Jesus’ Birth Foretold
Luke 1:26-38 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (NASB95)
“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
This is one of the more profound questions ever asked; mostly, because it applies to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The question is, however, also significant on a human level. In modern day language Mary was not only asking a question but making a statement. Mary was saying that her equipment was still in its original form. In other words, “I am equipped to not have a baby!” Which is something that God knew already and that I am sure Gabriel knew as well. But the question was importnat as well, because she would have been killed for bercoming pregnant at this time. Gabriel answered her question by explaining that a miracle from God would express itself in her life (verse 35).
How does this impact us?
To begin with, we have a Savior that is uniquely qualified to serve as the payment price for our sins. He alone is the only one in all the universe that can redeem us. All we have to do is to turn our hearts toward Him. Which is exactly what Mary did when she said, “may it be done to me according to your word.”
We are allowed to ask God a question or two as well; but we need to be ready, willing, and able to accept His answers and then say, “may my life follow that path that you wish.” What we are doing is to follow Mary’s example and turn our hearts toward God.
It is much easier to have a willing spirit when we realize that absolutely no one in the universe has ever been equipped to do God’s work under their own power. Even Jesus said that He could do nothing except where He saw the Father already at work.
Therefore, be willing to do God’s work. Be aware that He is at work. Don’t worry about the circumstances. Just roll up your sleeves and get to work knowing that God is in control and that you just need to be His willing servant.