THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
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 the Son of God. 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. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
(Luke 1:26-38)
Good morning! Today, we have the pleasure to study Mary’s reaction to the announcement of Jesus’s birth, given through an angel. Along with other reactions to Jesus’s birth, we may see the fullness of His deity that pre-existed His birth. This detail underscores that Jesus didn’t become God because He had always been God. That nuance has caused some confusion through history, but I believe that Luke 1 and 2 leave no room for doubt.
First, we may give thanks that the Holy Spirit moved Luke to provide such a rich commentary surrounding Jesus’s birth, particularly in highlighting what Mary experienced and the interaction between Elizabeth and Mary. As Pastors Scott and Chris have noted, the Gospel writers’ openness to include the testimony of women, whose voices didn’t receive equal legal standing in the prevailing culture, points to the veracity of the underlying narrative. If the early disciples had instead wanted to fabricate the Gospel story, they could have chosen -- at least in the eyes of the prevailing culture -- more credible witnesses.
Mary’s humble and attentive attitude contrasts with the doubting and fearful attitudes that we find with most Bible characters who experience an angelic visitation. She desires to receive God’s goodness and to understand “how” rather than doubting “what.” She welcomes her designation as “highly favored” and trusts in God’s fulfillment of this specific promises -- and, overall, God’s greater promises. The final phrase from the angel -- “No word from God will ever fail” or “Nothing is impossible with God” -- provides a fitting reminder: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Crucially, we have the testimony of several others’ worshipping hearts to underline Jesus’s divinity and worthiness of worship, even before His birth. Elizabeth rejoices in receiving a visit from her cousin Mary, whose Baby she recognizes as her “Lord.” Similarly, the Magi of the East and the shepherds come to exalt Jesus after seeing His star and seeing the angelic vision. At the time of His dedication in the Temple, two righteous servants, Simeon and Anna, rejoice in seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises before them.
This testimony flies in the face of Arianism, a key heresy from the fourth century. It taught that the divine Jesus didn’t pre-exist with Father from the beginning of time, but rather that He was merely begotten or created. As a result, this heresy denigrated the fully divine Person of Jesus and argued that He instead had “become” God and was therefore subordinated to God the Father. Athanasius, a Church father who also lived in Alexandria, opposed Arius and advocated vigorously for the Trinitarian view: that each Person of God has eternally existed and stands equal in nature. Graciously, the Church council of Nicea (325) brought clarity on the matter, declaring, in part:
“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”
The First Council of Constantinople would further flesh out this creed. We understand from the Scriptures (and these creeds that encapsulate them) that Jesus is worthy of worship as fully God and fully man. From the angelic announcement to His special birth to His life, death, and resurrection to His eternal reign, Jesus is forever equal with the Father: our Lord and Savior!
Lord God, thank You for the testimony of Mary’s faithfulness and for the clear evidence of Jesus’s full Deity. Give us eyes to see how we may become more submitted to Your will. Strengthen us to honor You today and to worship You as You truly are. Make Your Presence known to us as You did to Mary and Elizabeth. In Jesus’s mighty Name, amen.
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