Luke 1:26-38 (The Annunciation)

Rachel Workman: 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” I love this an angel, Gabriel no less was telling Mary she was a favored woman. And indeed she was.
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. I can imagine her thinking this. We are favored because we are children of God. But if an angel appeared to me and said Greetings favored woman would I ponder in the same way? I would guess yes I would. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[e] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” Amen, and I need to remember this. When I hit a wall, I need to remember nothing is impossible with God.
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. I would like to think that I would respond in the same way to God no matter what it was he was asking of me. However, I know first hand I haven't always responded well to the things God has asked me to do.

  

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John Burnett:  ²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin ^[a]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the ^[b]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was ^[c]Mary. ²⁸ And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, ^[d]favored one! The Lord ^[e]is with you.” ²⁹ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. ³⁰ 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 bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; 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 His kingdom will have no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How ^[f]can this be, since I ^[g]am a virgin?”  I don’t detect doubt in her statement like you could from Zacharias’s questioning.³⁵ The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the ^[h]holy Child shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and ^[i]she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For ^[j]nothing will be impossible with God.”  Isn’t this such wonderful promise.  Because it is true, everything He promises will be fulfilled.   ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, the ^[k]bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  The term slave has such a negative connotation in the world’s eyes.  To be a slave to Jesus Christ means that we belong to him and no one will snatch us from his hand.  And the angel departed from her.

Jesus’s birth was important only in that it was a necessary part of the plan in order for Him to die as the final sacrifice for the sins of the world.  I know how many sins I have committed and the punishment I deserve and he will willingly stepped down off of his throne to come and take that punishment for me.  What an amazing Savior.

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Krista Cook:  ²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, - we once again see the angel Gabriel delivering some very  shocking and life-changing news
 ²⁷ to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸ Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!^[d]”
- to a very unlikely young woman
²⁹ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. - and she seemed to think so, too
³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!  ^{-what a great thing to be said of her!  I pray that I find favor in His eyes, too.
31} You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel^[e] forever; his Kingdom will never end!” - what a lot to take in!  Can you imagine how her head must have been spinning?
³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For nothing is impossible with God.^[f]” -and here is her answer!  One that we would do well to remember today.
³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. - how do you respond to Him?
 May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

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Mike Grimm:  ²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸ Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

²⁹ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” ³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” Her question, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” is not prompted by doubt or skepticism, but by wonderment! She is a true hearer of the Word and she immediately responds with faith and trust.

³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. We have here an account of the mother of our Lord; though we are not to pray to her, we need to praise God for her. Christ must be born miraculously. ³⁶ What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For nothing is impossible with God.”

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Mary's reply to the angel was the language of faith and humble admiration, and she asked no sign for the confirming her faith. The angel states the basic premise "Nothing is impossible with God." Mary simply responds in humble acceptance, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

We have here an account of the mother of our Lord; though we are not to pray to her, we need to praise God for her. Christ must be born miraculously.

Luke 1:18-25 (The promise of the birth of John the Baptist cont.)

Rachel Workman: 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” I think the real problem here was a lack of faith. Zechariah didn't believe that God was capable. I too have been plenty guilty of this. In fact I would probably be lacking for words a lot if God took away my speech every time I lacked faith. Lord help me with my belief.

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” I am curious about why she went into seclusion.

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John Burnett:  Zacharias was responsible for making sacrifices in the Temple.  I read an article last night where they are training a new generation of Priests to make the sacrifices in the new Temple.  The Third Temple is a sign that we are in the end times.

Luke 1:18-25

¹⁸ Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in ^[a]years.” ¹⁹ The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who ^[b]stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰ And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”  The man is the High Priest and a pillar of the faith and when an angel appears, what does he do, he doubts.  Blessed are those who have not seen yet still believe.

²¹ The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept ^[c]making signs to them, and remained mute. ²³ When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.

²⁴ After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she ^[d]kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, ²⁵ “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”  In those days, you were being punished for something you did if God did not bless you with children.  Hers was not going to be an ordinary child, he was going to be the greatest man in God’s eyes next to Jesus Christ of course. 

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Krista Cook:  - not sure I would want to be questioning an angel from the Lord.  Zechariah learned that lesson the hard way - by not being able to speak.  I bet he would think twice before speaking the next time!

I wonder if he was able to write out for Elizabeth the reason for him not being able to speak when he got home.  And when she went into seclusion, was he with her?  If so, that would have been a very quiet 5 months.  But they were certainly preparing for something big!

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Mike Grimm:  ¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” The sad thing about the unbelief of Zacharias is that there were a number of examples of supernatural births in the Old Testament. God was not promising to do something for Zacharias and Elizabeth which he had not done for others before them. Abraham and Sarah had a son in their old age, as did Hannah and the parents of Samson. The virgin birth, on the other hand, was something entirely new, but Zacharias was not asked to believe this, only that he and his wife would have a son in their old age.

Zechariah asked what seemed to be a reasonable question. He and his wife were too old to have children. But the question showed that he did not believe the angel. Mary asked a similar question. But she did believe the angel. She asked how God would give her a child.

¹⁹ Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! ²⁰ But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” The angel told Zechariah that his name was Gabriel. Gabriel means ‘God’s soldier’. This was a direct message from God. So Zechariah did not believe God. But God would do what he said. Because of this, Zechariah would not be able to speak until after John was born.

²¹ Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. ²² When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

²³ When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. ²⁴ Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. ²⁵ “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” By miraculously letting Elizabeth conceive, God removed her reproach among people. As a barren woman, she would have been treated as one cursed by God. Now that she was pregnant, God had removed this stigma from her, and all who thought ill of her would not only see that God had not only blessed her, but done so in miraculous fashion. Her reproach and shame had been removed, and her son would usher in another miraculous son, who would remove the reproach of all people.

Luke 1:5-17 (The promise of the birth of John the Baptist).

Rachel Workman: Reading for Luke 1:5-17 (The promise of the birth of John the Baptist).

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. I want to be known as being righteous in the eyes of God.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” Can you imagine being told this about your coming child? It would be joy enough to know after years of being barren you would conceive and have a child but to have these things spoken about your child would be overwhelming. Can you imagine the conversation between parents? What parent’s brag could hold against what was spoken about John? Well my child will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. My child will have the power of Elijah! My child will bring the sinners around to godly council. Imagine pondering these things as you carried that child.

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John Burnett: ⁵ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named ^[a]Zacharias, of the division of ^[b]Abijah; and he had a wife ^[c]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in ^[d]years.  To live life and be considered righteous in the sight of God is something I cannot fathom because I come so short of that.  I am so thankful that I have Jesus Christ’s righteousness imputed to my account.

⁸ Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. ¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear ^[e]gripped him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will ^[f]give him the name John. ¹⁴ You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit ^[g]while yet in his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  To be the first person to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be called “great in the sight of the Lord” would bring great joy and gladness.  To speak as John the Baptist spoke would require the Holy Spirit to give him the words because no one else knew what he did.  He even knew Christ when he lept in his mother’s womb, when Mary came to visit Elizabeth.

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Krista Cook:  ⁵ When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. ⁶ Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.

-  praying that this can be said of me and my husband.  That is what we are striving for.

⁷ They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

⁸ One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. ⁹ As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

¹¹ While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. ¹² Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. ¹³ But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.^{[b] 16} And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,^[c] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

- can you imagine being told this about a child you were to have?  What a great responsibility was being placed upon him.  But we should also feel this same responsibility with our children today.  Raise them in His sight and to do His work.

  

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Mike Grimm:    ⁸ One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. ⁹ As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. All the prayers we offer up to God are acceptable and successful only by Christ's intercession in the temple of God above. We cannot expect an interest therein if we do not pray, and pray with our spirits, and are not earnest in prayer. Nor can we expect that the best of our prayers should gain acceptance, and bring an answer of peace, but through the mediation of Christ, whoever lives, making intercession.

¹¹ While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. ¹² Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. ¹³ But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! Every scripture in the Bible where an angle appears, the first words out of their mouths is “Don’t, or do not, be afraid.” I’ve often wondered if Angels are scary of if those meeting the angel had weaker faith then we picture them as having. Or maybe it’s the case of them thinking they were alone and looking up and seeing somebody unexpectedly standing there. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. Even before birth. How awesome is that. ¹⁶ And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” His ministry would be to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He would prepare the way of the Messiah by turning hearts to God before the Messiah came.