Luke 1:26-56 Sermon Notes

15 December 2024

Luke 1:26-56 Sermon Notes [Audio]

Introduction

Welcome. We are in a series called the “Good News of Christmas,” which is that the long awaited Savior and King that the world has waited for has arrived in the birth of Jesus. We have been looking at various parts of this good news, and we have been looking at this good news through the eyes of various people in the story. Week one, Jim considered the good news through eyes of two senior saints, Anna and Simeon, who had been waiting for a long time. Then, last week, Jared considered the good news through the eyes of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. And this week, we will consider the good news of Christmas through the eyes of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
First-person perspective. Our hope is that, in looking at the good news of Christmas through these different eyes, we will get a first-person perspective on Christmas and that perspective will help us see and understand and appreciate the good news of Christmas in a new and better way. This summer we were in Buffalo, NY for Zach and Chloe’s wedding. And the morning of the wedding we hurried out on a quick excursion to see Niagara Falls. Of course, you see it on signs and postcards, and it looks pretty cool. But then you see it in person, and it looks really amazing, but standing at the rail, you still kind of have this third-person perspective; you’re still viewing the falls at a distance with some detachment. But then, we hopped on the Maid of the Mist tour boat, and they motored us right up to the falls. And when you see the falls from that perspective – eye-level, first-person, in the immediate environment – it’s unbelievable. I said it was like being on a ride at Dollywood because of all the wind and waves and rain and roar. That’s the best way to see the falls, and that’s the power of the first-person perspective. That first-person perspective gives you such a different view. And that’s what we want for you in this series: A first-person perspective on the Good News of Christmas. I know you know the story already. Even if you’re not a Christian, I know you probably know most of the basic facts about Christmas. But we want to go beyond the facts. And by looking at the story from the perspectives of these different characters, we want to invite you into a powerful, immersive, first-person perspective on this glorious good news, that you might see it and feel it and be changed by it. So as we begin, I want to encourage you to really get into the shoes of these people. They are real people, and this really happened, and they have a thing or two to show us about the meaning of Christmas.

So, let’s jump into the first-person perspective of Mary today with that determination. Look with me at Luke 1:26.

Passage introduction. Before we read the narrative, let me introduce you to the characters we will meet. We will meet Mary, of course, who is the mother of Jesus, but then we will also meet Gabriel, who is an angel. Then we will meet Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist. John the Baptist would have a very special ministry when he grew up because he would be a prophet who prepared the way for Jesus. The job of John the Baptist was to tell people to get ready for the arrival of the Messiah. And so, his birth is also very special and happens in a miraculous way. And where we pick up in the story today is actually just after the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, and the time is now in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John.

So let’s pick up with the narrative in verse 26…

[Luke 1:26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to 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.

So, here, we have the opening scene. It is the “sixth month,” which refers to the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and in the sixth month, an angel named Gabriel is sent on an amazing journey. He goes to Nazareth. Nazareth is nowheresville. It is backwater. It’s the boonies. It’s got one stop sign and no Walmart. They roll up the sidewalks at dusk.
And I say it’s quite a journey because of where Gabriel started from. Where did Gabriel start? What do you enter into Waze as the starting point? “God.” Did you catch that? Gabriel went from God to backwater Nazareth. What a journey! We all know how hard holiday travel is. And of course, two-day shipping is out of the question. But Gabriel makes the journey, “from God,” to nowheresville Nazareth. This is actually going to be part of the theme of this section: the gracious condescension of God, from heaven to earth, from the throne of God to nowheresville Nazareth.
And Gabriel goes to a young girl named “Mary.” We don’t know much about Mary. In fact, this is the first time we meet her in the Gospel of Luke. So what do we learn from this brief introduction to her? Here’s what we know. She’s from a small town, Nazareth. She’s engaged to a man named Joseph. She is young because she’s still an engaged virgin. In fact, based off the customs of the time, many scholars think she is probably a young teenager (Keener). And aside from that, we really don’t know much else about her. Why? Probably because there is not much else to know. She’s an average young lady. She’s not from a famous family. No big prophecies were spoken over her. She didn’t have a popular YouTube channel. She probably had all the usual interests and worries of a young girl. (And by the way, nowhere in scripture does it say Mary was perfect or sinless or supernatural or anything of the sort. She is just an average girl. And as we will see, that’s kind of the point.)

Alright, so what does Gabriel say…

[28] And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

So, we have our first interaction. Wow! An angel from God now in Nazareth speaking to young Mary.
He calls her “favored one” which literally means “one who has received grace.” So, the emphasis is not her goodness. She has not earned favor. She’s received favor. God has decided to graciously favor her. And so Gabriel is saying, “Greetings to the one whom God has decided to give gifts.” As we will see, she does do something very right: she is humble and surrendered to the Lord, but she is not sinless.
And then he says “the Lord is with you!”

How would you respond to such a moment? I don’t know how I would. But Mary’s response has always made me chuckle a bit…

[29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

She’s not sure what this means. Maybe she’s a little wary of such a gracious greeting. Maybe she’s looking at him like a salesman at the front door, and she’s only willing to crack the door open a little.
Or maybe, she rightly fears the Lord, and she knows the “Lord is with you” could mean a number of things. Maybe she’s thinking of when the Lord was with God’s Abraham and asked him to leave his home. Maybe she’s thinking of when the Lord was with Moses and asked him to go confront Pharoah. Maybe she’s thinking of when the Lord was with Gideon and asked him to go into battle with less soldiers.
From what Gabriel says next, she at the very least appears to be afraid.

Verse 30…

[30] And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

That is the news. She will receive a gift. What is the gift? She will bear a son.
And his name will be Jesus, or Joshua in Hebrew, which means the “Lord saves.”

Now, this news is pretty amazing, but Gabriel has only just begun. It only gets more amazing from here. Verse 32…

[32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Two things jump out immediately. (1) He will be a great King. Now, the messiah was always understood to be a king. The word “messiah” meant the “anointed one,” and the “anointed one” meant the king. The OT Kings were anointed and referred to as the “LORD’s annointed.” So Messiah always referred to a king, but we sometimes we forget that. But here were are clearly reminded. This Jesus will sit on the throne of David. He will rule in the line of David, the greatest King in Israel’s history. And he will rule over a great kingdom.
But (2) the second thing that is immediately clear is that this Jesus child is no ordinary King. The Messianic King jumps off the charts. He will be called the “Son of the Most High.” John the Baptist will later be called the “Prophet of the Most High” (v. 76), but Jesus is being called the Son of the Most High. So a distinction is being made here. He is not just a prophet from God; he is the Son. And his reign and his kingdom are “forever” and with “no end.” That is unique.
And we must understand this is good news. David was a good king and he brought a measure of peace and security to Israel. The Messiah was going to be the best King who would be perfect peace and security. So we must understand this news is so good! This is like the moment in the movie when you see Superman flying through the air to catch the falling person, and you know it will all be okay. With this announcement, the Messiah is on his way, and we know everything will be okay!

[34] And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

This appears to be a genuine question. Not a doubt.
By the way, I do appreciate that such a question reminds us that the people of this time period are not naive. Mary is as curious as we would be about how she can conceive a child if she is a virgin.

[35] And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. [36] And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37] For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Scientifically, this is no problem. As Gabriel says, nothing is impossible for God. If he can create the heavens and the earth, then he can create a baby in the womb of a virgin.
Theologically, this is a very important detail because it means there is a break in the line of Adam, who was created directly by God, and Jesus will not inherit the guilt of Adam. Jesus is literally a new line of man, a kind of second Adam. So, Gabriel says the child will be called “holy.”

Now, watch Mary’s response…

[38] And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

What would you say? The Lord says I’m going to do amazingly good things, but it’s about to get mysterious. Her mind must have raced with questions. The Holy Spirit will really do this? What will people think? What will my fiance think? Can I raise such a child? Who am I? But how does she respond? “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
I want to come back to this, but for now, just now how amazing her response is. She surrenders. She says let it be to me according to your word.

Okay, now we have a scene change. Mary heads out to see Elizabeth. And we will go fairly quickly through this section because we want to get to Mary’s response of praise.

Luke 1:39–45

[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

So we are now somewhere in Judah and the two women see each other for the first time since these miraculous announcements.

[41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Some amazing things here…

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks by the Spirit. What does she say?
She says John leapt for joy at the presence of Jesus. It is not just that John leapt in her womb, which any baby might do at random. Rather, he leapt for joy at the nearness of Jesus.
And she, by the Spirit, points out one of the things Mary did so well: Mary “believed… what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Now, after hearing from Elizabeth, we get to hear from Mary. Mary speaks a hymn of praise. This set of verses is sometimes referred to as the Magnificat. We don’t know if this was a spontaneous word of praise, which is quite possible because Mary likely knew the scriptures very well and would’ve been able to model them in prayer. (I have heard many people who know the Bible well pray with such flourish and biblical imagery). Or perhaps this is something Mary said and then carefully polished and refined while at Elizabeth’s house. Regardless, we have from her a hymn of praise.

Now, as I said earlier, we are considering the Good News of Christmas from the first-person perspective of different characters, and this is where we really get Mary’s take on the Christmas story. So, let’s listen in closely.

Luke 1:46-56

[46] And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, [47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, [48] for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; [49] for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

[50] And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

[51] He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; [52] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; [53] he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

[54] He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, [55] as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

[56] And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

So, what do we see from the first-person perspective of Mary? We see two things.

1. God sees and blesses the humble.

First, we see something of the Good news of Christmas that perhaps only a young, obscure teen mom could help us see, and it its this: God sees and blesses the humble.

This is Mary’s refrain. In verse 47, she says she has been seen; God has “looked on the humble estate of his servant.” And the idea is that she has been seen. This is an expression we often use: “I feel seen.” It means you feel, not just literally, visually seen, but that you have been considered and understood. And so here, with verse 47, is the same meaning. God sees. That is, he remembers and considers and understands and appreciates the humble.
Here, Mary is a young girl in a small, oppressed nation. She lives in the little backwoods town of Nazareth. And she has basically no power and, relatively, few prospects. She is young, so what say does she have? She is female at a time when this is very limiting. And she, like all her Israelite brothers and sisters, is waiting for Israel to be delivered. But she realizes that God has seen her; he has remembered and considered and accounted for her.
But this truth, that God sees and blesses the humble, is for all of us! This is what God does, and this is what Mary says. She says this special attention to the humble is how God works in general. Look at her song. She broadens out her observation in verse 50 and 52 and 53. She says God shows mercy to any who fear him (v. 50). God exalts those of humble estate generally (v. 52)! And God feeds the hungry (v. 53)! What about opposite, those who think they know best (v. 51), those who trust in their own strength (v. 52), those who do not look to the Lord to be fed (v. 53)? The Lord scatters them and brings them down and sends them away hungry. Now, he does this as a mercy, that they might be humbled and hopefully turn to him, but all the same, this is how it goes.

So, we have from Mary our first big lesson: God sees and blesses the humble.

So, good news, if you have been recently humbled by difficult circumstances. Maybe things are tough at work. Maybe that test grade came back low. Maybe you lost your job. Maybe it is a physical illness. You’re not as strong as you thought you were. Maybe it’s mental fog. Maybe it is a matter of sin. For some reason, maybe you’ve been humbled, and you find yourself feeling pretty desperate and praying more than you ever have. Well, good news, you’re the very kind of person that God sees and blesses. As a parent, is it not the child who is sick or sad that is the easiest to draw near to and help? When my kids comes in sad, or when my child is sick, my compassion naturally rouses and warms. I am moved. When they are sad, I have wept myself. When they are sick, I am happy to pick up a milkshake or wrap them in blankets and bring them the remote. We’re all like that, and we are sinful parents and caregivers. But imagine how much our Heavenly Father’s compassion is stoked and roused and warmed as we look to him in humility. This is what he says. Draw near to him, and he will draw near to you. Call on his name, and he will hear and answer from heaven. So, if you have been humbled, and you are feeling desperate, good news! The Lord sees you and stands ready and eager to help you.

And if you are trusting in yourself, be warned. That kind of independence leads you away from the Lord and the real help that you need. If you are in a season of strength and prosperity, be careful. You need to get low in your heart. You know this to be true. What do we do in good times? We forget the Lord. We pray less. We wait on him less. We don’t ask for help. We assume. We think we can out work, out smart, out endure any problem. But it’s a fool’s errand. The Lord will scatter the proud and bring low the prideful. So, if you’re trusting in your own cleverness and prowess, woe to you. Humble yourself. By the way, how do you humble yourself in good times, when things are going well and you are strong? Give thanks! Give glory to God. That keeps us humble and at the feet of our Lord in times of strength because it reminds us that all that we are is from him.

So, Mary, from her first-person perspective, shows us this truth in a unique way. She of all people understands best that the Lord sees and blesses the humble because she was the most lowly, the most obscure, and she was supremely blessed.

2. We need to believe and submit to God.

The second and final thing we see from her unique perspective is the need to believe and submit. We are treating this as a second point, but really it is just a further elaboration on what active humility looks like.

What Mary does so well is to believe and submit to God. Remember her response to Gabriel? She said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38). She believed what he said and submitted to it. And remember how Elizabeth praised her? She said, “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (v. 45). What is so praiseworthy of Mary? Why does she deserve our respect? Because she believed and submitted to God. How can we learn from her and emulate her? We can believe and submit to God.

And I pick the word “submit” deliberately. One, because it captures the language of Mary. She says she is the servant of the Lord, so this is the language of submission. And two, because Americans don’t like the word submission, but it’s the very thing we must do. We must submit to the Lord. Hear me on this. The Lord does not ask us to always understand him, though he does often explain himself. He asks us to submit to him. He does not ask us to agree with him, though we will often find his ways are very agreeable. He asks us to submit to him. He doesn’t ask us to go along with him to the degree we fill comfortable or logical or agreeable. He ask for our complete submission. And this is what Mary does so well. She believes what is spoken, as crazy and difficult as it is, and she submits to it.

And I want us to end with you considering this for yourself. Consider these questions…

Do you believe and submit to God’s Verdict? God has said this world has been corrupted by human sin. He says this sin is an offense and a rebellion against him. God says that all who sin and reject him deserve death and punishment… everlasting death and punishment. God says you have no hope of rescue in yourself; even your best deeds are corrupted with sinful motives, so what hope do you have that you could right your wrongs sufficiently to erase them? Do you believe and submit to this verdict? You must. Because it is the truth of the matter.

Do you believe and submit to God’s Salvation? God has made a way to erase your sins and restore friendship with him. It is through his Son, Jesus. Jesus offered to take our place and suffer punishment, and God accepted this gift on our behalf. How do we know? Because Jesus rose from the dead three days later… precisely because he had paid the debt of death and punishment owed. Do you believe this salvation? Do you submit to it? Maybe you’ve never thought about it in these terms, but you need to submit to his salvation. You need to admit you’re a sinner. You need to admit you’re in need. You need to lay down your arms. You need to lay down your objections. You need to say with Mary, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And what a prayer that is. You could pray that prayer today, and be saved. That is a prayer God would answer. Of the Salvation God provides in Jesus, you could say, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Do you believe and submit to God’s Leadership? This question moves us beyond salvation. It is a question of authority in our lives. Do you believe God is the King of your life? And do you submit to his leadership? Do you submit your job to the Lord? Do you submit your family to the Lord? Do you submit your finances to the Lord? Do you submit your health to the Lord? Do you take every category, every arena, every aspect of your life and say, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

And finally…

Do you believe and submit to God’s Plan for your life? This is where it gets particularly tricky. Because this is where it gets specific. I’ve been thinking a lot about this one this week. Do I trust his plan for me and submit to it? I thought about this with our church and moving and the building and the timing and the season we’re in. Do I trust and submit to God’s plan? God’s timing? God’s path? I have also been contemplating mortality lately. In particular, the number of my days. We had a close friend tragically, suddenly lose a teenage son. I’ve also had an injury that has knocked me down a few rungs and made me seriously consider my own health. The young doctor said, “Everything appears to be fine, but for somebody your age, it never hurts to check.” “Somebody my age”? That’s a new moment in life. And in all of that, in my soul, I have wondered and wrestled do I trust the Lord’s plan for my life and my family and my friend’s family? Do I submit His plan? Do I trust His plan for my kids through hardships and trials? Do I trust his plan for my life and my calling and and my significance and my days? And I ask you the same? Do you trust the Lord and his plan for your family? For your children? For your grandchildren? For your in-laws? For your business? For your health or lack of health? For your relationship status? For your school? For your injury? If Gabriel appeared to you tonight while you were laying in bed and said, “God’s going to do great things through your life, but it’s about to get a little weird,” could you say with Mary, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”?

Friends, the good news is God loves us and will bless us, and he has assured us of this truth by the sacrifice of his son, which shows he will never hold out on us. He will do great things in and through and for us, but we must submit ourselves to him. Will you do that today?

I invite you to take whatever is bugging you today… an addiction you can’t shake, a problem you can’t solve, a relationship you can’t fix, a question you can’t get answered, an ailment you can’t heal, a worry you can’t relieve… and say to the Lord, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

You can do that without fear. Because God loves you and God sees and blesses such humble people. Like a Father dotes on his child, so the Lord dotes on all those who seek him. Surrender yourself to him. Amen.