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| The Annunciation, fresco by Fra Angelico convent of San Marco, Florence |
1:26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee to which the name [was] Nazareth...
In the birth story of Matthew, which presumably existed in the church prior to the Gospel of Luke, the story of Jesus' birth begins in Bethlehem. If all we had were Matthew's Gospel, we would assume that Joseph and Mary started out in Bethlehem and only ended up in Nazareth because of Archelaus ruling in Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 2:22).
While this tension might be seen as problematic by some, it actually provides an argument for the historicity of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. It is a common point of agreement in Matthew and Luke in the midst of a great deal of diversity in the birth accounts in general. The typical Christmas play is a splicing together of quite different and unique elements in the story, but the birth in Bethlehem is in common.
Gabriel once more is the messenger angel who brings the announcement or "annunciation" of what is about to come to Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus. A Greek audience would have thought of Hermes and a Roman audience of Mercury. Hermes/Mercury was the one who brought messages to people from Zeus and the gods. It is no surprise, then, that the people of Lystra in Acts 14:12 think that Paul is Hermes because he is the main speaker.
In Matthew, Joseph has a dream, but Mary is the focus in Luke's Gospel. This focus on women, both Mary and Elizabeth, is uncharacteristic of the ancient world, which was overwhelmingly male-oriented. One of the special emphases of the Gospel of Luke is Jesus' focus on the role that women played in the Gospel story. This is also a feature of the book of Acts. It fits with Luke's sense that Jesus' earthly mission primarily focused on the "lost sheep," those knocked off track by the world, the marginalized of Israel.
The village in which Mary lives is Nazareth. It was an unremarkable location, a small place of no world significance. We wonder if most of the Jews living in Jerusalem would even have heard of it. Certainly, no one outside of Israel would have known it. It is not mentioned at all in the Old Testament.
It was "Nowheresville," another indication that God cares for the most insignificant. Those who are from someplace other than big cities will know of these small little towns and villages that you drive through when you are in the middle of nowhere. God came to earth in such a place.
27. ... to a virgin having been engaged to a man whose name [was] Joseph, from the house of David and the name of the virgin [was] Mary.
The Greek parthenos may or may not focus on the virginity of Mary. Certainly, the assumption of the word is that she is a virgin, although it might also be translated as "young maiden" or "young woman." It simply would not be a question that this young woman was also a virgin.
The story assumes that Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus without ever having sex. There have been some who have argued that Luke does not assume a virginal conception since the text does not explicitly say she never has sex with Joseph to become pregnant. [1] However, this argument seems very difficult to make. While it may be possible to read the text that way, it seems a highly improbable reading, as we will argue below.
Mary is engaged to Joseph in the village of Nazareth. If we make the normal assumptions about such an arrangement, we expect that Joseph might be a bit older than she is. He might actually be much older. She may not be his first wife or marriage although she seems to be his only wife. She is probably in her early teens, perhaps as young as fourteen.
The marriage may be arranged. Either his parents or, if he is older, perhaps he arranged the marriage with her before she was old enough to be fully aware of her destiny. A betrothal was binding and to break such a betrothal would be tantamount to a divorce, although no sexual relations took place during that period.
He is a descendent of David. At first, it might seem puzzling that such a descendant would be living in Galilee, but we soon find out that his family is ultimately from Bethlehem. We might infer then that his arrival in Nazareth may have taken place in his lifetime or not long before. Certainly, a number of Judeans had moved to Galilee in the century before Christ during the time of the Maccabees.
28. And having entered to her, he said, "Hail, having been favored [one], the Lord [is] with you!" 29. But she at this word was terrified and was debating what sort of greeting this would be. [2]
This is the verse from which the "Hail, Mary" takes its name. Roman Catholics often ask Mary to intercede for them saying, "Hail, Mary, full of grace. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." The full statement includes material from verse 42 below. [3]
Gabriel says that she is "having been favored." This is in the perfect tense suggesting that God's favor came upon her at some point in the past and that it remains upon her. The word "to favor" is charitoō, which is related to the word for "grace," charis. God's disposition is to show favor to Mary, to give graciously to her.
The Lord is with her. What a blessing to have the Lord on your side! Of course, the Lord is always on our side, but the Lord is not always "with us" on every venture or plan that we conceive. Mary has not conceived of the plan that God has for her in this instance, but she will be a willing participant.
Her willingness does not of course keep this situation from being terrifying. As with Zechariah, her natural response is one of terror. The young Mary is understandably confused and uncertain as to what is happening.
30. And the angel said to her, "Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor before God. 31. And, behold, you will conceive in womb and will bear a son, and you will call his name, 'Jesus' ...
On cue, Gabriel tells her not to be afraid. The visit is not one of judgment or peril, but one of blessing. it is a visit of "favor" or "grace" (charis). God is about to give her a great blessing.
Luke 1:31 echoes Isaiah 7:14 without quoting it--"A young woman will conceive and bring forth a son, and you will call his name, 'Immanuel.'" Matthew of course quotes the verse. Luke may be aware of Matthew and feel no need to quote the verse, perhaps thinking that his audience would already know it. The similarity is striking, with only the name Jesus switched out for Immanuel.
Christians of course believe that Jesus was "God with us," the Word become flesh. The name Jesus is the Greek for Joshua. In Hebrew, Joshua means, "Yahweh saves" and so implies that in Jesus Yahweh is with his people, saving them.
Although Luke does not state it explicitly, his readers understand that this will be a virginal conception. A virgin can of course conceive by becoming pregnant the first time she has sex. But that is not what Luke has in mind. She is not married and she is not yet having relations with Joseph. As Matthew 1:25 indicates, they will not have sexual relations until after Jesus is born.
32. "This [one] will be great and he will be called, 'Son of the Most High,' and the Lord God will give to him the throne of David his father. 33. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will not be an end."
The expression, "Son of God" is a royal, kingly title in the Old Testament as well as in the Roman world. As we will mention in the next chapter, Augustus thought of himself as the son of a god. In Psalm 2, God declares the king of Judah to be his Son and tells the other kings of the nations to "kiss" the Son. Several other Old Testament texts refer to the king as God's son, as well as other Jewish literature of the day. [4]
The announcement thus declares that Jesus will be the Messiah, the king of Israel. That is his destiny. God is going to give him the throne of David. As David was called to be king in Bethlehem, Jesus the Son of David will be born in Bethlehem on a path to become king of God's people. It will not happen on earth during his first coming, but it will happen over the whole cosmos at his second coming.
David was also promised that his kingdom would never end (2 Sam. 7:16), but in his case the sense was that of a dynasty. His descendants would rule after he himself passed. It is not that way with the kingdom of Christ. He is risen from the dead and will come again and he will reign forever and ever in person (cf. Rev. 11:15).
34. And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am not 'knowing' a man?"
Here is Luke's indication that Mary's pregnancy will not take place on the basis of human sexual relations. She is not having sex with any man, whether Joseph or otherwise. Her question has an arguably different tone than Zechariah's. As one pastor has said, Zechariah asks "if" it will happen. Mary asks "how" it will happen.
35. And, having answered, the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy [child] that is being born will be called, 'the Son of God.'
The answer to Mary's question is "the Holy Spirit." A man will not come upon her but the Holy Spirit will lead her to be pregnant supernaturally. This is not an event like in Greek mythology where Zeus has sex with a human. This is a spiritual conception. It is a matter of God's power.
We would call this event a miracle, "super" natural, above nature. God has created the world to operate by certain rules. This event breaks the rules, the most helpful understanding of a miracle. It is an instance of God stepping into the flow of history and interrupting it with a power that goes beyond what is naturally possible.
The "Most High" is an Old Testament way of referring to God (el elyon; cf. Gen. 14:18), possibly dating back to a time in Israel's history before they more fully understood the oneness of God. Someone in the Greco-Roman world would likely have thought of Zeus, the king of the gods. While this conception is quite different from that of Zeus causing the birth of Perseus, a Greek or Roman would understand well enough that Jesus was indeed in this way the son of God.
Conceived of the Holy Spirit, the child Jesus will be holy, set apart to God and pure. This will not be an ordinary child. And as we have mentioned, "Son of God" is a royal title. Jesus is heir to the Father's throne as well as heir to the throne of David. He will become the "Son of God in power" after his resurrection (Acts 13:33; Rom. 1:4), then installed in office as Lord and Christ (cf. Acts 2:36).
36. "And, behold, your kinsman Elizabeth also herself has conceived a son in her old age, and this month is the sixth to her who is called, 'barren.' 37. For with God, no word will be impossible from God."
Now Gabriel tells Mary about Elizabeth, and she will then set out to visit her. The miracle of Elizabeth's conception supports the power of God in Mary's own situation. Elizabeth was called, "barren," sterile. But the matters that seem impossible from a human perspective are not impossible to God. Elizabeth is two-thirds of the way through her pregnancy. God has triumphed over the natural.
"Every word will not be impossible from God." The wording is Greek idiom but is fascinating. Mary has just received a word (hrēma). It may seem like a word that is not possible, but every word is possible with God. And it is "from God." It is a word from God, and it is possible from God.
God is all powerful. God has the power to do anything in this world. God created the world out of nothing. You cannot create something out of nothing without having all power in relation to what you create. God thus has the power to do anything in this universe.
Christian philosophers sometimes debate whether God can do what is logically impossible. Can God make 1 + 1 = 3? Far be it from us to think we know the answer to that question. Certainly, God can multiply loaves and fishes. However, many aspects of logic are matters of definition rather than matters of true impossibility.
In the end, God created this universe out of nothing and so created the rules for this universe. Who is to say that God has not created other universes with different rules and different logics that we could not possibly comprehend?
38. And Mary said, "Behold the servant girl of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word." And the angel went away from her. [5]
Mary submits to the divine revelation. She is God's servant. She will do whatever God asks her to do. God would not have chosen her otherwise. Gabriel's task is accomplished.
[1] John Meier
[2] A potential optative.
[3] Some later manuscripts, splicing the two verses together because of later tradition, include "blessed are you among women" in verse 28 as well.
[4] E.g., 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 89:27.
[5] An optative of wish.
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"Who is to say that God has not created other universes with different rules and different logics that we could not possibly comprehend?"
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