Luke 1: Stanly Community Church

Transcription

1 Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, plays an important role in the kingdom of God. However, she fulfills God s purpose by the same means as every redeemed human being by His grace. As a central figure in Luke s chronicle of Christ s incarnation and birth, this woman is presented in Scripture as a humble, willing servant with a most blessed responsibility. God s intention is to fill His kingdom with redeemed human beings. His redemptive plan involves the incarnation of God the Son as the Savior of mankind. He came to suffer the sinner s deserved penalty of death, which required Him to be a sinless man. God, therefore, provided His Son s humanity through the miraculous conception of a virgin. He was fully God and fully human, and thus He was without a sinful human nature. This was determined by God in eternity past and prophesied in Scripture (cf. Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:22-23; Gal. 4:4-5; 1 Pet. 1:20). The people of Israel, to whom the prophecy was initially given, anticipated the Messiah. And every devout Jewish girl undoubtably wondered if she could be the mother of the Lord (Lk. 1:43). However, no one understood the specifics surrounding the incarnation. Most would have likely envisioned a grand entrance for the Christ into a notable family and perhaps with much pageantry. But God chose for His Son to enter the world in an inconspicuous way according to His agenda.! 1

2 The Christmas narrative is introduced by Luke from Mary s perspective in 1: She is presented in contrast to Zacharias (1:5-25) who, although praying for a son, questioned the word of the angel who brought news from God that his prayer had been answered. When the same angel greets our Lord s mother, she responds to the heavenly message and its explanation with faith and humility. Here we will look at the greeting and message. Christmas: Mary s Perspective (1:26-38) The Angel s Greeting (vv ) God had already announced the conception of His Son s forerunner, John the Baptist (1:17). Although previously barren and now beyond normal child-bearing years (1:7), the child s mother, Elizabeth, was able to conceive by natural means via God s miraculous intervention (1:13, 24). Now in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth with the most important announcement the miraculous conception of the Christ Child. Not many would have doubted that the one to herald Christ s arrival could be the son of a priest from the hill country of Judea (1:5, 39). But that Christ would be born to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, who both lived the obscure village of Nazareth, was not at all expected. To be called a Nazarene was an insult, since the region evidently had a reputation for producing detestable people and general trouble (Jn. 1:45-46).! 2

3 Yet the prophets predicted such ridicule for the Christ (Ps. 22:6-8; Is. 49:7; 53:3). It was therefore fitting that He should, by the providence of God, grow up in a despised place (Matt. 2:19-23; He shall be called a Nazarene ). This, of course, did not sully the holy nature of our Lord, for His conception was without a human father. That Joseph was of the house of David (v. 27) is significant. It gave the Lord Jesus a legal right to the throne of David (v. 32; cf. Matt. 1:1-17). However, Mary was also in David s lineage (cf. Lk. 3:23-32), so Jesus was certainly David s physical descendant. But none of this would be embraced by the Jewish nation. At best, they would perceive Jesus to be only a prophet from Nazareth (Matt. 21:11; Acts 24:5). Even those of Nazareth would despise His ministry (Lk. 4:16-30). And that is perhaps why Mary seems so shocked to receive this visit from Gabriel. The angel s greeting only adds to her dismay over his glorious presence. It was not that she questioned the existence of angels. She certainly did not doubt God s promise of redemption. Nor was she in any way unwilling to be used by God. But for Gabriel to say, Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you! surprised her (v. 28; blessed are you among women is not in older manuscripts). It was the last thing a girl from Nazareth expected to hear. She could have dreamed of being the mother of the Messiah, but it seems as though she thought being from Nazareth disqualified her.! 3

4 The phrase, highly favored one actually means full of grace. The same term is used in Ephesians 1:6 in reference to God s acceptance of all believers in His beloved Son for his eternal glory. So Mary is not filled with grace in the sense that she is a dispenser of Divine favor (as some falsely teach). Instead, she received God s grace for salvation and for service to God as all believers do. And God chose a virgin from Nazareth in Galilee to bear His Son as a further demonstration of His grace. So Mary does not see herself as something special. She is quite obviously amazed at the grace shown to her in this angelic greeting. Having seen and heard the angel, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was (v. 29). In other words, she was not only shocked by this sudden angelic appearance, but she was now trying to process what the greeting implied for her. Why did God want to send an angel to a young woman from Nazareth? She obviously had no doubts as to God s power and purpose, but she viewed herself as a most unlikely candidate for such direct communication from the Lord.! 4

5 The Angel s Message (vv ) God knew Mary s heart and had already anticipated her response. Therefore, Gabriel was prepared and quickly followed his greeting by saying, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God (v. 30). The angel had also told Zacharias not to be afraid (v. 13), but he said nothing about favor (i.e. grace; Gr. - charis) with God. Zacharias and his wife were believers (v. 6), but the favor of which Gabriel speaks is God s grace for a specific task. This is what the greeting meant. Mary saw herself in the proper light. That is, she was not worthy for God to use her in His service. There was nothing special about her that made God choose her. But He graciously did and would graciously bless her for the task of being the mother of the Christ. And that is the message that Gabriel had come to deliver. He continues by telling Mary her part in God s plan. She would 1) bear the Son of God, 2) bestow Christ s God-given name, and 3) understand His unique purpose.! 5

6 First Gabriel says, behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son (v. 31a). This refers to the incarnation that miraculous, creative work of the Holy Spirit to provide a body for God the Son apart from normal human conception. It is the union of God and man in one Divine Person; it is how God became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). The virgin would become pregnant, although she had never intimately known a man (v. 34), and she would give birth to the Son of God. The conception was miraculous, but the birth was like any other human birth. Second, Mary was instructed to call the name of the Christ Child, JESUS (v. 31b). It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew, Jeshua (Joshua), which means the Lord is salvation. So it essentially means, Savior. While the Hebrew name was commonly used among the Jews, it found its complete meaning in the Person of Christ. He was to be called by nothing else, as it described the purpose for which He had come into the world (Jn. 3:16). It has been exalted as the name above every other. Ultimately, every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11).! 6

7 Third, in verses 32 and 33, Gabriel makes certain that Mary understands the unique purpose of the Child. She is to bring Him up knowing that: He will be great. That is, He will be honored in the sight of God, who alone determines a person s standing in His kingdom. The same was said about John the Baptist as a prophet (Lk. 1:14, 76; 7:28). However, Jesus is distinguished as infinitely above John as his Lord, since Christ s Father is God. He will be called the Son of the Highest, which means that He is equal to God the Father as His only begotten Son. He shares the Father s divine nature and attributes, being Himself the Most High God in human flesh. This qualifies Him to receive from the Heavenly Father the throne of His father David. King David was chosen by God to lead Israel as an earthly representation of God s heavenly kingdom. His throne was symbolic of the Messiah s eternal reign. God likewise promised David a greater descendant to reign on his throne forever (2 Sam. 7). The Lord Jesus Christ is that root and offspring of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16) from the tribe of Judah, and the Lord God will give Him that throne in the fullness of time (Rev. 5:6-14). It is He who was destined to reign over the house of Jacob forever (v. 33a) in fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Indeed, He will rule the nations and the universe (Ps. 2), and of His kingdom there will be no end (v. 33b; cf. Ps. 89:24-29; Matt. 22:41-45).! 7

8 Much more could be said about Christ s incarnation, His name, and His kingdom. But the emphasis here is that Mary should know this about her unique first-born Child. It would be essential for her to fulfill God s purpose as Jesus mother. And as a willing servant of the Lord (v. 38), she would certainly consider it all carefully in her heart (cf. 2:19). This unassuming young woman was God s choice to bear His Son. God graciously called on her to fulfill a most blessed role in His kingdom. She, among all the other women in history, had the privilege of being the mother of our Lord and Savior. It is good for us to see her perspective of these events. It teaches us that Mary, like all of us, are servants in God s kingdom by His grace. There is nothing here that even remotely suggests that she perceived herself as worthy of this task. As she is greeted by Gabriel and given the message about the Son she was to bear, she demonstrates only humility. And as we will later discover in verses 34-38, she is a willing servant as she receives the angel s explanation of all these things. Do you believe what the Scripture says about Christ s incarnation and birth? Is your celebration of Christmas focused on the truth revealed to Mary? Are you humbled by the Word of God and amazed by the grace He has shown you? Do you serve the Son of the Highest in that grace?! 8