The Greatest Truth Ever Told | Luke 1:26-35
Read Luke 1:26-35
God has an answer to sin. God reminds us that He loves humanity; that He loves the world in which He created. God, in his sovereignty, knew that He would restore the relationship back to humanity through the perfect visible form of God: Jesus Christ. This was God’s plan all along.
The Point: Sin entered the world through a disobedient man and woman where Salvation from sin will enter the world through an obedient man and woman. God always wins. God saves us from our sin.
- God uses ordinary people to do supernatural work—God’s glory shines through ordinary instruments.
--Luke 1:26-30
There was nothing special about Mary EXCEPT for where she came from. God had chosen Mary not because of anything that she had done rather because she was in the lineage that came from King David’s line—the lineage that goes back to Abraham in which God promised the Messiah would come out of. –Jeremiah 33:14
Isaiah also prophesies about the coming of The Messiah, The King of the Universe in the flesh as a baby and man. —Isaiah 7:10-14
“Mary’s lineage, as recorded by Luke, does not mention Mary, but that’s to be expected—including women’s names in genealogies was not standard practice. It begins this way: “[Jesus] was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23). This comment affirms the truth of Jesus’ virgin birth (see Luke 1:29–38). Joseph was a “son” of Heli by virtue of his marriage to Mary, who would have been the daughter of Heli (Matthew 1:16 lists Joseph’s biological father as Jacob).
Some notable points in Mary’s lineage are that she was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Luke 3:34); she was specifically of the tribe of Judah (verse 33). She was also a descendant of Boaz (verse 32) and David (verse 31). Significantly, Luke traces Mary’s lineage all the way back to Adam (verse 38). This fits with Luke’s purpose as he wrote to Gentiles and emphasized that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save all people (cf. Luke 2:10–11).”
--GotQuestions.org
The only thing that made Mary special or favoured in God’s eyes was totally out of her control—God had called her to be the virgin to give birth to Jesus before she was born. This points to God’s intentionality, to God’s clear sovereignty. God knew that Adam and Eve would sin, God knew that sin would enter the world through a disobedient woman, and disobedient family; God also knew that salvation from sin would be born into the world through an obedient, woman, an obedient family.
Mary didn’t know she was the favored virgin until the angel foretold it to her.
“In Luke 1:39–56, we learn that Mary traveled from Galilee to Judah to visit her relative Elizabeth. She would have had to cross a great distance though the territory of Samaria. We do not know if she traveled alone, with servants, or in the company of other family members. However, there is a great likelihood that, even with adult escorts, Mary would have needed to be both physically and emotionally mature enough to handle such a journey.”—Gotquestions.org
- Mary was going to conceive and give birth to God.
--Luke 1:29-33
The birth of Christ teaches us two important things about Jesus: Jesus is God and Jesus is Human.
We can also see how Jesus’ birth fulfills the messianic prophecies given to God’s people, the jewish people, throughout their history leading up to this moment—remember, Mary was Jewish and she would have practiced Passover, the feast of first fruits, Pentecost, trumpets, day of atonement, tabernacles (which are found in Leviticus 23) she would have been taught about this prophecy through oral and written tradition.
-The Messiah will receive Gifts: Psalm 72:10-11
-The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2
-All nations will be blessed through Abraham’s offspring: Genesis 22:18
-Jesus would be form the line of Jacob: Numbers 24:17 (line of Jesse Isaiah 11:1, line of David Jeremiah 23:5-6)
-Jesus would be the perfect sacrifice for our sins: Isaiah 53:4-5
In this interaction between Mary and the Angel, she would have known all of this, she would have realized that she was the virgin, she was the one to carry God almighty—what an insane concept! This is why she was perplexed. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” –Luke 1:37
--Colossians 1:15-16
- God’s call uprooted Mary’s life, it changed her life, it was daunting, terrifying. Mary was faced with God’s command; a choice to obey God or not to obey God.
--Luke 1:34-35
This passage ends with the angel giving Mary a choice. God’s call, God’s favour in Mary’s life will make her life harder. Living for God is difficult, God calls Mary to do something crazy! You are to raise God from a baby to a man. Imagine what Mary is feeling in this moment.
“The word overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” as in the cloud of Shekinah glory. or the cloud of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34). This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God; this means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament was now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary.”
– Enduring Word Commentary
Sin entered the world through a disobedient woman, salvation will enter the world through an obedient woman. God is intentional in His plan, in His actions. The Bible is not an accident. God is at work. God is a redeemer.
--Colossian 3:17-20
The Point: Sin entered the world through a disobedient man and woman where Salvation from sin will enter the world through an obedient man and woman. God always wins. God saves us from our sin.
Questions:
- Do you see yourself as an instrument for God to use?
- How can you shine Christ’s light in your world?
- How can you daily worship God outside of Sunday morning?