The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26-38

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 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. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 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: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 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. 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. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth to a Virgin whose name was Mary that was espoused to Joseph of the house of David. The angel’s first words were “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women”. The angel’s words reflect how favored Mary was that all the women will call her blessed. “Blessed!” she shall be called because she was going to bring forth the one who blesses the mankind with Salvation. Jews and the gentiles alike will gain eternal life through Him for God’s only redemption plan for us was through His son, Jesus Christ. He (Jesus) was to come through Mary, a Virgin and her conception was a divine one free of sin unlike the regular man’s birth. Jesus remained sinless right from His birth and Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit because she would bring forth the Holy One of Israel who is the Lion of Judah, the Salvation from whom should never be mocked at.

When Mary saw the angel, she was troubled at his saying and wondered what manner of salutation it was. She was brought the good tidings of great joy through the angel and this news was what the world looked for and the wise men waited for. The angel knew what Mary thought in her and said “Fear not, Mary”. When we have a God’s calling in our life many a time we wonder how it is all going to work out and some times we are struck by this feeling of fear. The words of Gabriel are very much applicable to us for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). The angel here had to say that Mary shall conceive and bring forth a son and He shall be called JESUS. He is the son of the Highest, the most Holy God and He shall have the throne of His father David and shall reign forever! Through Mary the great prophecies of old were to be fulfilled. This son of David, Jesus and His Kingdom shall not pass away. Daniel 2:44 says, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

Mary’s response to the angel was to know how this was possible and this was a valid question well answered by the angel. This was an answer that we all should know in our hearts for we trust in the MOST HOLY GOD; His holiness is incomparable and is to be held with great reverence. The power of the Highest overshadowed her and the Holy One that came forth was (/is) called the Son of God. I wonder with what great awe Mary heard the angel’s explanation; she a lowly vessel was given the privilege to bear the Holy Son of God. Let us take a moment to reflect the privilege granted to us unworthy vessels; He bought us with that precious price that can never be paid by us. Everything about Jesus was and is HOLY yet He took the gravest of our mistakes upon Him. Why should we carry our guilt any more? Many times when we commit a sin we wonder if we ever can go back in time and fix it. You don’t need a time machine to travel back, you simply need Jesus! Jesus can and longs to pardon all our iniquities and sins; not just cancel them but cleans us of our sins for good. By cancelling there is this chance of emerging again but by cleansing in His blood there is no such chance. Be washed by the Blood of the Lamb that your heart may be made spotless and speckless like the heart of Jesus.

The angel also brought good news about Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin. Elizabeth was barren and was old in age, but God did the impossible to her. She was with a child for six months already and the angel carried this news for Mary. With God everything is possible. Elizabeth waited for many years for a child but in her old age she has conceived to bring forth a son, John the Baptist who prepared the way of Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 3:4). This was God’s plan; six months before the birth of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist was to be born. Mary was filled with immense joy in her heart for the wonderful news of a Savior through her and the news of Elizabeth’s conception. Mary answered, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” What a humble submission to God’s will! The humble acceptance of God’s will in her life reminds me of Ruth’s. Ruth 3:9 says, “And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.” When Boaz asked Ruth who she was her humble answer speaks of the kind of protection she sought, under whose care she desired to be. Here Mary, God’s handmaid (servant), knew that her sole protector was Lord God and she yielded to His will because she knew in her heart that His care and protection are ultimate and that His will is the best for her! Do you have such a submissive heart? Are you yielding to the will of God in your life? If not this special season when all around us we hear the jingle bells ringing the birth of Jesus in our ears, make this wonderful decision of submitting yourself to the will of God!

Next: Mary Visits Elisabeth