Announcement Of The Birth Of Jesus To A Virgin Series

-7 or 6 B.C.-

Nazareth

(2) Announcement of the Birth of Jesus to a Virgin

Scriptures (Is. 7:14) Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Commentary

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

In the sixth month after his appearance to Zacharias (or after Elizabeth became pregnant), Gabriel reappeared—this time to a virgin ([5]See Article #5 page #66) named[1]Mary who lived in the city of [6]Nazareth, in the district of Galilee. Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, a lineal descendant of David, who inherited legal rights to the throne of David, even though he himself was a carpenter. Betrothal was considered a much more binding contract than engagement is today. In fact, it could be broken only by a legal decree similar to divorce. The engagement was completed after negotiations had been carried on by the groom’s representative and the dowry money paid to the girl’s father. After the betrothal, which lasted for about a year, the groom could claim the bride at any time. A wedding was merely recognition of the agreement that had already been established. Joseph had a perfect right to travel with Mary to Bethlehem.

When the angel visited Mary, Mary and Joseph were betrothed but they did not live together as husband and wife. According to Jewish custom, betrothal was a time of engagement that was as binding as marriage. The Law of Moses concerning breaking a betrothal by adultery, rape, fornication, or incest called for death by stoning (Deut. 22:23–30). When Mary became pregnant during her betrothal, Joseph decided to divorce her quietly. However, God explained to Joseph in a dream that Mary’s conception was the miracle of the Holy Spirit.

The angel went to Jerusalem to speak to Zechariah and now God has sent him to Nazareth, with a message for a young girl by the name of Mary. The messenger, both times, is the angel Gabriel. I can think of only two other angels that the Bible names. One is the Arc Angel Michael and the other is Lucifer, who we call Satan and the Devil. Gabriel had a message that was written before the foundation of the world, but it was withheld until God said that the time was right. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”

Mary is called a virgin. Today, some people do not know what that is. That is a woman who could never have a child in a natural way because she has never had a relationship with a man that would make the birth of a child possible. I cannot explain it any simpler. If you still do not understand, then you need to have some one explain to you about the birds and bees.