Any man who is married has experienced the following
scenario: Your wife comes in and tells you something that she presumes you
already know and you obviously have no idea what she is referring to. She then
proceeds to say that she already told you about the event, situation, or errand
earlier, perhaps even days earlier. In this moment, the husband has a choice to
make. He can be stupid and try and prove that she didn’t make him aware of
whatever it is they are discussing, or he can plead ignorance and chalk it up
to not remembering what she must have made perfectly clear. In my short tenure
as a married man, I have learned to choose the latter. In fact, I have unfortunately proven very
adept at forgetting the unmemorable. There are few conversations that I can
remember vividly. 1Unless, it is really important or commands my full
attention, I will probably forget the details. However, I do remember the
conversation I had with Brianna’s parents before I asked her to marry me.
Everything from where we ate to what was said to how we left is imprinted in my
mind. I’ll never forget the conversation I had with my parents as they dropped
me off at College my freshmen year and drove off. I can still remember what was
said and how long the embraces lasted. I remember every detail surrounding the
moment when Brianna told me we were expecting our first child and second child!
Some conversations you just don’t forget.
Today we are going to
look at 4 Parts of a conversation experienced between two unlikely individuals,
an archangel and a teenage girl, as we look forward to Christmas time. Like my
conversation with Brianna’s just a few months ago, a young woman is soon going
to learn that a baby changes everything. How she responds will teach each one
of us how we ought to respond when God speaks.
I. PART 1: The
Context of the Message-1:26-27
The timing of the conversation is intimately connected to the
first 25 verses of Luke’s Gospel. Jesus’ story begins as yet another story has
already been introduced—the birth of Jesus’ would-be cousin John. This obvious correlation is made to show how
Jesus’ life and work was a large part of an even greater narrative God was in
the process of writing. Just as Elizabeth had conceived miraculously in her old
age, Mary would conceive even more miraculously in her virginity. When John
would be called great in the sight of the Lord (1:15), the Lord Jesus would be
called the Son of God (1:32 & 35).
After the timing of this conversation is identified, the
messenger is revealed. Gabriel is the
trusted messenger who has been sent from the eternal glory of heaven. His
angelic resume makes Gabriel a perfect choice as it is riddled with
eschatological events. Twice in Daniel, it is Gabriel who brings news of the
end of the ages. This new message He will bring to Mary is yet another announcement
of God coming to earth. What he reveals will turn Mary’s gaze ahead to the long
awaited Messiah’s work on the earth and how that work would usher in the age
that would lead to the end of time.
So rare had God’s activity in the world been for the last
400 years (the intertestamental period) that this would have been absolutely
shocking.
Now that we’ve examined the time and source of the message
Mary was given, it follows next that we uncover the location in which the
message was received. Luke is oddly specific (as would become his trademark in
Luke and in Acts) concerning where Gabriel was sent.
Nazareth was the Brookneal, VA of Israel. Have you heard of Brookneal? Exactly. In order
to help his readers understand where the tiny town of Nazareth was, he
specifies its location in the land of Galilee. The humility of this birthplace
is made even more acute in John 1:46 when Nathaniel says, “What good can come
out of Nazareth?” Humble beginnings like this are not accidental nor are they
superfluous. It is purposeful that God would allow His Son to be sent in such a
humble way as His ministry would be forever marked with humility and His
destiny marked with an even greater humiliation (Calvary). God’s glory is, even
in Christ’s birth, shown most beautifully in the most unlikely of places.
I’ll never forget finding a 20 dollar bill on the road one
day as a kid. It was so exciting to find something so valuable in such an
unlikely spot. I would not have been so excited or pleasantly surprised to have
a 20 dollar bill given to me from my dad’s wallet. In the same way, to create
something special, galvanize excitement, and draw attention to the glory of
Christ, God places Jesus in the most unlikely of situations from the beginning.
Part of understanding the context of this interaction
involves understanding who was included in the activity. Luke clearly
emphasizes here and elsewhere that Gabriel was sent to a virgin woman. Not only
was this woman a virgin, she was given to be married to a man –something that
could not be broken except through something similar to a formal divorce. At
this time, Mary would have probably been only 15 years old, some scholars
suggest she was even a younger 13 (as this was the normal age of betrothal).
The lucky fiancé of this young lady was none other than
Joseph of the descendants of David. This important factoid demonstrates Jesus’ relationship
to the line of David, King of Israel, who was promised a forever kingdom. Through
these context clues, Luke reveals that the message Gabriel is bringing has
something to do with this royal family line. This, along with the unlikely
setting and even more unlikely miracle would have created quite a stir Mary and
Joseph’s life.
Before we move on to talk about the content of the message
consider this. An angel going to Nazareth of Galilee to deliver this message to
Mary would have been like an angel going to the outskirts of Brookneal, VA to
speak to the young daughter of a family who lived in a double-wide. This is a
proper way to view the situation as it was for Mary and Joseph as this is how Gabriel’s
news found them in their lives. You can bet that she would never forget this
encounter or the conversation that would take place.
II. PART 2: The
Content of the Message-1:28-33
So eager was Gabriel to bring this news that he begins
talking as he was coming into Mary’s presence. While in the process of
appearing, he tells Mary that God considers her highly favored, “Greetings,
favored one! The Lord is with you” (1:28). There is no evidence to suggest that
this was because of any merit or special holiness she possessed (as some
suggest). Instead, she had been chosen because of his own mysterious and
glorious purposes. This proclamation of God’s choosing is quickly followed with
a promise of God’s presence in her life (the Lord is with you), revealing a
timeless principle: once God chooses you, there is no escaping His presence in
your life.
There is nothing implicitly confusing about Gabriel’s salutation.
However, think for a moment about how it was given in the first place. Here is
an angelic being appearing to young girl in the middle of nowhere after God has
proven almost silent for 100s of years. A little confusion is understandable of
this young girl who had seen nothing of this sort in all of her life, “But she
was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of
salutation this was” (1:29). Maybe she wiped her eyes thinking it was a dream
or checked herself to see if she had hit her head on something.
The heavenly being is able to read her expression of dumbfoundedness
and quickly assures her that there is nothing to be afraid of. God’s favor has
found Mary. (As stated earlier, this does not suggest that Mary had earned it
in some way, but it does mean that she had been sovereignly chosen of God for
the task she would soon hear about).
After assuring her, Gabriel eagerly divulges the prediction he
had been sent to communicate, “…You will conceive in your womb and bear a son…”(1:31).
Immediately following the prediction of the child Himself,
Gabriel provides Mary with the name of the child. This follows an Old Testament
pattern of prophecy and then naming.
When Brianna and I found out she was pregnant (both times)
we couldn’t wait to discover whether it would be a boy or a girl. However,
notice here that Mary is not given the opportunity of waiting to see what the
sex of the baby will be. Nor is she able to name the baby for herself!
Gabriel states that the name will be “Jesus.” Luke doesn’t
make a big deal out of the name, in fact, the commonality of his name in the
Jewish culture runs parallel to His ordinary birthplace. However, Jesus (which
means God is salvation), would prove to be anything but ordinary and his life
everything but common.
“He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father
David” (1:32). According, to Gabriel, Jesus will be great…PERIOD (no
qualifications, nor conditions)! Gabriel also reveals that He will be the “Son
of the Most High,” which is simply another name for the Son of God. Finally,
Jesus will prove to be the long-awaited heir to the throne of David. The
Davidic throne is clearly a regal image drawn from the Davidic covenant’s
promise of a son, a house, and an everlasting rule. In fact, the promise made
to David (the hero of the Old Testament) will culminate in Jesus Christ. Words
like “son” and the reference to “David” are examples of strong regal language
Gabriel used to let Mary know that her son would prove to be the King her
people had awaited for a long time.
However, not only will Jesus have a title and claim to the
throne of David, “He will reign over a the house of Jacob forever, and His
kingdom will have no end…”(1:33). The phrase “house of Jacob” is another way to
refer to Israel. However, the everlasting quality of His reign seems to suggest
that his sovereignty will extend beyond Israel’s borders.
What an earful! Sure I don’t get to name my baby or talk
things over with Joseph but the son of God! Wow! He is going to be THE King! He
is going to rule THE forever kingdom the OT looks forward to! But wait…how is
this even possible? A justified question from a young Jewish girl.
III. PART 3: The
Explanation of the Message-1:34-37
Given her lack of sexual experience, Mary questions how this
all will transpire. While not yet through high school, it is obvious that Mary
understands that several things need to take place socially and biologically
for this to happen; and yet, in keeping her vow to stay pure, she has not “known”
a man. This question along with the couple’s resolve to abstain from sexual
activity until after Jesus’ birth help to prove that Jesus would be miraculously
conceived. This is what Gabriel reveals next.
What Gabriel tells Mary runs parallel to what was spoken to
Elizabeth and is similar to other stories of miraculous births in Scripture,
“the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of
God” (1:35). Sarah gave birth to Isaac, Isaac had Jacob and Esau, Hannah had
Samuel, etc. God has always enjoyed bringing life from barrenness and
glorifying Himself in these miraculous births. In fact, these allusions are
small images of Christ Himself who brought life in a dead and dying world. In
the midst of spiritual barrenness, Jesus breathes life. Jesus’ birth through
the power of the Holy God is what gave Him His perfect nature and set Him apart
from any other man. His birth was the direct result of God’s creative power and
because of this He can be called the Holy Child and Son of God—holy because Jesus
was set-apart for Spiritual Service, like His Father in every way. First called
the Davidic son because of his practical parents (Joseph and Mary), Jesus is
now revealed to be the Son of God because of His true Father and divinity.
To help Mary to process this incredible influx of
information, Gabriel draws her attention to her relative Elizabeth whose miracle
birth would have given Mary pause to consider the possibility that with God,
all things (even bringing God to earth in the womb of a virgin) are possible,
“and behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a child in her old
age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month” (1:36).
Only God could perform
this greatest of miracles—the incarnation. In Jesus’ birth, God came to earth
in the form of a man. The outsider and
creator of everything became the creation to save it from itself.
Message complete, proclamation given, and predictions made,
Gabriel’s task is complete. He now leaves the ball in Mary’s court. This early
teenage girl’s response to the message is what I hope inspires us today. Before
we think about how excited we would be to accept such an offer, consider the
risk it was for her. She was pledged to be married. What would Joseph say about
the teenage baby bump that would eventually show? What would friends and family
members speculate? Sure her life was
simple and common, but it was familiar and stable. What if she didn’t want this
God-sized interruption? What if she wished it upon someone else? She probably
recognized more than anyone else that she was no one special. “Why me?” she
could have asked. However, Mary says none of these things.
IV. PART 4: The
Response to the Message-1:38
”And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it
be done to me according to your word.”…” (1:38). In this response, Mary immediately
calls herself a slave of God and places herself under His rule, His will, and
His ways. As God’s handmaid, she openly accepts what God asks of her and proves
exemplary in the way she responds to God’s message of grace. Because of the
grace shown to her (God found favor with her simply because He was pleased to
do so), she proved submissive and obedient to Him. God can now do with her what
he wishes. Despite all the risk involved, as the Lord’s servant, she willingly places
her “yes” on the table.
Mary says yes in spite of what Joseph would choose to do
with her. She says yes in spite of what her family would say. She says yes, in
spite of how her community might respond. She says yes in spite of her own
plans for her life. In response to the grace of God in her life, Mary is
willing to leave everything to follow Him in obedience.
With this positive response, the Angel departs back toward
the heavens excited, overjoyed, and grinning at the news he is now eager to
share with his angelic peers, “she said YES!”
So What?
What a conversation! The great thing about it is we don’t
have to wish we were a fly on the wall to experience what took place. Instead,
Luke reveals what happened with pinpoint precision. After understanding the
context of this incredible message and observing the content and explanation of
the message, how will we choose to respond? While I’m sure God will never
appear to you and ask of you to bear His Son, what does he keep asking you to
do for Him. Haven’t we also been shown favor from God undeserved as Mary?
Haven’t we been given unearned grace from the Almighty? If so, then why don’t
we respond like Mary does with complete obedience? If and when we do this God
is able to do with us far more than we ever could have imagined. Isn’t it about
time we stop letting age or circumstance keep us from responding to God’s
grace. What better gift could we give God this Christmas season than to allow
our “yes” to be on the table when God asks us to do anything? What better
activity could we engage in as believers than busying ourselves with actually
doing what He has already instructed in His Word? Maybe it’s time you had a
memorable conversation with God.
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