THE VIRGIN CONCEIVES

In this post we will begin to take a look at Luke’s account of the revelation of God’s plan to send His Son Jesus as our Redeemer.

Luke 1:26-29 …the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to deliver a message to a young woman named Mary in the city of Nazareth in Galilee.  The girl is identified as a virgin, one who has never had a sexual relationship with a man.  Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David, and in Jewish culture this was as binding as marriage.  The fact that Joseph is of the house of David is significant since the Messiah was to be a descendant of David; and from an earthly perspective, this would be determined by his paternal heritage.  Luke later records that God was true to His promise to David since Mary was also a descendant of David through his son Nathan.

Luke 1:30-33 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Mary was naturally frightened at the sudden appearance of the angel and didn’t understand His message.   Gabriel comforted Mary and told her the wonderful news that she would give birth to the Messiah—the dream of every Jewish girl.  Gabriel told her that she was to name the child JESUS (savior, deliverer).  He went on to explain that this child would not be just another deliverer (e.g. Moses); He would be called or known as “the Son of the Highest,” a reference to the Supreme God.  It is emphasized that the Lord God will place Him on the throne of His ancestor, King David.  The angel goes on to declare that once He is placed on that throne, He will rule the house of Jacob (Israel) forever!  His kingdom will endure and His throne never usurped.

Gabriel’s words have a direct connection to the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 9:6–7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Luke 1:34-35 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Mary believed what Gabriel told her, she just didn't understand how it could happen.  She understood the facts of life, and she had never had sexual relations with a man.  Gabriel explained that the Holy Ghost would work a miracle in her; her son would be the Son of God in the flesh.

Luke 1:36-38 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Before leaving Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elisabeth, who had been considered barren, had become pregnant in her old age; and, in fact, was six months along.  I am sure that this was meant to be an encouragement to Mary.  In light of events concerning both women, the angel declared that “with God nothing is impossible.”  Mary humbly yielded herself to the will of the Lord and declared her faith in Him and her belief in the message delivered by Gabriel. 

Mary’s declaration of faith says a lot about the young woman chosen to give birth to the Savior.  According to Jewish law, it was life-threatening to be found with child by what would be perceived as an adulterous relationship.

John 8:4–5 “They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?”

I think that Mary’s faith led her to believe implicitly that God would ensure her safety and the birth of this child, but she could not have been so sure that Joseph or even her parents would believe her.  It was certain that her character would be questioned and that she faced becoming an outcast.  Let’s take a look at Joseph’s response as recorded by Matthew.

Matthew 1:18-19 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

Joseph was evidently an honorable and compassionate man.  He didn’t want any harm to come to Mary, so he decided to pursue a private divorce that would preserve his reputation and spare Mary and her family as much as possible.

Matthew 1:20-21 & 24-25 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

God knew Joseph’s heart, so he sent the angel of the Lord to him in a dream to tell him that Mary had not been unfaithful to him and that he should not fear taking her as his wife.  Joseph was told that Mary had in fact been chosen to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah.  He was told that her pregnancy was a miraculous work of the Holy Ghost in her.  The angel also told Joseph that he was to name the child Jesus, which means savior or deliverer.  The child would be the promised Redeemer. 

Joseph did not question his dream.  I believe that Mary’s reputation and her report of Gabriel’s visit to her helped confirm in Joseph’s mind that his dream had been from God.  They both decided to trust in God’s provision for them in spite of the ridicule they would face from society, and so they were officially married.  Point is made that Joseph and Mary did not consummate their marriage until after Jesus was born. 

(to be continued...)