Thought For Today July 17th 2011

Thought For Today
The message to Mary about the birth of Jesus 1:26-38
v26 When Elizabeth had been expecting a child for six months, God sent the *angel Gabriel to Nazareth. This was a town in the region of Galilee. v27 Gabriel went with a message for a girl named Mary. She was going to marry a man whose name was Joseph. He came from the family of King David.
Verse 27 Nazareth was a small town, a few miles from the south of the Lake of Galilee. It was very serious when a man and woman agreed to marry. Such an agreement could only end in an act of divorce. If the man died before the marriage, the woman considered herself as a widow.
v28 The *angel went to Mary and greeted her. ‘The *Lord is with you’, he said, ‘and has given you a great honour’. v29 The *angel’s message worried Mary. She wondered what this greeting meant. v30 The *angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary. God is pleased with you. v31 You will soon expect child and have a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’. v32 He will be great, and he will have the name ‘son of the Most High’. God will make him a king, as his *ancestor David was. v33 He will rule over the *descendants of Jacob for ever. His *kingdom will never end’.
Verse 28 The usual *Jewish greeting was ‘Peace be with you’.
Verse 31 ‘Jesus’ is the *Greek form of the *Hebrew name ‘Joshua’. The name means ‘The *Lord is *Saviour’.
Verse 32 ‘son of the Most High’ was a way to say ‘son of God’. This was a name of the *Messiah. ‘The Most High’ was a name for God in the *Old Testament.
Verse 33 ‘The *descendants of Jacob’ means the *Israelites. These included King David. God promised David that his throne (rule) would never end (2 Samuel 7:16).
v34 Mary asked the *angel, ‘How can this happen? I am not married’. v35 The *angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of God will rest upon you. Therefore, the child that you will have will be holy. He will be the *Son of God. v36 Look! Your relative Elizabeth has been expecting a child for 6 months although she is old. People said that she could not have a child. v37 Because there is nothing that God cannot do’. v38 Mary said, ‘I am the *Lord’s servant. Let it happen to me as you have said’. And the *angel left her.
Verse 34 Mary wondered how she could have a son before she and Joseph had married.
Verse 35 The words ‘will rest upon’ mean that God’s *glory comes down on a place or person. God’s power, through the Holy Spirit, would make it possible for Mary to have the son.
Verse 35 ‘holy, the *Son of God’ means that the child would be God’s son. He would be without *sin.
Verse 38 When Mary accepted what God wanted, she was taking a great risk. Perhaps Joseph would be angry. She would probably have public shame. People in the village would certainly gossip about her. A girl who promised to marry should be loyal to her future husband. If she was not loyal, she broke God’s law. Yet Mary did not doubt the *angel’s message. Luke, with his sympathy for women, may have received this story from Mary herself.