THURSDAY
Luke 1:26–38 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. 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?” 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.
In Luke’s gospel he has the stories of Zechariah and Mary running together at the same time. These two stories are pictures of discipleship. Surprisingly, Mary is presented as the model of discipleship whereas Zechariah is not, although he eventually comes around. Mary is a poor, young woman from an obscure town way outside of the religious epicenter of Jerusalem. Zechariah is a priest, actively serving in the temple when he receives the revelation from the angel. One would expect Zechariah to be the model of discipleship. But Luke, as he often does in his gospel, flips the script (think the parable of the prodigal son and the tax collector praying). Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and blameless in following the law (Lk. 1:6). However, Zechariah seems to be lacking in faith. He questions the angel’s announcement at first, since Elizabeth is barren and beyond child bearing years. His doubt is met with the discipline of being made mute until eight days after John is born, where Zechariah writes out that his name will be John, emphasizing his progress in trusting in the angel’s word. He came around to faith but it took a little more time.
Mary is “highly favored”. She is a recipient of God’s grace and favor for no other reason other than the fact that God chose to give it to her. Mary is indeed a righteous young woman, but there is nothing in the text that indicates that to be the reason God chose her.
Similar to Zechariah, Mary questions how the angel’s word can take place since she is a virgin, the text literally says, “I have never known a man”. It has often intrigued me why Zechariah is punished for his question while Mary is not. Here’s a few different options: (The text doesn’t say for sure so these are all conjecture to a degree)
- Perhaps the tone of Mary's question was different—a genuine question versus a sarcastic, disbelieving tone from Zechariah. His tone could have given it away or the angel could have simply known that Zechariah did not believe what he said while Mary was simply asking curious about how it would happen. The reason the angel gives for the punishment is that Zechariah did not believe his words (v. 20). Although it seems as if Mary had her doubts as well by her question. Mark Galli argues that the difference between the two is in Zechariah's use of the phrase, "how can I know..." Zechariah doesn't believe and he is simply seeking to be self-assured whereas Mary is simply more curious.
- Zechariah's position as a priest should have led him to have a stronger faith. The expectation for him may have been higher than Mary, who had no formal theological education. Zechariah should know his Scriptures well and his situation was so closely paralleled to Abraham's that he should have known giving birth at an old age was something that God does.
We can't really know the reason why Zechariah was punished for his question while Mary was not, other than what the text says—that he did not believe the words of the angel (Lk. 1:20).
Regardless Mary’s response is certainly exemplary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” Whereas this great calling came with notoriety throughout the ages to come, as Mary seemed to recognize in her Magnificat (1:48), in the moment this calling would have also come with a great deal of uncertainty and trepidation. As NT scholar Scot McKnight indicates, Mary would have been labeled an adulteress in her community. Of course, Mary knows this isn't true but in matters like this, community perception often comes with serious social consequences whether true or not. Also, people have trouble believing the virgin birth today, imagine hearing that explanation in real time! “Sure, Mary!”
In this context, Mary's humble acceptance of the mission given her by God is a beautiful example of how followers of Jesus are to accept their calling from God, no matter the consequences. Her son will later similarly accept the will of God in the Garden of Gethsemane with the words, "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42)
Reflection
Pray to God the words of Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your words to me be fulfilled.”