No Ordinary Child
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." Luke 1:31-33, RSV.
While Mary may have been troubled (Luke 1:29) and afraid (verse 30) at the appearance of the angel Gabriel and his announcement of an unexpected birth, she must also have been totally astounded at the nature of the promised child. Mostly she was probably perplexed in the face of the information overload she received in a few short moments--information that would not only transform her life irrevocably but also change the course of world history.
Gabriel tells Mary at least five important things in verses 31-33 about the child she will conceive. First, it would be a boy. That was always good news in a Jewish home. While girls were welcome, the birth of a son meant that the family name would be carried on and that there would eventually be one more strong back to help support the family in a subsistence economy. In a patriarchal family the birth of a son was the highlight of a mother's life.
But what a son this one would be! A second point in the angel's announcement is that His name would be Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means "Yahweh saves" or "God saves." And, of course, all Jews were aware of the historic role of Joshua in being God's agent in conquering Palestine and establishing their people there.
Thus the very name assigned to the boy would be pregnant with important overtones. And Gabriel will fill out those overtones in a way scarcely conceivable to the human mind. He goes on to proclaim that this Jesus (1) will be "the Son of the Most High," (2) that "the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David," and (3) that His kingdom would last forever and never end.
With those short phrases Gabriel told Mary that she would not only be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah, but that the Messiah would be divine. Here is a new idea, The Jews had viewed the Messiah as a great man like David, but not as God.
All in all, the announcement was of stupendous proportions. How would you feel if you had such an experience?
A side issue related to Mary's story is that God used such a humble girl for His purposes. And that is important news for you and me. God can also involve us in His great plan if we allow Him to do so.
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." Luke 1:31-33, RSV.
While Mary may have been troubled (Luke 1:29) and afraid (verse 30) at the appearance of the angel Gabriel and his announcement of an unexpected birth, she must also have been totally astounded at the nature of the promised child. Mostly she was probably perplexed in the face of the information overload she received in a few short moments--information that would not only transform her life irrevocably but also change the course of world history.
Gabriel tells Mary at least five important things in verses 31-33 about the child she will conceive. First, it would be a boy. That was always good news in a Jewish home. While girls were welcome, the birth of a son meant that the family name would be carried on and that there would eventually be one more strong back to help support the family in a subsistence economy. In a patriarchal family the birth of a son was the highlight of a mother's life.
But what a son this one would be! A second point in the angel's announcement is that His name would be Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means "Yahweh saves" or "God saves." And, of course, all Jews were aware of the historic role of Joshua in being God's agent in conquering Palestine and establishing their people there.
Thus the very name assigned to the boy would be pregnant with important overtones. And Gabriel will fill out those overtones in a way scarcely conceivable to the human mind. He goes on to proclaim that this Jesus (1) will be "the Son of the Most High," (2) that "the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David," and (3) that His kingdom would last forever and never end.
With those short phrases Gabriel told Mary that she would not only be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah, but that the Messiah would be divine. Here is a new idea, The Jews had viewed the Messiah as a great man like David, but not as God.
All in all, the announcement was of stupendous proportions. How would you feel if you had such an experience?
A side issue related to Mary's story is that God used such a humble girl for His purposes. And that is important news for you and me. God can also involve us in His great plan if we allow Him to do so.
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