Luke 1:26-38

Applebury's Comments

The Promise of the Birth of Jesus
Scripture

Luke 1:26-38 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto 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 in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS, 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren. 37 For no word from God shall be void of power. 38 And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Comments

a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph.Matthew and Luke clearly indicate that Joseph was not the father of Jesus; he was the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus the Christ (Matthew 1:16). Matthew and Luke present the evidence of the miraculous conception of Our Lord. Matthew, using the words of Isaiah 7:14, says, A virgin shall conceive and bear a son.-'-' But Matthew indicates that after the birth of Jesus, Mary's firstborn son, children were born to Joseph and Mary. See Matthew 1:25. Their names are given in Matthew 13:55-56.

of the house of David.Joseph was the descendant of David and Solomon. The legal right to the throne of David, it seems, belonged to him. As the husband of Mary, these rights would legally belong to Jesus, Mary's firstborn son. But Mary was also the descendant of David, for Paul says that Jesus was born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3).

the virgin's name was Mary.The purity of Mary is beyond question. The sinlessness of Jesus, however, does not depend on the purity of His mother, but on the fact that He hath been tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

thou shalt conceive.The conception was a miracle. There is a difference between the birth of John and of Jesus. John was born as a result of a conception that was unusual but not miraculous, for he had a human father as well as a human mother. But the birth of Jesus was the result of the miracle of the Holy Spirit. Both Matthew and Luke explain it and John supports it (John 1:1; John 1:14).

shalt call his name JESUS.Jesus means savior, for he shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Immanuel means God with us. Christ means Anointed and refers to Jesus-' office as prophet, priest, and king. Messiah is the Hebrew term for Christ.

the throne of his father David.Israel was constituted a theocracy at Sinai; God was the Supreme Ruler of the holy nation. In the days of Samuel, the people asked to have a king like the nations about them. Samuel assumed that they were rejecting him as their judge, but God told him that actually they were rejecting Him as king. See 1 Samuel 8:4-8. Later, God told Samuel to anoint David to be king over His people (1 Samuel 16:1). Then God promised David that one of his descendants would reign on his throne forever. See Psalms 89:3-4. In the course of events, Solomon succeeded his father. In 1 Kings 2:12 it is stated that Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David. But in 1 Chronicles 29:23 which describes the same thing, it is stated that Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord instead of David his father. David's throne, then, was actually the throne of the Lord. Therefore when the angel said to Mary that the Lord God would give Jesus the throne of His father David, he was referring to the throne of God. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter declared that God's promise to David had been fulfilled in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ to the right hand of the throne of God. See Acts 2:30-31.

His kingdom is spiritual. He refused to allow the people to make Him king after the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:14-15). He said to Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).

of his kingdom there shall be no end.No other king will succeed Him, Paul says, Then cometh the end when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God (1 Corinthians 15:24). He did not contradict the angel, for he was speaking of the end of the earthly phase of the kingdom. See Peter's reference to the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:11).

I know not a man.Both Luke and Matthew attest the belief in the purity of Mary.

the power of the Most High.The miracle of conception was accomplished by divine power exercised through the Holy Spirit.

The fact that the Holy Spirit is often spoken of as the One through whom God's power is exercised does not suggest that the Spirit is merely the power of God, All the attributes of deity and of personality that are assigned to the Father and to the Son by the Scriptures, are also assigned to the Holy Spirit.

the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.A clear reference to the deity of Jesus. Before His coming into the world, He is called the Word (John 1:1). Son of God is applied to Him (1) at the time of His birth when He became Son of God; (2) at the time of His baptism and transfiguration when He was acknowledged by the Father as His Son (Luke 3:22; Luke 9:35); and (3) at the time of His resurrection when God had proved conclusively that He is the Son of God (Acts 13:33). See also Romans 1:3-4.

For no word of God shall be void of power.God demonstrated that His word about the birth and resurrection of Jesus was true. This gives us reason to trust His promises about the victory of Christ and His church (2 Timothy 1:12; Revelation 11:15).