On this Christmas morning, we come again to our study of the women of Christmas, and we finally come to The Woman of Christmas – Mary of Nazareth. Let’s read Luke 1:26-38. From this text I want you to see two points: The Reversal of the Curse, and the New Creation.
First, let’s consider the reversal of the curse from verses 26-33. We are told in the first few verses that the angel Gabriel appears to a young virgin named Mary from the city of Nazareth. There are a few important facts about Mary that we have here. First, Mary is from the city of Nazareth. Now, calling Nazareth a city is an overstatement. Nazareth would be comparable to the community of Sandcutt. It was really just a pitstop on a major trading route, a hamlet with a few family dwellings. When Nathaniel snidely asks, in John 1:46, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, he is expressing just how insignificant this town was. It would be like someone from Montgomery saying the same thing about Georgiana today. But, this judgment against Nazareth wasn’t just about its insignificance, but also about its location. Because Nazareth was on a major trading route, Roman soldiers used it as a stop-over on their marches through the region. As a result, the town was seen to be sympathetic to the Roman Empire.
Second, we are told that Mary is a virgin. Now, the word “virgin” means both, “a woman who has not known a man”, and “a young woman.” I say it means both, because it is popular in our day to question Mary’s virtue and the miraculous conception of Jesus. But, it is not as though the word means either one thing or the other, but both. Mary was young – likely between 13 and 15. And, Mary had not known a man (she says that very thing in verse 34).
Third, we are told that Mary is betrothed to Joseph, who is of the lineage of the great king, David. This is additional evidence of her virtue and her age, as only young, virtuous women would be betrothed in this way.
With these three facts, I want you to recognize something very important about Mary that fits with our theme of God’s special favor on the outcasts and forgotten of this world. Because of her location, Mary would have been despised by her fellow Israelite. She would carry a reputation among her kinsmen simply because of where she was from. Because of her age and status as a virgin, she had absolutely zero rights. Her father and/or her betrothed would have made every decision for her. She would have been expected to follow very strict norms to preserve her virtue, and she had no freedom in this.
Yet, in verse 28, notice how the angel Gabriel greets her. He calls her “o favored one.” The Greek word there is “charitoo”, which means “highly favored” or “indued with special honor.” It is the idea of a king bestowing a special honor on someone. The angel announces just what this high honor will be in verse 30 by telling Mary that she will have a miraculous conception. There are three important things about this conception that highlight the favor of God on Mary. For one, her son, Jesus, will be called the Son of the Most High. This phrase isn’t just an indication of Jesus’s true father, though that certainly is there. But, it also points to Jesus’s position as the Messiah. All kings of the ancient world claimed to be a son of God. In fact, the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, made that claim on every coin that was printed bearing his image. But, Jesus would be the only true Son of God.
Second, Jesus would receive the throne of David. Because of his adoption by Joseph, Jesus was in the lineage of King David. God had promised David, back in 2 Sam. 7, that his throne would be an everlasting throne. Jesus would fulfill that promise.
Third, Gabriel foretells that Jesus will have an everlasting kingdom. This was the great hope of the promise to David, but it was also the great hope of Israel. The hope you hear repeated throughout the OT is that God will bring all nations under his reign. Jesus would do this through his death and resurrection and the gospel message that would go out into all the world. And, he will one day return to complete this reign.
In all of this, God is reversing the curse that affects all of humanity by bringing about new life through Mary. God’s favor on Mary means that grace will extend to all of humanity through her. Through her favor, God will save all who trust in his Son. Through her favor, God will give new life where once there was only death.
The second point I want you to see from this text is the new creation, from verses 34-38. After receiving the announcement from Gabriel, Mary reasonably asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” As with Sarah, Rachel, and Elizabeth, Mary recognizes the physical impossibility of the promise that God is making to her. The explanation from Gabriel highlights the grace of God for all of humanity by harkening back to the creation and pointing forward to the new creation in Jesus Christ. Notice two ways that this is true.
First, Mary is the new Eve. Eve, the first woman, created from Adam, was said to be the mother of all flesh. Now, Mary will be the mother of the Son of God, who will bring about a new humanity. He will give new life – a new birth – to all who believe in him. Also, in Mary, God is reversing the curse that Eve had brought on the whole world. Eve doubted God, and through that doubt she took the forbidden fruit and plunged the world into sin. Mary, on the other hand, says in verse 38, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary does not reject the word of God like her ancestor, Eve. Instead, she believes and obeys the Word of God, and through that obedience she brings life from death.
Second, Mary is the home for a new creation. With the first creation, all of the Trinity was at work. In Genesis 1:2 we are told that the Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the deep, and in verse 35 we are told that the Holy Spirit would work in Mary. In Genesis, we read that the power of the Most High created the heavens and earth from nothing, and in verse 35 we read that the power of the Most Heigh will create a son from Mary’s virgin womb. In Genesis, God speaks, and his Word brings forth a good creation, and in verse 35 we read that the eternal Word of God will be conceived as a son in Mary’s womb.
This miracle is necessary for our salvation. In this miraculous conception, God begins his work of making all things new. So, Jesus lived as the New Adam, who would do what Adam could not do by perfectly obeying the law of God. Jesus gave life wherever he went, and he ultimately gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins. And, in his resurrection he brought forth new life, so that all who believe in him will have eternal life.
Friend, hear the words of the angel from verse 37 – “Nothing is impossible with God.” God has done all that is required for your salvation. He has brought new life in Jesus. If you continue in the way that you are going, there is only death. But, the hope of Christmas is that there is new life in Jesus. Won’t you receive that new life this Christmas morning?
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