Sunday, December 10, 2006 – Second Sunday of Advent
The favor of God on Mary
Luke 1:26-45
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30
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When it happens frequently, we may miss the delight of serendipitous moments - those unexpected discoveries that come our way. One more of those moments of serendipity happened when the movie The Nativity was released. Joyce and I attended early in the week and discovered that my selection one whole year ago of Luke’s Gospel chapters 1 & 2 for sermons for this Christmas season were the primary texts for the movie. The Nativity movie is an added bonus to the study of those texts, whether we study the Biblical texts before or after seeing the movie.
The story of Christ’s birth is preceded by the story behind the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel came to Zechariah to inform him that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a baby boy whom they were to name John. This was such startling news that Zechariah had a hard time believing it. That Elizabeth would give birth in her old age was nothing short of a miracle.
Notice the two verses from Luke 1. Verses 7 & 18.
Luke 1:7 & 18 (NIV)
7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
Zechariah’s question was laced with doubt and uncertainty. It lacked faith. He wanted sight. And, it was for that reason that the angel rebuked him.
What we will soon see is that Mary stands partly in contrast to Zechariah. Her question of angel Gabriel was not one of doubt as to whether God would actually do what He said He would do, but one of logistics. “Shouldn’t I get married first?” which is a righteous question.
But, I’m getting ahead of the story. I simply wanted to show that the context for the birth of Jesus contains the story of the birth of John the Baptist. They are linked stories and should not be viewed in isolation from each other.
I also wanted you to take note of the miraculous nature of the birth of John the Baptist. By natural rights, he should never have been conceived. Elizabeth had been barren all her adult life and was now beyond her child bearing years. Yet, God was pleased to open her womb, allow her to become pregnant and to bear a child whose name was John.
Luke 1:21-25 (NIV)
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Now from our text for today.
Luke 1:26-45 (NIV)
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
The reference to the sixth month has in view the stage of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Though our sermon this morning is not focusing on Elizabeth, it is important that we understand the significance of the context that the birth of John the Baptist plays in adding credibility to the virgin birth of Christ.
For, it truly was a miracle that Elizabeth was pregnant. O, I suppose it could be argued that it was a lesser miracle than Mary’s pregnancy as a virgin, but, nonetheless, it was a miracle. Look, the text says, Elizabeth was “well along in years.” Her body had stopped preparing itself for having a baby. But God reversed that condition and she was now in her sixth month of pregnancy. Elizabeth, an older women, was now obviously with child. She must have been the talk of her town. Such news today would be a front page story of any newspaper.
Thus, the story of Elizabeth’s pregnancy creates a context in which we must view the pregnancy of Mary. And, I’m saying, it adds credibility to Mary’s story. You see, what is happening to Mary is not going on in isolation. It is part of a bigger picture. It is simply one piece, albeit a major piece, of a larger puzzle coming together. So, when we are tempted or urged to discard the piece of the puzzle that speaks of a virgin giving birth to a child, we must not do it and cannot do it without disturbing the whole picture.
There are other pieces to this story that add to the credibility of the whole story. Why, for instance, did God choose a couple from a little village called Nazareth? And why did God have to make it so difficult for the young couple? Did He not realize that Bethlehem was a great distance away? That it would be a punishing journey for a fully pregnant young woman? And, why was it so important that Jesus be born in Bethlehem when He would grow up in Nazareth? You see, I’m suggesting that with increased complexity, it takes more for all the little pieces to come together perfectly. But when it does, each piece is given stamp of credibility.
But, again, I’m getting ahead of myself.
The same angel Gabriel, that visits Mary had visited Zechariah. He visits Mary in her home town of Nazareth where she had already been betrothed or pledged to be married to Joseph, not so coincidently a descendant of David. Another very significant piece of the puzzle.
Notice the first two comments by Gabriel: “. . ., you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Two very interesting comments. Both speak of relationship. They combine to say, “Mary, you are in a favored relationship with God. You are accepted by Him and He is with you.”
If God visited you and said to you, “you are in a favored relationship with Me, I accept you and I am with you,” would that bother you to hear that? Would that trouble you?
Why is Mary troubled by this greeting? Is it that she senses that there is yet an unspoken agenda to be disclosed? This greeting is leading to something? It appears that the angel’s greeting raised suspicians within Mary? She may have been wondering, “Is this a set up? What’s coming next?”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.”
So there was something behind the greeting. And it’s shocking. This favorable relationship that the angel says Mary has with God translates into God giving her an extraordinarily unique assignment. Yes, it will be an assignment of honor, but it will be surrounded and engulfed with much misunderstanding and frequent pain.
The amount of information that Mary is given about her soon-to-be-Son is quite detailed. She is told that her baby will be a boy. His name will be Jesus. He’ll be great and be called the Son of the Most High. He’s going to be a king in the line of King David and be genealogically in the line of David. His kingdom will never end.
Unless one had a good grasp of Old Testament prophesies, one would miss the significance of what was just said. But, it’s very possible that Mary found the words of the angel to be a description of the Messiah. So, she could be asking, “Are we talking about the arrival of the Messiah, coming to earth as a babe, and I’m going to be his mother?” She could have been asking that given her knowledge of the Old Testament.
She could also be asking, “How is it that someone who will be great should be born by someone like me who is poor and lives in a obscure little village?”
Now, the question Luke records for us that Mary asked is this:
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
In other words, she says to the angel. “But Gabriel, I’m not married. I’ve never been with a man. I’m all for it, but I have no clue how you’re going to make it happen.”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Wow! What a response! “I am Your servant! Whatever You say, I’ll obey!”
Mary has just been informed of two miracles in progress - two pregnancy miracles. First, her own. She was going to have a baby and the father was going to be God. And then, she was informed of the miracle taking place within her relative Elizabeth. After being childless all her life, now when she could no longer have babies, God changes all of that and makes it possible. And, on behalf of God, Gabriel makes a profound theological statement: “nothing is impossible with God.”
So far what we’ve seen in this story is that God likes to take what is unlikely and turn it into a display of His power and glory. He did it with Elizabeth. He’s doing it with Mary. And we should not be surprised if He does it with us.
7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. But God changed all of that.
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” Here again, God did the impossible so that we would know who can do the impossible.
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
Do you see how the stories of Elizabeth and Mary are tied together? Gabriel in orchestrating their story lines. Why else would he tell Mary of what was happening to her relative if He hadn’t wanted her to go spend some time with her and be encouraged by her and bring their stories together?
Now imagine the heaviness of this knowledge on Mary about the baby. It would be enough to have to deal with the huge challenge of being pregnant without being married. But to also know that the baby growing within you is someone who is going to be great and powerful, that would be an understandable cause for anxiety. So, for Mary to visit Elizabeth was important for her. It was a mutually encouraging time.
And here, the Holy Spirit orchestrates that encouragement. First, Elizabeth is encouraged and honored when, at the moment of Mary’s arrival, the Holy Spirit fills her and causes Elizabeth’s baby to leap within her. Second, Mary is encouraged when Elizabeth, full of the Holy Spirit, speaks prophetic words to Mary. And the words of Elizabeth could only have been spoken through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. How else would she have known that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God? Can you explain how Elizabeth would have known that Mary was the mother of her Lord? For Mary to hear that had to have solidified and confirmed the words of the angel. And for Elizabeth to say to Mary that she is blessed because she has believed, those, too, are words of affirmation that what the Lord had said to her would truly be accomplished.
So this coming together of the stories of Elizabeth and Mary is just more verification that what’s going on is the work of God to bring the Savior to this world and for the world to know it.
In all of this I have two points to leave you with.
First, having to do with Character Emulation. This is much to commend about all four of our main characters, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph. Clearly in this passage, the character of Mary stands out. For her to receive both a privileged assignment and such a disturbing assignment and respond as she did, is hugely challenging to each of us.
God’s assignment for Mary totally changed her life. She did not go looking for it. Yet, she welcomed the assignment as a true servant of God.
She had lived as a servant of God prior to this call on her life. I believe she was practiced in being a servant, of responding favorably to instructions from the Lord.
That, my friends, is a character worth emulating. Let us practice serving our Lord, starting with the small things, taking joy in the assignments He gives us.
Mary welcomed this big assignment from God because she had practiced welcoming small assignments from Him. Her faith was grounded firmly on the truth that nothing is impossible with God.
The second I leave you with has to do with Vision Corroboration.