Luke 1:26-28(WEB)
Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
Have you ever considered that we would never have known about Mary of Nazareth, if it had not been for the birth of Jesus? She wasn’t exactly living the life of the rich and famous. She was living the life of the poor and anonymous! And she was doing that in a town with a pretty poor reputation. For just a few years later, when Nathaniel is invited to come hear Jesus of Nazareth speak, he remarks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46 WEB) Apparently, Nazareth did not have a good reputation. So it would seem that Mary is living in a small, obscure town with a bad reputation. Not a great start to her story, is it?
She would have lived her life just like any other woman her age at that time, a life full of work and love, friendships and family. And then at her passing, the story of Mary’s life would have slowly disappeared from memory as time moved on. Perhaps she never really had any other ambitions for her life other than being a daughter, wife, mother, and friend. We know her faith was important to her. But by all accounts, her life was as ordinary as could be….that is, until Gabriel appeared.
When Gabriel greets Mary, he calls her “highly favored.” And he says that the Lord is with her. How can this be? Well, God knows her heart. And we will soon see what Mary is made of by her response to the Lord’s message.
Mary’s first response to seeing an angel is the natural, human response of fear. “But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.” (Luke 1:29 WEB) Gabriel responds with the usual angelic response in these situations. “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30a WEB) Then Gabriel tells Mary the reason for his visit. He tells her the message and mission God has for her.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name 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 the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom. (Luke 1:31-33 WEB)
A message like this coming to a girl in a town like Nazareth might seem astounding! This was no ordinary or insignificant message! She would be the mother of the Son of God? He would sit on the throne of David? How could words like this be spoken in a place like this? As a Jewish woman of faith, she knew Gabriel was talking about the Messiah. But why her? And why here?
There could be many answers to this question. If a new king were to be born into a region dominated by power hungry rulers and kings, it might be a pretty good idea to hide the baby away in an obscure location until he was full grown. But a few other reasons come to mind.
Mary…and Joseph, too, for that matter…are both believed to be descendants of the house of David. And though it may seem that the kingly line is dead and buried, God is going to raise it to life by sending the Messiah to resurrect the kingly line of David. God’s pretty good at resurrecting things, isn’t he? And who better to raise and care for the Messiah than those from King David’s lineage?
But God was also looking for a far more important quality for the mother He would choose to raise the Messiah. It was more important to God than riches or position. It was a loving heart, full of faith, willing to serve God.
So God chose Mary, placed His favor upon her, and reminded her that she is the daughter of kings, and he called her into His service. Mary’s response in verse 38 is, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”
Please don’t think that your circumstances or background will limit God’s ability to use you. You may be living an ordinary life in an obscure location, hidden away from all glitz and glamor. But keep following God. All God wants is a yielded heart willing to obey Him. Live righteously. Live for God. And He will remind you that you are a child of the King of Kings. And if you are willing to serve Him, He will without doubt give you a mission to accomplish.
Galatians 4:4-7(WEB)
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as children. And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
“The Angel Gabriel,” sung by The King’s Singers, arrangement by Edgar Pettman.
Scripture verses are taken from the World English Bible (WEB), Public Domain.