Luke 1: 26 - 33, Mary is visited
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Presumably "sixth month" is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Mary is not married but engaged. She is probably a teenager, possibly a young teenager, age 14 or 15.
What is Mary's reaction to the angel? Is she afraid of his presence or his words? (I think she should be afraid of his words -- this process will bring pain and suffering to her, along with much joy.)
Why the name "Jesus"? (The New Testament "Jesus" is, in Greek, "Yeshua", which is the Old Testament "Joshua." It is presumably a common name.)
How long will this child reign? (See Micah 5:2, also 2 Samuel 7: 13, 16 and Isaiah 9:6-7.)
Luke 1: 34-38, A virgin to have a child
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Mary's response (a question in verse 34) is very practical. How is her question different from that of Zechariah? (Why doesn't Mary get the treatment Zechariah did, that is, being struck dumb?)
Physically, anatomically, what exactly must have happened to Mary? One of her eggs was fertilized. Did God make up a Y chromosone? What type of genetic code did the child have? The passage only says that the power of the Most High will "overshadow" her.
The miracle with Elizabeth is mentioned as validation of the upcoming miracle for Mary. (But Elizabeth was not a virgin!) What is Mary's final response? (Wouldn't you want to ask a few more questions?)
Mary & Elizabeth are described as "cousins" but that could merely indicate "kinship", that they are relatives. It is not clear what the distinction is for Elizabeth (or at least her husband) is of the tribe of Levi, in the lineage of Aaron (as a priest) while Mary is of the tribe of Judah.
Luke 1: 39-45, A baby leaps for joy
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Elizabeth lives some distance away (70+ miles) in Judea.
Why do you think Mary hurries to see Elizabeth? What title does Elizabeth give Mary? What praise does Elizabeth give to Mary?
Notice the word "believed". I think it means several things, but one of them is "trust". However, because God seems to be so subtle, it is surely necessary for Mary to believe He is at work and to remember that.
Was Mary ever tempted to doubt after the first visit of the angel?
Luke 1: 46-55, Mary's song, the "Magnificat"
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.
"His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
"He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."
Women were considered blessed by God if they had children, apparently especially blessed with a male child. How special would be the woman who carried the Messiah! Did Mary know how rough this would be on her?
Note the attributes of God which Mary praises: He is Great/Mighty, Holy, Merciful, Upsets the proud but raises the humble, Takes care of the poor but foils the rich, Protector of Israel. Two qualities are poetically described as contrasts, eg., God defeats the proud but lifts up the humble.
For further thought: Can God be humble? What does the Magnificat say about the character of God?
I may have written this before, but in seminary I made it a habit to read the Greek OT--the Septuagint or LXX--and became familiar with its cadences. When I read the Magnificat in that light, I saw that in the first chapters at least, Luke chose to write in that biblical style. It emphasizes the sense of both continuity and fulfillment, as well as perhaps suggesting how thoroughly steeped he was in the Bible he had. A number of Luke's commentators have noted this, so it's not just me.
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