By Van Yandell
Luke 11: 26-28 reads, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”
Wintertime in western Kentucky is about as unpredictable as anything can possibly be. Apparently the weather is somewhat of a joke in many places. I was in Greenock, Scotland on a rainy day and a Scotsman told me, “We can have all four seasons in twenty-four hours.”
We always looked for signs of springtime. Some of the maple trees started budding as early as February but warmer temperatures are definitely not in the near future that early.
A little yellow flower we found in late winter is called a buttercup. Some years they bloomed as early as February. A tradition in our household was, when I found the first buttercups, I picked a few and brought them home to wife Margie.
This action usually got me a kiss on the cheek and a “Thank you baby.” Almost as important was those little yellow flowers signified the ending of winter and the approaching spring.
It was like they were God’s announcement to us that brighter, warmer times were coming very soon. A very important announcement made in the Book of Luke is God’s announcement to Mary that she will be the mother of the Savior of the world.
By His birth, life, death and resurrection, He provided the world with a brighter future. No one in the future or past of humanity has made such a profound impact on mankind as Jesus Christ.
Since the gestation period in humans is nine months, this announcement to Mary took place about the end of March in year one B.C.
The Church of the Annunciation (Basilica of the Annunciation) is in northern Israel in the town of Nazareth. We were there, and deep inside the structure is a spring where it is believed the angel Gabriel (the annunciation angel) appeared to Mary.
I drank from that spring and would like to say had a life changing spiritual experience. That, however, did not happen with me but I’m told with some, it does. Being in Christ’s tomb (tomb of Joseph of Arimathea) was a different story. Such an emotional, spiritual experience I had never had.
Luke 1: 28-29a “And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled.”
“Troubled” may very well be an understatement. We can imagine that a young girl having such an unexpected experience would have been emotionally shaken beyond description.
We cannot know exactly Mary’s age at the time. Based on cultural history, she was probably in the 13 to 15 year old range. Yes, “troubled” would be a lessened description of her emotional state!
Luke 1: 30-33 “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
We find in these verses a very compassionate and understanding Gabriel. Could we see this level of empathy in humanity?
Gabriel explained very clearly and forthright a part of what Mary’s experience would be. She apparently knew the prophesy of the coming of a Savior and when she became aware that she would be His mother, a state of emotions likely unparalleled took place within her.
Matthew 1: 23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted would mean, God with us.”
We are told in this verse that Mary was a virgin, she would conceive, she would give birth to a son and His name interpreted “God with us.”
Some claim it is not necessary to know or believe Mary was a virgin and that Christ’s birth was a virgin birth. That is untrue! To be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for the sins of the world (Deuteronomy 17: 1) Jesus had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and virgin born.
A typically born human (fathered by a human male) could not have lived the perfect, sinless life (1 Peter 2: 22) as required for the sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
After Mary received her announcement from Gabriel, she was anxious to visit her cousin Elizabeth and announce to her the encounter and news from Gabriel.
Luke 1: 41 “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.”
Elizabeth being pregnant herself was in an emotional state. Her son was to become John the Baptist who in later life would baptize our glorious Savior.
Announcements are important; there’s no arguing that point. An announcement Christians must be making is the eternal salvation given to us by Savior Jesus is a free gift received through faith.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email is vmy3451@gmail.com
