Luke 1:26-38
Key Verse 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Introduction; Who is Jesus? This is a big question because we took Jesus as our Lord. What the people of the world think of Jesus? King Herod thought that Jesus is resurrected John. At the peak of Jesus ministry, people thought that Jesus was one of the prophets of God. In the present cosmopolitan world, Christianity is well known over the whole world. Practically speaking almost all nations of the world know about Christmas as the Birth day of Jesus and they celebrate it in various ways. So no one can escape from the question, ‘who is Jesus?’
The world answered to this question with pretty good consistency. Moslem believes that Jesus is one of the prophets of their god. Jews is willing to honor Jesus as one of good human being. Many other religions are willing to accept that Jesus was one of the greatest man of God. Even agnostics and atheist accept that Jesus was a great man. Virtually all men who knew of Jesus are willing to embrace an idea that Jesus is one of the greatest man ever lived. Or the greatest man of God ever lived.
Who is Jesus? When we want to know about a person, it is better to know his life in its entirety: from birth to his death. Today’s passage details about Jesus birth. More specifically, the conception of his being! In this narrative, the essence of his true being is revealed, explained, and asserted. That assertion is that Jesus is the Son of the living God. He was in flesh just like one of us, talking, eating, and walking. He was a true human being. But He is not just a man. He is not a great man, or he is not a great man of God. He is the Son of God Almighty. In and through this Son, God held a clear will and purpose for the world. In this regard, it is vital to know Jesus as the Son of God.
Let’s find out the details.
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
Six month before this event, God sent his angel Gabriel to Zechariah to deliver a message. Zec and his wife Elizabeth were very old and Elizabeth was barren and she did not bear any children. But the angel Gabriel gave the message that Elizabeth will bear a child in her old age. The child will be named John and he will prepare a way for the Lord.
This event is important in two aspects: God broke his silent that had been going on for over 400 year. During this time, there was no prophet, no words of God. Ezekiel saw a vision, in which the spirit of God was departing from the temple. Looking back further from its beginning, God had been with his people Israel since God led Israel out of Egypt. His presence among his people was visible through his presence in the tabernacle. When Solomon built the temple God told Israel that when Israel comes before this temple in humble repentance God would hear her request. Like this God had been with Israel. Since they rejected God, God sent them exile. Even the temple of God was in shamble. While in exile the prophet Ezekiel was shown a vision, in which the Spirit of God was departing the temple. So it was clear that God has left his presence In Israel. This has been over 400 years! But now for the first time in long time God broke that silence and appeared to Zechariah with a news that John would be born through his barren wife. It also indicated that the baby to be born will be the one who would prepare for the Lord. So it was a remarkable event!
In six month of this event, God sent His angel Gabriel again to a girl named Mary. She was living in Galilee. She was a young teenager. She was engaged to a man named Joseph. Joseph, her husband-to-be was also a descendant of king, David. In Israel when a couple is engaged, it is binding like a marriage. But they are not united until they get married. So she was surely a virgin. This means that she was surely a virgin and no man has access to her.
In this setting the angel Gabriel greeted her with God’s message. Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!. This greeting was all too sudden and too strange because she never done anything that might attract God’s attention and she was just an ordinary girl that highly unlikely worthy of God’s attention. Yet for the first time in history God sent his angel to a girl, a lady! Though God sent quite number of occasions his angel to men. But not to woman or a girl! So it was all to scary and fearful as an ordinary girl.
What was the message that the angel Gabriel delivered to Mary?
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Being overwhelmed in fear and awe, Mary did not know what to do. But the angel comforted her.
30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
God showed His intention to favor to Mary in particular way. It is not rebuke, not something of judgment or of punishment, it was God’s favor and blessing. Let’s find out what kind of Blessing it is.
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32a He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
She will have a child and the child is a son.
He is to be named Jesus. Here the name ‘Jesus’ means ‘God saves’ So simply Jesus is the Savior. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. These two are titles. These two titles say about his true identity. So Jesus is the Savior and Son of the Most high. What is the significance of these two titles? We will discuss later.
Next describes what he was going to be. More specifically, what God is going to do with him.
32b The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
God will give him the throne of his father David. David was the second king of Israel. Though God chose Saul as the first king of Israel, God rejected him as the king of his people Israel because of his unfaithfulness. But God was very happy with the king, David. God said of him, that David was a man after God’s own heart. What was God so happy about David as the king of his people?
What was the nature of his kingship that is unique and different from all other kings or kingdoms? There are two things that made him stand out among all other kings. First David was a shepherd king. He cared for his people like his own sheep. For his sheep David dared to fight against lions. Likewise for God’s people Israel David dared to do anything to protect them. He was truly a genuine shepherd for his people. This shepherd heart is extended to the point whereby he would even pay for the sins of his people for the purpose of protection. It is well revealed in this passage.
2 Samuel 5:2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"
At the fall of the first king Saul, the people of Israel came to him and begged him to be the king for Israel. The people of Israel recognized his shepherd heart!
Second, he was a servant king. King is a king over all others. So the idea that a king is a servant is odd and difficult concept to comprehend. But when it says ‘servant king’ it means that David was a servant for God. He was not the authority. God was David’s authority and the authority of the nation that he led. He never thought himself something worthy before God. He would to anything to please God Almighty. Once, David, the supreme authority of the nation, danced before the ark of God. His wife became upset for the fact that the King of the nation danced like a little baby, so undignified among people. But to his wife, David said this:
2 Samuel 6:22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
So David was truly the servant of God.
In entire human history, many kings rose and fell. There were some good kings along the way. But there is no other king like David who truly cared for his people even in the risk of his own life and dignity or authority. In Israel there were many other kings after him. Though they were descendants of David, none of them governed the nation with these two godly character: shepherding his people, servant of God almighty. Simply speaking God wants such king to rule and to take of his people.
Third, David’s role as the king was different from all other kings. David was a king as well as a priest. Being a priest means to mediate between God and man. God rejected all other king to function as a priest. But God accepted David as a priest. The primary function of a priest is to offer sacrifice to God. This role was seen in his sacrifice for the nation Israel [2 Sam 24] When Israel did evil, God incited David to do the census[2 Sam 24:1]. This census was expression their self reliance and their independence from God. God was angry and brought death upon thousands of people. Here David prayed and took upon himself God’s punishment. He eventually built an altar to the Lord with sacrifice. As the result God’s anger against Israel subsided. David was the king who was willing to give his life to redeem Israel. In Russia, Stalin killed millions of people to keep his power. Roman emperor Nero blamed Christians for the fire of Rome and killed many. All the kings of the world have been more or less the same in exercising their power. All kings of this world rule his people with power and authority. Few have shown some shepherd heart. But none dare to take sins of his people upon himself in order to rescue them.
What does it mean then that the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David? Certainly it means that Jesus is the king that God promise to send to Israel as God promised to David. But it is referring to particular characters of the kingship that David ran. God will give Jesus the throne; Throne represents more than just a place of supreme authority. It represents the characteristics of the rule of a king. So when it says, ‘the throne of David’, it means that the kind of rule or administration of the king David. As indicated above, Jesus will carry out his kingship like David. Actually David’s rule was just a glimpse of what God envisioned in His Son Jesus. In Jesus is reflected what the perfect king will be like.
So Jesus will be the king like David. Jesus is the shepherd king. Jesus is the servant of God. Jesus is the priest and will be the ruler. How did Jesus live out these functions? The verses listed here tell us about how Jesus ran his life on the earth.
John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-- and I lay down my life for the sheep.—Jesus as shepherd
John 8:29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."
Jesus as the servant of God the Father
Hebrews 7:21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.'" 22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
As he inherited throne of the king David, Jesus lived as shepherd, priest-Savior and servant of God.
What kind of king do you want? Many kings came and gone! Many kingdoms rose and fell. In between these kings, many people suffered and died. There was no true shepherd king. There was no priest king. There was no servant king who knew the minds of God. But there is one and only king; that is Jesus, the baby to be born through Virgin Mary.
As we have noted, there is one thing that we have not discussed about the message of the angel.
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Here appears a word fitting to a king. “Reign” As we know when Jesus lived on the earth, he never ‘reigned’ with power. He served and served and served the people with love and compassion. He eventually gave his life as ransom for our sins. So his life was more fitting to shepherd, or priest, or servant. It was never like of a king who rules with power and iron fist. So many mistook him as a man, a human being of no power at all. But he had authority and power to rule and he has authority and power to rule. But he never exercised that authority and power. But Jesus said this:
Mark 14:61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Jesus is coming. He is coming back with power and at that time he will reign and He will rule with almighty power of God! No one can dare to challenge his power and his authority! When he comes back Jesus will rule forever and those who believe him will all be in his kingdom!
But here is one question. How can the coming son of Mary do all these things? Shepherding, servant of God, and priest that redeems the sins of the people of his kingdom? How can his kingdom will last forever! Is it possible for a man to do such things??
So let’s go back how the son will be called: So he is called two ways; the Savior and the Son of God. All these are possible because he is the Son of God! No man can mediate men and God. No man live forever to carry the kingdom. No man can serve God as the true servant of God Almighty. Even David failed and sinned and was punished for his sins! Only the Son of God can do all these things!
As we look at carefully v32, we can find something strange about his true identity. Here says that ‘his father David; at the same time he will be called the Son of the Most high? Which one is right?? Was David his father or the Most High? Can he have two fathers?
If he is truly the Son of the Most High, can it be possible? If it is possible, then how? All the more, Mary was a virgin. She must be pure. She must keep her chasteness in between engagement and marriage! So in Mary’s mind, having a child is impossible. Having the son of the Most High will even unthinkable! How can it be possible? Is this question to Mary only? No! This is the question for all human being! How can a man bear the Son of God! How can a virgin bear a child! No human being can imagine that it is possible. No one! The creation that God set up never allow a virgin girl to have a child. There was never a history whereby a lady bears a son of God Almighty!
This is true. this is beyond our understanding, beyond human reasoning or human intellect. So when we ask people who Jesus is, the best answer we can get is that Jesus is the most holy man, or most godly man, or the best one that a human being can be! The best credit one can give to Jesus is that Jesus was a great man of God. This is the boundary of any human can make!
But what was God’s answer?
35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Literally the Holy Spirit will come upon Mary and the power of God will overshadow her. So the essence of his being, Jesus is the Son of God! No man could fathom such things. But God almighty made this possible. God let his son come to be born in a Virgin Mary, a human being! So literally God is with Mary! It is an amazing grace to her. Though she was pure and humble girl, in no way she was sinless and worthy enough for God to be with her! But in His grace, without any condition, God decided to send his own son to be in a sinful woman! So she is called to be ‘highly favored’!
Then how did God come to this far! Why did he decide to be with sinful man in flesh! More specifically, why did God decide to send his son to be with Mary, who is in no way sinless or faultless, or blameless!
The will of God is revealed in his name: first his name—Jesus, the Savior. God wanted to save the people of the world. Second is to establish the everlasting kingdom of God, by giving him the throne of David. Behind this two explicit goal sit a deep passion and desire to save people of the world. God the creator wants to bring back what he created, and make all of them to be His people and keep them in His blessing! To do this , God did even unthinkable thing; by sending his own son to be born like a man. What else can we think about this other than God’s grace? Grace and mercy of God! So the angel said to Mary you are Highly favored! God’s desire is well expressed through the words of Jesus:
John 14:20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Like this the Son of God became conceived in Mary. Here we can ask one more question. Did Jesus live as the Son of God? Did his life reflect the essence of his being: Son of God?
Certainly Jesus is the Son of God at birth. He was in flesh like you and me. But in the essence of his being, He is the Son of God. Is his sonship of God proven in his life? Certainly it has!
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
As it said, the world knew him as anyone but the Son of God. But Peter, the top disciples was so sure of this and confessed that you are the Son of the living God!
What about his death and resurrection? Did he prove his sonship of God?
Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Romans 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus was born as the Son of God Almighty. He lived as the Son of God and proved his sonship of God the father by his teaching, by his power and by his obedience. Jesus proved his son ship of God at his death and by his resurrection!
Let’s go back to the story of Mary.
This is truly amazing grace for all human being living in sin. God one-sidedly accept a person for the purpose of blessing and making one of his children. Mary was the beginning of such blessing of God. Can it be true? It was too good to be true for Mary! Knowing such mind, the angel revealed something tangible evidence of this new beginning!
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."
Elizabeth’s tummy is getting bigger and bigger wit growing baby John inside. Elizabeth was old and barren. It was thought to be impossible but now by the power of God, the baby is growing. This is the tangible proof that God has begun the new work and all that Gabriel was saying is true!
In this amazing news, how did Mary respond?
38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Mary considered herself as a servant of God. When we say, servant of God, it sound someone great and big because we often apply this term to the great servant of God, such as Apostle Paul or even great preachers of our day, such as Billy Graham. But here servant means a slave of a master. She considered herself a slave that the master can buy and sell, or dispose at his will. So when Mary said I am the Lord’s servant, she meant that she submits herself fully to God at his disposal! This is submission! In full recognition of the word of the Angel, she submitted herself to God’s truth and plan and will. This is the way to honor God as God. Submission is the utmost expression of faith. It is the most powerful form of faith! Through this submission Jesus the Son of God came to be with Mary! This is a profound truth! Submission to God in honor, respect and trust leads us to Jesus. When we submit ourselves to God in truth of His word, God does not count our sins and come to be with us. God bless us with all godly blessings!
God being with man is unthinkable thing. The Son of God becoming man is unthinkable thing. But God did this in his zeal to save men and make us his people. In this way God’s passion to establish his kingdom has begun.
What can we do? We have to learn to accept Jesus, as the Son of God, in our submission to the message God the father delivered to us.
Merry Christmas!
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