Chapter 5 – Birth of Jesus Foretold

Chapter 5

Birth of Jesus Foretoldl

(Luke 1:26-38)

About six months later, the angel Gabriel visited a virgin named Mary, who lived in Nazareth, in Galilee. “Mary” is like the Hebrew “Miriam,” which means “exalted.” She was betrothed to a descendant of King David named Joseph. Nazareth is located in southern Galilee, less than thirty miles southeast of Haifa, Israel.

In Jewish law, a betrothal was considered as binding as marriage, but intercourse was not permitted until after the union was formalized by marriage. The betrothal was usually arranged soon after the girl entered puberty, so Mary was probably still a teenager. The betrothal was complete when the dowry money had been paid to the bride’s father. After that, the groom could claim his bride at any time.

Gabriel greeted Mary by telling her, “The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28)^{^[i]} After also assuring her that she had nothing to fear, Gabriel told her that she would become pregnant and give birth to a son, whom she was to name Jesus. “Jesus” is the Greek version of “Yeshua” (Joshua), which means “the Lord [Jehovah] saves” or “the Lord is salvation.” The angel went on to say that this child would be called the “Son of the Most High” (Luke1:32) and the “Son of God” (Luke 1:35), and that he would reign as king over the Jews forever.

Mary asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) Gabriel explained that it would happen through the power of the Holy Spirit, adding that Elizabeth, who was Mary’s relative, was already six months pregnant. Mary dutifully submitted, saying “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Then Gabriel left.

Gabriel’s statement in Luke 1:37 that “nothing will be impossible with God” is similar to what the Lord told Abraham in Genesis 18:14: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”

Questions to Ponder or Discuss: When told by Gabriel that God would perform a miraculous wonder for them, Zechariah and Mary both asked a question. Mary asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Zechariah asked, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years.” How are these questions similar? How are they different? Why do you think Gabriel punished Zechariah but not Mary?

Endnote for Chapter 5:

[i]. The angel addressed Gideon with similar language. See Judges 6:12.