26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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 conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants 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 on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] 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 unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
We have looked at passages from the Old Testament that prophesy that Jesus was going to become a person and living on Earth, we must now turn to look at the story of Jesus’ birth. We first look at the story of the angel Gabriel telling Mary that Jesus was going to be born to her.
Question 1
How does Mary respond to Gabriel’s words? Why is she reacting this way? How does Gabriel comforting her?
Question 2
How does Gabriel describe Jesus in v31-33. How does this description relate to what the prophets said about Jesus?
Question 3
Why is the birth of Jesus different from all other births? v35
Pray:
Thank you, Father, for sending your son into the world. Thank you that Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit. Help us to remember that Jesus is fully human and fully divine.
