The Announcement Revisited

Luke 1:26-38 should come with a warning:

Warning: this is familiar territory, don’t miss the scenery and especially don’t miss the main attraction. The details point to the Glory of Christ.

The Announcement Story basically goes like this: God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a small agricultural town, obscure and unimportant in that day, but in God’s plan destined for significance; to give special news to Mary, a virgin engaged to Joseph. What Gabriel tells Mary marks the end of all she knew as normal from that moment on. He tells her she will soon be the mother of the Savior of the world; amazing, frightening, incomprehensible news; glorious, but definitely unsettling. God promises Jesus. You will conceive…bear a son…you shall name Him Jesus.

In the story we see the Glory of Christ; His majesty, favored position, His reputation and the resulting praise, honor, glory that is due Him. When Jesus was only 40 days old a man in Jerusalem named Simeon called Him “the glory of Israel”. When he saw Jesus he praised God 2:29-32 & gave a word of prophetic blessing to Mary 2:34-35. [Is. 60:1-3] In Jesus, Simeon saw the fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people across the centuries. After all those years, God's promises were coming true.

There are implications in this for our beliefs as well as our behavior.

We see the glory of Christ theologically; Jesus was born of a virgin. Linked Him to God; He is God. Why is the Virgin Birth so important? Only because the Christian faith hinges on it! There are specific truths fundamental to Christianity: The virgin birth; the perfect life and deity of Christ; the substitutionary death; the bodily resurrection; the physical return. All things we’d die for. So far reaching, remove one and we fall; essential because it is what our holy, loving, perfect God says in His inerrant, infallible Word.

It highlights Christ’s glory seen in His position and perfection. The One who always existed has come in the flesh. He will in sovereignty rule and reign over the house of Jacob. He will have the throne of David, His kingdom will not end. He is the highest, the Greatest, the Best. He is above all, over all, greater than all. He is God. The virgin birth highlights His sinless nature, what is called the doctrine of Christ’s impeccability (unable to sin), His sinless perfection as a virgin born Son of God, God in the flesh. 100% human, 100% God, He didn’t inherit s sinful nature & disposition from Adam because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Totally depraved humans need a sinless Savior.

We see the glory of Christ in our relationship with God; as we trust Him, receive His grace and rest in His sovereignty. Mary trusted God in real time, without knowing the whole story. All Mary and Joseph had to go on was God’s promises. People waited with untold anticipation for the first arrival of the promised Messiah - relying solely on the Word of God. We too need to rely fully on God's Word as we wait for Christ's second coming.

Gabriel called Mary “favored one”; said she had “found favor” with God. The Greek word favor is charis, grace. Mary had found grace with God. Some misunderstand God’s Word and venerate Mary; lift her to a higher place in their hearts than Jesus Himself. She was the recipient not the giver of grace. God showered His unmerited favor on her. It was God's choice of grace, not Mary's piety that was the factor in her being chosen. God picked a virtuous woman, but her virtue did not earn her that favor. It was all of grace, just as it is when we come to faith - by grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone - not by any merit on our part. Chosen by God, selected undeserving, overwhelmed by God's grace.

God is sovereign, not man. God is in control. Gabriel said, in light of Jesus' impending miraculous birth (and with John the Baptist's coming birth to her who was called barren), “Nothing will be impossible with God”. Sweet comfort to all who realize they cannot live without Him who was promised that day in Nazareth, born one day in Bethlehem, died one day in Jerusalem, rose one day from the grave; and has promised one day to return. Nothing is impossible with God.

Christ’s glory is revealed in the lengths God went to save lost sinners without hope in the world. The Highest became the lowest. The Sinless One became sin for us. The Holy One took all our unholy acts and nailed them to a cross where He disarmed rulers and authorities; cancelling decrees of debt against us having triumphed over them by the cross (Col. 2:13-15). He did all that when we were dead in sin, unable to do anything to help ourselves. By faith He made believers alive with Him. We then are able to daily celebrate the love of God in promising and sending a Savior while we await His return.