Luke 1:26-56

Butler's Comments

SECTION 4

Predictions of the Redeemer (Luke 1:26-56)

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you! 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.30And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High;

and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

33and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever;

and of his kingdom there will be no end.

34And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I have no husband?

35And the angel said to her,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For with God nothing will be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah. and greeted Elizabeth.41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

46And Mary said,

My soul magnifies the Lord,

47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden,

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;

49for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

50And his mercy is on those who fear him

from generation to generation.

51He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,

52he has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and exalted those of low degree;

53he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent empty away.

54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

55as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.

56And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

Luke 1:26-38 Mother: In the days of Herod the land of the Jews was divided into about six regions (Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Idumea, Decapolis and Perea) each with their own cultural, racial and religious distinctives. The word Galilee means, circuit of the Gentiles. It was more Gentile in character and culture than Judea, and as a result Galilean Jews were considered less holy by their Judean countrymen. The village of Nazareth was in the hill country of Galilee, sheltered in a little valley all its own, about 20 miles from the plain of Esdralon. Although an important Roman road ran near the ancient village making it a widely known place, its people had established a rather poor reputation. Nathaniel questioned, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? as if its reputation were proverbial (cf. John 1:46). Again, viewed from the human perspective, this would be a most unlikely place to find a woman God might use to bear His precious, sinless Son into the world.

But the Lord knew there was a godly young woman, a virgin, betrothed to a godly man, upon whom He could depend for his momentous, spectacular mission. Hebrew betrothals were much more serious than modem engagements. A betrothed woman suspected of unfaithfulness could be divorced and even put to death (cf. Matthew 1:18-20); she could not be divorced without a bill of divorcement; if her fiancé died she was counted as a widow; and a child born during the betrothal was held to be legitimate. In Matthew 1:19, Joseph is called Mary's husband while still in the betrothal stage of their relationship (that is, before he knew her as a wife). But, in the light of the binding requirements of betrothal it is not unusual for Joseph to be called her husband before the consummation of the marriage. Most Jewish girls were betrothed when very young. Few of them spent much time at formal education. One rabbi wrote in the Talmud that teaching a girl was the same as starting her upon the road to moral depravation. However the Talmud also says, Every man is required to teach his daughter the Torah. Mary knew the Scriptures; for her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) contains at least 30 words or phrases echoed from the Old Testament.

Mary was a virgin. Her marriage had not been consummated with sexual intercourse. Therefore, she was greatly troubled when the angel announced she would conceive and bear a child. It was beyond her comprehension as to how this could take place (Luke 1:34). There was nothing supernatural in the fact that Mary could give birth. Medical history has noted a few cases of conception in women where the virginal hymen was intact after intercourse with a man: However, history has never recorded the conception of a woman without the implantation of male sperm within her womb. The miracle is technically not a virgin birth but conception without the implantation of male sperm in her womb. Mary was a virgin; she was betrothed and old enough to give birth. But she had not known a man. The Greek word ginosko is used often for mental knowledge, but in this verse (Luke 1:34) means sexual intercourse (as in Genesis 4:1, etc.).

The fact that Luke was highly trained in medicine and research and that his accuracy in recording history is unimpeachable lends importance to this account beyond measure. Everything in Luke's training would lead him to be highly skeptical of such a claim. To record it for the world of his day to read would subject him to criticism by his colleagues, ridicule by the general public, mockery by the pagan myth-religions which were built on bizarre tales of parthenogenesis by their gods, and the animosity of the Jewish world of his day. But Luke traced all things accurately and was so convinced of its truth he boldly and beautifully recorded it.
Luke is not recording parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis involves the development of eggs from virgin females without fertilization by spermatozoa. it occurs chiefly in certain insects, crustaceans, and worms. History has never recorded such a thing of the human race. But Luke records the angel's statement that the conception of Jesus would take place through the direct action of the Holy Spirit of God in the womb of Mary. Science cannot legitimately speak for or against the Biblical teaching of the virgin conception. The conception of Christ in Mary's womb was a biological miracle. A modern scientist may say that he has never observed a virgin conception but just because he has never observed one does not mean one did not occur. Harold Fowler writes in, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. I, pg. 46, College Press, The question of the virgin birth, then, remains, will we accept the testimony of the eyewitnesses and the universal acknowledgment of the early Church as recorded in the documents of the Church, or, rejecting this, will we adhere to a mistaken view of natural law, a view which decides a priori that all miraculous events are impossible?

Some theologians today say it is not important to our Christian faith that we believe in the virgin conception. But the fundamental integrity of both Matthew and Luke as historians is impugned if we do not. How can we believe anything else they recorded if we do not believe the accuracy and historicity of this event? The honesty of God is brought into question if we do not believe it, for He directed His prophet Isaiah to predict the event (Isaiah 7:14). The virgin conception is, the keystone which supports the arch of logical connection between the incarnation of God and the Messiah's necessary identification with humanity. (Fowler, ibid, pg. 45).

And so the godly young maiden from Nazareth, Mary, continued to cast about (dielogizeto, in Gr.) for answers to these astounding things she was being told by the angel. This child to be conceived in her womb by the miraculous power of God's Spirit was to be called Jesus, or Yeshua (Joshua) in Hebrew, which means, Jehovah-is-salvation.

While Mary was still trying to figure out how she could conceive without knowing a husband, the angel gave Mary further proof that it would come to pass. The angel told Mary of the conception of her barren cousin, Elizabeth. If God could accomplish this, why could He not cause Mary to conceive without knowing a man. Mary did not need the proof. She immediately surrendered to the will of the Lord as announced by the angel. The word for handmaid is doule. It is the same word the apostle Paul uses to call himself a bond slave of Jesus Christ. Mary willingly acknowledged herself as a female slave of Jehovah, surrendering to what she undoubtedly knew would cause consternation in her fiance Joseph, jeopardize her social status in Nazareth should any neighbors find out, and endanger her very life should she be accused of infidelity to Joseph.

Although Mary was only a mortal and not to be elevated above another, and surely not to be given the title Queen of Heaven, yet the glory of all motherhood was her lot. Among all women she was afforded the greatest privilegeto give birth to the Savior of the world. The beautiful song Ave Maria was written under the inspiration of these verses. The first two parts of the hymn are purely biblical and date from earliest times. The third portion was added around the fifteenth century and is not at all biblical. Surely Mary was highly favored because of her faith and godliness. Her submission to the revealed will of God is a great example and challenge to all who would be used of God in His work of redeeming the world.

Luke 1:39-56 Magnificat: Two women, chosen by God to be instruments of His in the divine redemption of mankind, burst forth in rapturous praise and thanksgiving to Him. Within a few short hours of the visit of the angel, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived in the hill country of Judea (probably south of Jerusalem) so Mary's trip took at least four days. What a spectacular thing was going to happen to Mary! The miracle of the conception was nothing compared to the identity of the Child to be conceived! He would be the Messiah;, the Savior and the Son of David whom the Jewish people had longed for for centuries. Nearly every act of their religious and civil life was in typical anticipation of this Messiah. Great and famous women of the nation had lived and died hoping they would give birth to the Son of David. God chose a Galilean peasant girl, the fiance of a lowly carpenter, to be that mother. In addition, Mary's cousin Elizabeth was going to be blessed with a baby after all these years of praying for one. Mary could not stay in Nazareth! She had to go visit her cousin and share with her in the good news that had come to both of them. It is nothing short of amazing that Mary could restrain herself from telling everyone she knew. Perhaps the circumstances we mentioned earlier caused her to be cautious. Perhaps Mary already had a mother's intuition of the jeopardy she might place her future Child in should she make too much publicity of the angel's announcement. Whatever the case, Mary had to tell someone so she went with haste to Elizabeth's home.

Two more miracles occurred when Mary arrived at her cousin's house. Elizabeth's baby leaped in her womb. Hobbs says, The intended forerunner responded to the prenatal presence of Him whom he should proclaim. At that moment, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to pronounce a blessing upon Mary and Mary's child. The Holy Spirit did not leave the identity of Mary's Child up to Elizabeth's human knowledge. Elizabeth could not have known who this Child was. Deity taking human flesh, being born as a baby and conceived by a virgin is completely outside human experience and therefore, outside human comprehension. The Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth the identity of Mary's ChildHe is her Lord! Elizabeth also proclaims the blessing that Mary is to have because she believed and surrendered herself to become the handmaiden of God. While Elizabeth praises Mary, she does so because Mary is going to give birth to Christ, the Savior and Lord, not because there was any inherent divinity in Mary. Certainly Elizabeth was not worshipping Marynor should anyone else. The Bible expressly forbids man to worship anyone except God (Exodus 34:14; Exodus 20:4-5; Deuteronomy 6:13-14; Isaiah 45:20; Revelation 22:8-9). Mary cannot be a mediatrix between God and man for there is only One Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).

The word magnificat is Latin for doth magnify. The Greek word Luke used is megalunei which means to amplify, exalt, extol and enlarge. Mary was moved deeply, emotionally and spiritually to praise the Lord with words of Scripture she had learned and stored in her heart. Her prayer of thanksgiving is very similar to that of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). We think Mary was guided by the Holy Spirit in the selection (perhaps some from Psalms) and utterance of the words of this great pen of praise. She makes some statements concerning herself and her Child that she could not make with human knowledge alone. Mary first rejoices in her own experience (Luke 1:46-49). She prophecies that all generations will henceforth call her blessed. Then she rejoices in the blessings that are coming to the world as a result of her experience (Luke 1:50-55). She predicts that her Child will fulfill all the redemptive events of the long history of God's dealings with men. Mary is not simply reviewing God's actions in the past, but she is announcing that the Child to be borne of her comes to consummate all those promises God made to Abraham and his posterity (spermati in Greek which means seed). Mary is using what is called predictive present tense in her statement. The Lord baring His arm is a messianic figure of speech (see Isaiah 40:10; Isaiah 51:4-5; Isaiah 52:7-10; Isaiah 53:1). The Messiah is coming to give mercy to those who fear Him, defeat to those who arrogantly rebel against Him, exalt those of low degree, fill the hungry with good things, send the self-satisfied away empty, and fulfill His promise to the children of Abraham, forever. These phrases are echoes of the prophets of Israel. They remind us that most of what the Old Testament prophets predicted of the glorious messianic age in agricultural, physical terminology, was intended to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His spiritual kingdom.

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months. She arrived for her visit in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Did Mary remain until after the birth of John the Baptist? Plummer reminds us that cousins in Luke 1:58 could include Mary. Luke does record Mary's return to Nazareth immediately before he records John's birth, but he may have simply been completing one story before beginning another. It is strange to think, in view of the long and difficult journey she made to get to Elizabeth's and the significance of the child to be born to Elizabeth, that she would leave when the baby was just about to be born.

At any rate, Mary returned to her home in Nazareth. It was probably at this point Joseph learned of her condition (see Matthew 1:18-25). Luke's account tells us nothing about Mary for six more months. Matthew infers that Joseph, after the message to him from the angel, protected her from the shame and social confrontations that might have come her way if he had not kept her secret.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

What would the fact that Jesus was born of a young woman of Nazareth do to His reputation? Does it make any difference to you where His mother was from?

2.

Why would Joseph's first reaction to Mary's pregnancy be to divorce her? What would your reaction have been if you had known only what Joseph knew?

3.

Can we really believe Luke that a virgin could conceive without the implantation of male sperm in her womb?

4.

Wouldn-'t it be more accurate to explain it by the phenomenon of parthenogenesis?

5.

What differences are there between Luke's account of Mary's virgin-conception and both ancient and modern occult stories of supernatural conceptions?

6.

Are those who pray to Mary as a mediatrix right or wrong?

7.

Why did Mary make the long, dangerous, difficult trip from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea to visit Elizabeth?

8.

What purpose is served by the preservation of Elizabeth's and Mary's songs of praise? What good do they do for your Christian life? What would you think of Mary and Elizabeth if these songs weren-'t recorded?