Mary’s Example

Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 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 bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² 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, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Not a Christmas goes by where this passage isn’t read at least once. There’s a reason for that – it’s an important passage because it signals the beginning of a completely new era in the story of God and His people. A promise made thousands of years earlier is about to be kept.

“The entire OT hope is about to be realized. The conception and birth of Jesus fulfills the promissory character of the history of the nation of Israel, as well as the verbal promises God issued to his people during long ages past. Thus the OT background includes both the individual announcements spoken to faithful saints of old and the prophecies to the entire corporate nation. In regard to both, Mary stands as the one through whom the fulfillment is accomplished.”

Just, A. A., Jr. ©1996. Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 64). St. Louis, MO: CPH.

There is much to say about this passage, but it is never the intent of this daily devotional to exhaust a passage. So I will focus on the word that stood out as I read this story today; that word is virgin. At three separate points in this passage the word virgin is used to describe Mary, twice by Luke and once by Mary herself. It is in fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah (7:14) that the Messiah would come from a virgin birth. Mary’s virginity would normally preclude pregnancy, even more than Elizabeth’s advanced age, but God enables both to conceive. Yet Mary’s conception of Jesus is the greater miracle. It should also be noted that the virgin conception of the Savior is a very quiet miracle. No mention is made of this miracle to anyone except Joseph and later, Elizabeth. God’s miracles don’t always have to be shouted from the roof-tops in order to be life-changing and important.

The reading of this passage also demands inspection of the humble submission and obedience of this young woman. I cannot help but be moved every time I read the words, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Have I ever said that and truly meant it, as Mary so obviously did? I wish I had a good answer for the question, but I do not. Her example shines through the pages of the text as pure and most certainly inspired by great faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, for that is the only way such a thing could be said. God the Father chooses to use Mary as His vessel for this most precious cargo and she faithfully carries the role of mother to the Messiah with grace and as a shining example of what the life submitted to Christ looks like.