Luk 1:26-28 | KingComments | STEP | In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel is sent back to earth. God determines the right time of and for everything. The time is His. He never rushes. There must be a space of six months between the birth of the Lord Jesus and that of His predecessor. When heaven opens again to send a messenger to earth, the goal this time is not the temple in Jerusalem, but Nazareth. This place would have been the last place man had chosen for the fulfillment of God’s plan, a place of which the name alone is sufficient to condemn those who come from it ( ). The angel must go to a virgin with a message, a special message. That he is sent to a virgin is in the forefront. Further on the name of the virgin is mentioned. She’s not someone the people of the world talk about. She is unknown to the world, but God knows her. He has chosen her to become the mother of His Son. Therefore it is important that she is a virgin and that her husband comes from the house of David. Thus will be fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah who spoke of a virgin who will become pregnant ( ). Also, all prophecies shall be fulfilled that speak that Someone from the house of David, namely the Son of David, shall reign on the throne of the LORD, Yahweh , in Jerusalem ( ; ; ). That no one knows Joseph and Mary is proof of how decayed the house of David is. Joseph is not a prince, he is just a simple carpenter. Here God finds the atmosphere in which His promises can be fulfilled. The angel visits Mary at home. He comes with his message to her in her private life and not in the temple, as with Zacharias. It shows how close God comes to people with His announcements. The angel greets her. He assures her that the Lord, Yahweh , is with her. He also calls her “favored one”. It makes Mary special among all women of the whole world that she has been chosen by God to become the mother of the Lord Jesus. This can only be the result of the grace of God. In herself she is no more than any other woman. Yet God chooses her because she is someone who is aware of the grace of God. From this greeting the roman-catholic church produced the idolatrous idea that Mary would be full of grace and could act as mediator. However, in herself she is a sinful woman who also needs her Son as Savior for her sins. To become as such the mother of the Messiah is nothing but God’s grace. We do not read that she is troubled by the appearance of the angel, like Zacharias ( ), but that she is perplexed at his statement . The angel’s greeting leads her to think about it. She can’t grasp this, but she doesn’t reject it in unbelief. This marks her God-fearing mind. The angel reassures her. He assures her of the favor she has found with God. That is, she has searched for it, like once Noah ( ). The favor given to her to become the mother of the Messiah goes far beyond the grace she found with God as a sinner. It will have been her wish to become the mother of the Lord Jesus, as it will have been of every God-fearing virgin in Israel who is of the descendants of David ( ).

‏ Luke 1:26-28

Gabriel Is Sent to Mary

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel is sent back to earth. God determines the right time of and for everything. The time is His. He never rushes. There must be a space of six months between the birth of the Lord Jesus and that of His predecessor. When heaven opens again to send a messenger to earth, the goal this time is not the temple in Jerusalem, but Nazareth. This place would have been the last place man had chosen for the fulfillment of God’s plan, a place of which the name alone is sufficient to condemn those who come from it (Jn 1:45-46).

The angel must go to a virgin with a message, a special message. That he is sent to a virgin is in the forefront. Further on the name of the virgin is mentioned. She’s not someone the people of the world talk about. She is unknown to the world, but God knows her. He has chosen her to become the mother of His Son.

Therefore it is important that she is a virgin and that her husband comes from the house of David. Thus will be fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah who spoke of a virgin who will become pregnant (Isa 7:14). Also, all prophecies shall be fulfilled that speak that Someone from the house of David, namely the Son of David, shall reign on the throne of the LORD, Yahweh, in Jerusalem (1Chr 29:23; 2Sam 7:12-16; Psa 89:3-4).

That no one knows Joseph and Mary is proof of how decayed the house of David is. Joseph is not a prince, he is just a simple carpenter. Here God finds the atmosphere in which His promises can be fulfilled.

The angel visits Mary at home. He comes with his message to her in her private life and not in the temple, as with Zacharias. It shows how close God comes to people with His announcements. The angel greets her. He assures her that the Lord, Yahweh, is with her. He also calls her “favored one”. It makes Mary special among all women of the whole world that she has been chosen by God to become the mother of the Lord Jesus.

This can only be the result of the grace of God. In herself she is no more than any other woman. Yet God chooses her because she is someone who is aware of the grace of God. From this greeting the roman-catholic church produced the idolatrous idea that Mary would be full of grace and could act as mediator. However, in herself she is a sinful woman who also needs her Son as Savior for her sins. To become as such the mother of the Messiah is nothing but God’s grace.

We do not read that she is troubled by the appearance of the angel, like Zacharias (Lk 1:12), but that she is perplexed at his statement. The angel’s greeting leads her to think about it. She can’t grasp this, but she doesn’t reject it in unbelief. This marks her God-fearing mind.

The angel reassures her. He assures her of the favor she has found with God. That is, she has searched for it, like once Noah (Gen 6:8). The favor given to her to become the mother of the Messiah goes far beyond the grace she found with God as a sinner. It will have been her wish to become the mother of the Lord Jesus, as it will have been of every God-fearing virgin in Israel who is of the descendants of David (Dan 11:37a).