lord, and this was because the Lord, by his grace, had determined to set his favor upon her. And the greatest of all blessings was this – the Lord was with her. This was true in a spiritual sense at the time when Gabriel uttered these words to her. And it would be true even in a physical sense not many days after this, for the Lord himself would be in her and with her as the eternal Son of God incarnate.
In verse 29 we read, “But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.” The Greek word translated as “greatly troubled” is very strong. It means to be disturbed or distressed mentally and emotionally. The young virgin was shaken by this encounter and this greeting.
Verse 30: “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” To find favor with God is to have God’s grace bestowed on you. Note this: Mary is not the giver of grace, but the recipient of God’s grace. As blessed as she was, she is not to be prayed to or venerated as if she is something more than a common woman. Mary was a young woman in need of God’s grace. Yes, she is to be regarded as blessed, for she was chosen to serve as the very mother of God. But this was by God’s grace alone, for she had found favor, or grace, with God.
After this greeting, Gabriel continues with his announcement in verse 31: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’” This announcement is jampacked with meaning. Each and every phrase was intended to remind Mary (and now us) of the Old Testament Scriptures that revealed the promised Christ.
The phrase, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son”, was to remind Mary of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV). When the angel said, behold, “you will conceive in your womb…”, he meant, you, Mary, are the virgin of which Isaiah 7:14 speaks.
The phrase, “and you shall call his name Jesus” is also filled with meaning. The meaning becomes clear when we recognize that the name Jesus is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name, Joshua. Jesus is Joshua or Jeshua. The name Joshua means “the Lord delivers” or “the Lord saves” – a fitting name for the Messiah. And the name Joshua ought to remind us of two Joshuas from the Old Testament. One, we must remember Joshua, the assistant to Moses, who would lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Joshua led Isarel into the promised land of Cannan. Jesus the Messiah came to redeem his people, not from Egypt, but from bondage to Satan, sin, and death, and to lead them, not into Cannan, but into the eternal land of promise, the new heavens and earth. Jesus is Joshua, only greater. The second Joshua we should remember served as high priest over Judah in the days of Zacharia after the Babylonian captivity and during the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. You may read about Joshua the high priest in Zechariah 3 and 6. The words spoken over Joshua the high priest found in Zechariah 6 are especially interesting, for in that text Zechariah does something strange. He places a crown on the head of the priest and says, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zechariah 6:12–13, ESV). So you can see, the name Joshua carries a lot of theological baggage. It means, “the Lord delivers” or “saves”. It reminds us of Joshua the successor to Moses who conquered Israel’s enemies and lead the people safely into the promised land. And it reminds us also of the Joshua of Zechariah 3 and 6, the high priest who is called “the Branch”, the rebuilder of God’s temple, and the priest-king who expands the temple of the LORD and even involves foreigners (Gentiles) in this work (see Zechariah 6:15 and Isaiah 60:10). These Joshau’s were types of the Christ to come. Jesus of Nazareth is the true and greater Joshua.
Consider now the phrase, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” We should remember that Gabriel told Zechariah that his son, John, would be great. He would “great before the Lord”, he said. In fact, he is to be regarded as the greatest of the Old Covenant prophets, for he was the last, and the one who prepared the way for the arrival of the promised Messiah. But Jesus’ greatness is on another level, for he is the Son of the Most High, that is to say, he is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Triune God, come in the flesh. And so this explains what was meant by the prophecy of Isaiah, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV). Immanuel means God with us. This son born to the virgin is the Son of the Most High. He is the eternally begotten Son of the Father who took to himself a true human nature, body and soul.
The phrase, “And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end”, is to remind us of the promises that God made to King David when he entered into a covenant with him as recorded in 2 Samuel 7. The Lord promised to give David a son who would build God’s temple whose throne and kingdom would last forever and ever. These promises were fulfilled in part by Solomon and the Kings of Israel who descended from him. These promises are fulfilled in full in Jesus Christ. He sits on the throne of his father David. He reigns over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there will be no end.
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Gabriel’s Answer To Mary’s Question
Let us now consider Mary’s question and the answer provided by Gabriel in verses 34 through 37.
First, Mary’s question: “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” Some have wondered why Zechariah was rebuked by the angel and struck with muteness when he asked the question, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18, ESV), in response to the announcement that was made to him, whereas no such rebuke or punishment was delivered to Mary. What was the difference between their questions? First, notice that the questions differed in substance. Zechariah asked, “how shall I know this?” In other words, I do not know this or believe this. How will you convince me? Mary’s question was different. She asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” She was not asking for proof that it would be, but was perplexed concerning how it would be, and was requesting clarification. Two, it should be clear that there was a difference in the heart of Zechariah and Mary when they asked these questions. Zechariah disbelieved the word of the angel and asked for evidence or proof. He was struck with muteness as a punishment and as a sign that the word of the angel was true. But Mary did not doubt. She wondered. And there is a great difference between doubting the clearly revealed word of the Lord and wondering about things that are mysterious. Brothers and sisters, we must be careful to not transgress this boundary. The Lord has spoken. He has revealed himself to us and his will for us in Christ and in the Scriptures. We must never question or doubt the word of the Lord. But there are things that are mysterious to us. We may bring those questions to the Lord in prayer, but when we do we are to come with the humble and faithful disposition of Mary. Her question was not one of disbelief. It was an honest, humble, and faithful inquiry. And so the angel did not rebuke her but answered her so as to further strengthen her precious faith.
Look at verse 35: “And the angel answered her, ‘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 called holy—the Son of God.” Here we have an answer to the question, how did the eternal son of God become incarnate? Mary asked, how will this be? And the angel provided an answer. Yes, she was a virgin. And she would remain a virgin up until the birth of the Messiah. The child would be conceived, not in an ordinary way – not of Adam’s (or Joseph’s) physical seed – but of the woman’s seed only, and by the power of God Almighty. Christ is fully man, therefore. He obtained his true human nature – a true body and reasonable soul – from Mary. And Christ is fully God. He has God alone as his Father. He is the eternally begotten Son of God, the second person of the Triune God, come in the flesh.
Notice that Gabrial explains the result of this miraculous virgin birth – “therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” You and I were born into this world in sin. We had not sinned personally. But we were born in sin and with a corrupted nature because we were born in Adam as our federal head and representative. He broke the Covenant of Works that was made with him in the garden, and he did so on behalf of all humanity. To be born in Adam through the process of ordinary generation is to be born in sin, that is to say, in a fallen and corrupted state. Through the miraculous virgin birth of Christ, that chain was broken. Jesus Christ was truly human given his birth to Mary. Through her, he was the true son of David, Abraham, and Adam. But he was shielded from the transmission of original sin through the miraculous virgin conception by the power of the Most High God. Jesus Christ is human as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), for he is the person of the eternal Son of God come in the flesh, miraculously conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. He is the holy Son of God.
In verses 36 and 37 the angel adds, “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” This announcement must have brought great comfort to the young woman Mary, for it revealed that she was not alone. God was with her, and he was working in and through others too. In fact, in the very next passage of Luke’s Gospel, we will find Mary visiting her relative Elizabeth to be comforted and encouraged by her and to rejoice with her concerning the marvelous things that God was doing through them.
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Mary’s Response
The last thing that we need to consider is Mary’s humble and submissive response to these things. Her response is found in verse 38: “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” I have three brief observations to make concerning Mary’s response.
One, we should not overlook the dramatic impact these things would have on this young girl’s life. This miraculous conception would impact her relationship with Joseph, the man to whom she was betrothed. People in her community would question her integrity. Her whole life would be wrapped up in this drama. There would be great joy, of course. But there would be great sorrow too. In fact, later in Luke, we will encounter the words that a man named Simeon spoke to Mary. Among other things, he said, “and a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35, ESV), referring to the sorrow that Mary would experience as the mother of Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord. My point is this: though Mary was greatly blessed to be the mother of the Messiah, there is a sense in which it cost her her life.
Two, Mary’s response is an example to all of us. Being called by God to undergo these wonderful but very difficult things, she humbly submitted herself to the will of God. Hear again her words: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Sometimes the Lord calls his people to endure great difficulty. We ought to submit to his will for us. Indeed, the Christain life begins with submission. We “confess with [our] mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in [our] heart[s] that God raised him from the dead…” (Romans 10:9, ESV). And the Christian life is to be marked by submission to Christ as Lord to the very end. The young virgin Mary is an example to all of us.
Three, Mary’s faithful submission to the Lord must be contrasted with the rebellion of Eve. Through the rebellion of the woman, Eve, temptation and sin entered the world. Through the faithful submission of the woman, Mary, the Redeemer was brought into the world, and he who would overcome Satan, sin, and death for all of those given to him by the Father in eternity.
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Contemplations
Let us now conclude with a few brief contemplations.
One, I think it is important that we not lose sight of Luke’s stated purpose for writing. He wrote to Theophilus, and to us, so that we might have certainty about the things we have been told concerning Jesus. You can see that Luke, like an attorney standing before and judge and jury, is beginning to present us with witnesses and evidence so as to convince us that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. The witnesses are people: Zachariah and Mary. But notice the way in which Luke also sets the Old Testament Scriptures before us to function as witnesses. Jesus the Christ was born into this world in fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. He was born right on time. He was born in the line of David. He was born to a virgin. His name was Jesus, or Joshua.
Two, as we consider this narrative we should feel motivated grow in our familiarity with the Scriptures, both the New Testament and the Old. Notice that Gabriel (and Luke) did not feel the need to make these references to the Old Testament explicit. It was assumed that this young girl, Mary, was so familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures that she would make the connections quickly in her mind as these words and phrases drawn from the Old Testament were used. I wonder, would we make these connections? Are we so familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures that the true meaning and significance of Gabriel’s announcement would be clear to us? Or would his announcement go over our heads? Yes, Mary was perplexed concerning how she would conceive and bear a son as a virgin. But she was not perplexed about the meaning and significance of the announcement of the angel. She understood his message. She understood that she would be the virgin of whom Isaiah spoke. She understood that she would be the mother of the promised Messiah. Mary knew the Scriptures well, and so should we. Our faith will be strengthened as we grow in our understanding of the Scriptures.
Three, I urge you to contemplate further this theme that is already beginning to emerge in Luke’s Gospel, and that is the way in which God works through the humble and lowly of this world to confound the wise and the proud. Jesus was born to poor and humble parents living in a poor and humble town. They were nobodies according to the wisdom of the world. But God determined to work in and through them. Christ himself lived a humble and lowly life. Indeed, his followers are called to imitate him in this. And yet we are constantly tempted to think as the world thinks – to value worldly power, wealth, and fame. We must remember, brothers and sisters, that he wisdom of God turns all of that on its head. So let me ask you, Christian, are you enamored with the things of this world? Do worldly power, wealth, and fame impress you and tempt you? I exhort you to put off worldly-mindedness and to have the mind of Christ instead, for he was humble and lowly. “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate…” (Luke 1:51–52, ESV). Let us be sure to have humble hearts like that of our Savior.
Four, let us marvel more and more over the wisdom of God in the accomplishment of our salvation through Jesus Christ. God’s plan of salvation is truly marvelous to consider. To think that he would redeem us from bondage to Satan, sin and death by sending the eternal Son to assume a human nature through the virgin birth, to live, suffer, die, descend, and ascend to glory for us, is truly incredible. As we consider the salvation that God has worked for us through Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Luke, we ought to be moved to praise. We should agree with Paul, who, after contemplating these things, said, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33–36, ESV)
