Luke 1:26-56 Jesus’ Birth Announced
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.”
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.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
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.
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When God chose Mary to be the mother of the Savior, he followed a familiar pattern. He did not choose someone who was wealthy or from the ruling class. Mary was poor and from the unprivileged class.
After Jesus directed John to care for Mary as his own mother, there is only one brief mention of her in the Bible. The book of Acts tells us that Mary was among the group of New Testament believers who were worshiping God in the days before Pentecost (1:14).
Mary never became a leader in the church. Apparently, she was not dynamic, nor did she have exceptional ability. As far as we can tell, she would never have been of any importance in world history.
So why did God pick her? The answer is grace. God’s undeserved love led him to choose a sinful, humble person to be the mother of his Son.
The same was true when God chose the people of Israel as the people of the promise. There was nothing in the Israelites that merited God’s blessing. Moses told the Israelites, “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers” (Deuteronomy 7:7,8).
Similarly, there is nothing in us that compelled God to choose and save us. Often we hear people say that their loved one went to heaven because he was good. Or they themselves expect to get to heaven by trying to please the Lord. But none of us is by nature good. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
We are saved not because we are good but because God is good.
Prayer: Lord God, we thank you for choosing us to be your own and to live with you in heaven. Keep us mindful of your marvelous grace, and motivate us to serve you always. Amen.