Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Christmas' Greatest Hits: Gabriel's Gloria -Luke 1:26-38


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 fiancĂ© 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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