Bible Study

Bible Study

Luke 1:26 – 35 (NKJV)

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.”

These are familiar words to the church at Christmas time. Maybe we should read them other times of the year.

The importance of the virgin birth cannot be overstated.

 Both Matthew and Luke expressly say that Mary was a virgin. Mary through supernatural means conceived by the Holy Spirit. The testifies to both His deity and His sinfulness. “Rejoice favored one” is a term we find in Ephesians 1:6 where it is translated “bestowed” portraying Mary as a recipient of divine grace.

The angel said to Mary “Do not be afraid” the same thing Gabriel said to Zacharias. Gabriel says to Zacharias “you’re son will be great” but to Mary “Son of the Most High.” Since a son bears his father’s qualities, calling aa person someone else’s “son” was a way of signifying equality. Here the angel is telling Mary her son would be equal to the “Most High.”

The angel knew the heart of Mary because as you remember when Zacharias questioned Gabriel he was struck silent because he questioned. Mary did not question what she said was not borne out of doubt but out of wonder.

The amazing immaculate conception. God Bless.