THE ANGEL VISITS MARY
This post originally published12/11/2017
Updated and republished 12/09/2023
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
The sixth month was from the time Elizabeth had conceived (Luke 1:5-25) (see verse 36).
Gabriel is mentioned four times, in the Bible. He appears here to Mary, earlier to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20), and twice to Daniel (Daniel 8; 9:21-27). Gabriel is considered to be an archangel.
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
While most interpret this verse to say that Joseph was of the house of David, as is confirmed in Luke 2:4 & Matthew 1:20, there are many who interpret this verse to say that the virgin was of the house of David. There are some who suggest that the two were closely related, and thus, were both descendants of David.
28 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.
This verse is a great divide between Catholics and Protestants. The term “highly favoured” means “full of grace”. Catholics say Mary is full of grace which she can now bestow. Protestants say Mary was simply full of grace which she has received. Catholics view the tern “Hail, thou that art highly favoured,” as a prayer to Mary (Hail Mary, full of grace).
The word translated “hail” is a common greeting in the Bible. It basically means- Greetings, rejoice, and may God bless you. In 2 John 1:10, the word is translated Godspeed.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Zacharias was filled with fear at the sight of Gabriel (verse 12). Mary was now greatly troubled, not merely at the sight, but as the verse implies, at this strange greeting.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
We are not told any reason Mary found favour with God, but it appears to simply be undeserved grace. Mary’s praise which follows (verses 46-55) does show a close relationship with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
Jesus is the English translation of the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name which is usually translated into English as Joshua, which means “the Lord is salvation” or “the salvation of Jehovah”. The angel would later appear to Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21), with the command to name the child Jesus, and would add, “for he shall save his people from their sins”.
There are many titles given Jesus in the bible. The prophet Isaiah says, “his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).
32 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:
“He shall be great” refers to the earthly ministry of Jesus, and disregards His position in the God-head.
While there are many verses which call Jesus the son of God, yet, it is only by demons that Jesus is elsewhere called the son of God most high (Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28), which may suggest that this is a title from the spiritual world (see also- Hebrews 1:5).
The throne of his father David shows the human lineage of Jesus, despite the fact that the name Jesus points to a spiritual kingdom. That Mary is descended from David gives Jesus a physical link to the earthly kingdom. That Joseph is descended from David makes Jesus a legal heir to the throne.
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
This promise would have let Mary understand that her son would be the expected Messiah.
The house of Jacob (Israel), in this verse, refers not only to the Jews, but includes the soon-to-be Christian religion which is a wild branch grafted onto the true vine (Romans 11:11-32).
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Mary understood the conception to be immediate, but her marriage, to Joseph, was a distant future event. She was not asking for a sign, as Zacharias had, but was just naturally puzzled at how this could happen. Where Zacharias had asked for proof that Gabriel’s words were true, Mary accepted the fact and simply asked “how”. This was not an act of disbelief, but of wonderment.
There is also here a hint of social concerns. For a virgin, betrothed in marriage, to become pregnant could carry the penalty of death. We see, in Matthew 1:18-25, that Joseph would later intend to divorce her privately.
35 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.
Mary may have understood from the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, so Gabriel’s answer would have confirmed to her that she was that virgin.
The word “overshadow” shows the direct presence of God. This is the same word used at the transfiguration of Jesus, in Mark 9:7 “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.” (See also- Matthew 17:5; Luke 9:34)
While the KJV uses the phrase “that holy thing”, the Greek text literally says “the holy begotten”. This is the same word used in the long list of begats in Matthew 1:1-16. (See also- Romans 1:3-4)
36 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.
This was given as a sign to Mary, even though she had not asked for one.
While many translations use the word “cousin”, the word literally means kinswoman or relative. We have no idea as to how closely related they actually were. Since Elizabeth was from the tribe of Levi, and Mary was from the tribe of Judah, they would be relatives from their mother’s side. Intermarriage between tribes was only prohibited if it would not transfer an inheritance from one tribe to the other (Numbers 36:7). The tribe of Levi could freely intermarry, as they had no inheritance of land.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
In Genesis 18:14, when telling the aged Sarah that she would have a son, an angel asks, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” Now, an angel answers the question by referring to the miracle concerning the aged Elizabeth. Mary would have been acutely aware of the similarities between Sarah and Elizabeth, and would have understood this to be proof that Gabriel’s words were truth.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Mary was told that she was highly favoured and blessed among women (verse 28), that she had found favour with God (verse 30), and that she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah (verses 31-33). Yet, she did not exalt herself, but in humble submission called herself “the handmaid (bond-slave) of the Lord”.
Mary fully understood the possible human consequences of a premarital pregnancy. As a bond-slave, she not only bows to total submission, but requests total protection (see- Joshua 10:6).
We should take note that Mary fully accepted God’s plan. He would not have forced it upon her.
NEXT- MARY VISITS ELIZABETH
the coming tribulation 