Flashback Episode — Accepting God’s Plan: Luke 1:26-38

As we begin another year moving through the life of Jesus, most of Jesus’ birth story will be fresh in our minds, and some people might even be sick of hearing about it. Hopefully this isn’t you, because I’ve been amazed that looking at Jesus’ birth story outside of the official Christmas season has prompted me to see amazing insights that I might not have noticed if I only paid attention to these verses one month or so out of a year.

The passage we’ll be looking closer at as we begin this year needs no real introduction as it is one of the passages that is read almost every time Jesus’ birth story is shared. This passage is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 1, starting in verse 26, and we’ll be reading from the New International Version of the Bible:

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Let’s pause reading here because I wonder if you or I would have a similar response as Mary. On one hand, the angel Gabriel has just given Mary one of the highest compliments he could have given to her, but on the other hand, there’s still the looming question about why an angel is appearing to her.

Just like you or I would be a little concerned, Mary is both caught off guard and “greatly troubled” at the angel’s words.

Also worth noting is that Gabriel doesn’t start with his customary opening line of “Do not be afraid” until after this first compliment.

Let’s continue reading. Picking back up in verse 30:

³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

Let’s pause again here because it is worth noting that, at least on the surface, Mary’s question sounds a lot like Zechariah’s question. Earlier in this chapter in Luke, in verse 18, Zechariah asks the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

These two clarifying questions are similar but also very different. Zechariah is hopeful but also doubtful and I think he wants a sign, or something tangible, that he can have to remind him of this promise. Nearing the end of Zechariah’s life, he is uncertain if he and his wife are even capable of having children still, and Gabriel gives Zechariah a sign even if this sign really appears like a punishment for Zechariah’s lack of faith.

But when we shift over and look at Mary, she asks a very similar question but gets a completely different response from Gabriel. Mary asks in verse 34, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Just like Zechariah, Mary asks a question and follows up with a statement of supposed disqualification. Zechariah believed his age was a limiting factor and Mary wonders about her virginity.

However, tucked in the details of Mary’s reply, I see her asking a logical question and I don’t see any doubt like with Zechariah. It is almost as though Mary is asking, “What is the next step? I’m engaged to Joseph. Is this birth going to come through this marriage, or should I be expecting something different?”

Mary wants more information so she can follow through with God’s plan for her life and the promise that Gabriel is sharing with her. We see this idea the most clearly when we conclude reading our passage and see how Mary responds at the end of her and Gabriel’s encounter.

Picking back up in verse 35:

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

The response Mary gives is worth repeating. She responds to the promise God gives her through the angel with the words “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

In Mary’s response, we see an amazing level of humility and willingness to be used by God. Mary models an attitude that we all should have as we start out every day, every month, and every new year. We all should be willing to be used by God and to let Him direct our steps and our path forward.

With all this focus on Mary in this passage, it is easy to miss one verse that shares a powerful truth we should also always remember. The last message the angel Gabriel tells Mary is the statement, “For no word from God will ever fail.” This is a promise every single one of us can hold onto.

When studying the Bible, we find many places where God gives us promises. We can see places where God’s messengers give prophecy, and while we all might have different interpretations for some of God’s prophetic messages, one thing we all can agree on is Gabriel’s promise to Mary: “For no word from God will ever fail.”

As we begin a new year moving through the gospels together, let’s keep this promise in mind. As you and I move into a new year of life together, let’s remember this promise. Gabriel’s promise to Mary is just as applicable to us as it was to Mary living over 2,000 years ago.

God has promised us that He wants us to live forever with Him in heaven, and that became a possibility because of what we just read. Everything that the Old Testament pointed forward to regarding Jesus’ first coming began with Mary accepting God’s plan for her life. God invites us to be a part of His plan for the future. Will we step into His plan for our lives as willingly as Mary did?

As we finish off the first podcast of a new year, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open these challenges by saying, intentionally seek God first in your life. If you have slipped away from God in the past, make today the day you will refocus on Him. Be like Mary and be willing to step into God’s plan for your life even if an angel doesn’t appear to you give you direction.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do in one way or another, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself, because within the pages of scripture, we can find God’s plan for our lives here on earth, and as we study, we will discover God’s promise of an eternal life reward in heaven. This reward comes when we place Jesus first and we intentionally make Him a priority in our lives.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!