relationships (Luke 1:24-50) Comforting and Encouraging

(Luke 1:24-50)

24 Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people.”

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

John the Baptist could have come from any woman- from the daughters of Aaron (from the priestly bloodline of the Levites)- but God specifically chose Elizabeth.  Not only were Zachariah and Elizabeth righteous (true believers in the Lord), and from the priestly tribe, but- both were beyond the age of having children.  This means that their conception was miraculous!  And their son fulfilled prophecy by preparing the way for the Lord Jesus (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, and Malachi 4:5–6).

I fully believe that God did it this way, not just for our benefit, or for the Jews at that time, but very specifically for Mary, as this would have brought her comfort in what God called her to do- to carry, give birth to, and raise God’s Son.  Just like God had Aaron help Moses in what he was called to do, Elizabeth and her miraculous condition, would have greatly encouraged Mary.  God understands that we need strong, supportive human relationships, BESIDES having God as our most important relationship and our first-go-to- for help, support and guidance!!!

Meanwhile, Jesus could have been born through any woman- from the daughters of king David (from the tribe of Judah)- but God specifically chose Mary.  Not only were Mary and Joseph righteous (true believers in the Lord), and from the bloodline of David, but they were engaged to be married, which meant that Mary was still a virgin!  In this way, her miraculous conception, was prophetic.  Notice that in verse 25, the Trinity of God is represented, so in this way, the Lord Jesus Christ would be born as both fully man and fully God,

(Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel.

But now, let’s dispel some culturally outrageous interpretations.  One claims that these verses are evidence that God supports abortion, because Mary could CHOOSE to have Jesus or not.  So, look very closely at the words in verse 25… “The Holy Spirit WILL…”  It doesn’t say that the Holy Spirit already has…  God gave Mary a choice to accept or reject what He was calling her to do.  And we see in verse 37, Mary humbly agrees to accept what God had asked of her. 

Let me put this in a practical way which can be applied to us today.  My husband did not force me to have children with him.  He let me know, that because it is my body, it was my choice whether or not we would have children, as well as decide when we would start trying to have children.  Once I was pregnant, there was no way I’d ever consider killing the human that was growing inside of me.  It wasn’t my body- it was the body of our child!  The child that God allowed to grow inside my womb!  The child that God allowed us to have!

Another twisted biblical interpretation that we hear today claims that God is “nonbinary”.  That term still assumes that God is a sexual being, but He is not.  Nor does God “identify” as something, because God "is", and therefore God is neither male nor female.  In His wisdom, God presents Himself to us in the male form, and in masculine terms, although there are a few feminine terms- NOT to identify Himself with any sex, but for us to understand Him and His character traits better.  Here is one name in Hebrew that God gave us to know and use… El Shaddai.

• El: The standard Hebrew and Ancient Near Eastern word for "God"

• Shaddai: traditionally translated as "Almighty", its literal root has alternative meanings, including "mountain" (referencing unmovable strength) or "breast" (referencing a mother's nurture, meaning God is the source of all life, provision, and sustenance)

This is not so that we can ascribe a sex to God.  It is to help us understand- that God understands all that we struggle through, as well as help us understand how God is able to help us.  We even see throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, that God is an advocate for women, children, and the vulnerable.  This is to bring us comfort, to know that we were all loved, valued, and created in God’s image.  And just as we are created in His image, for believers, when we reach heaven and given glorified bodies, as...

(Matthew 22:29-30)  ...Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, since you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

God loves ALL people!  And so, He came to earth in flesh, to live a perfect, sinless life, and to accomplish His work on the cross, to provide a way to Him.  God desires to have a relationship with Him, which includes comfort, encouragement, help and guidance.  A lot to think about, and my mind immediately goes to mediate on these verses…

(Hebrews 4:14-16) Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.