Christmas time is filled with wonder and excitement as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. R.K. Hughes writes, “Without a doubt we could spend our lives searching the literature of the world for a story as beautiful as that of the Nativity and never find it. The narrative of Christ’s birth is especially piercing because it is true, being firmly fixed in history with an actual place and real people.”[1] We all have our favorite characters in the Christmas narrative, however, some of the most intriguing characters in the Christmas narrative are the angels that we identify as the ‘Messengers of Christmas.’ There are wonderful and amazing truths that we can glean from each appearance of the angels. As we study the Messengers of Christmas we will see the angel that appears to Mary, the angel that appears to Joseph, the angels that appear to the shepherds, and finally we will consider how we are the messengers of Christmas for today.
The appearance of the angel to Mary is most special indeed. It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. It is often recited in Christmas pageants and is read in Christmas devotionals. It is a beautiful and unlikely story of a young virgin girl whose life is turned completely upside down by the angel’s appearance.
You are favored. In verse 28 the angel Gabriel appears to Mary in the small town of Nazareth in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Mary is a virgin who is engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, who is a descendant of King David. Mary is an ordinary girl living in a small town. She was not well educated and her lot in life would be to marry, bare children, and to die in that same poor town. “She had not been chosen for this task because she possessed a particular piety or holiness of life that merited this privilege. The text suggests no special worthiness on Mary’s part.”[2] However, everything changed when a remarkable thing happened to Mary. An angel named Gabriel appears to Mary with a profound announcement. As the angel appears to Mary, He proclaims that Mary is ‘highly favored.’ She held a special place in the heart of God. Why would she be highly favored by God? There was nothing special about Mary. No doubt, she was pure and she worshiped God, but she was a sinner just like everyone else. Martin Luther remarked, “He might have gone to Jerusalem and picked out Caiaphas’s daughter, who was fair, rich, clad in gold embroidered raiment and attended by a retinue of maids in waiting. But God preferred a lowly maid from a mean town.”[3] Perhaps she was highly favored simply for the fact that she was created in the image of God and she chose to believe in Him. I would like to encourage you with the fact that like Mary, you too are highly favored. God has favored you. He has favored us all. His love for us is beyond compare. He made a way. He came down to us. Gave His life for us. Provided a way of salvation for us. Why? Because He loves us. Because He favors us. Never forget that you are valuable to God. You are so valuable that He died for you and has a place prepared for you in Heaven and you can go to that place if you put your faith in the Lord Jesus.
The Lord is with you. The angel continues by declaring to Mary that ‘the Lord is with you.’ What comfort that thought brings! Matthew Henry said, “Nothing is to be despaired of, not the performance of any service, not the obtaining of any favour, though ever so great, if we have God with us.”[4]There is no need to fear. There is no need to worry. For the Lord is with you. God is not only for you. He not only favors you. But, He is with you. If you know Jesus as Savior, there will never be a time when you are alone. God is with you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. In a world filled with disappointment and discouragement. In a world where those around you will let you down and quickly abandon you, the Lord is with you.
You are blessed. We also see in verse 28 the angel Gabriel declaring to Mary that she is blessed. The King James says that Mary is ‘blessed among women.’ Warren Wiersbe says, “Mary is blessed among women but not above women.”[5] The idea of Mary being blessed is tied to the fact that she is favored. She is blessed, not because she was anything special or is better than other women. She is blessed because of the favor or grace that God gave her in choosing her to be the one to give birth to the Messiah. All of us are blessed to some degree. Every ounce of good that is bestowed upon us comes from Almighty God. Just like Mary, there is nothing in us that deserves the blessing of God. However, motivated by His great love, God blesses us. It is good for us to take time daily to reflect on God’s goodness and His blessing on our lives. To have life. To have a purpose. To have joy. To have a future. To have a home. We have been abundantly blessed. This Christmas, be sure to take the time to give God praise for all the blessings He has given.
You will have a son. In verse 31, the angel tells Mary that she will have a son. The announcement of a child to be born is wonderful news. I recall each time my wife informed me she was pregnant. Such news was met with both unexplainable joy and fear. For Mary, such news caused great confusion as she had never been with a man. The angel goes on to tell her that she is to name the child, Jesus. Knowing who Jesus is makes that name so very precious to us. However, for Mary, the name Jesus was all too common. The name ‘Jesus’ is the same as ‘Joshua’, which means ‘Savior.’ It was a common name in Bible times. However, the meaning of the name is of great importance. For Jesus is not just ‘Savior’, He is the Savior. He is the long-awaited Messiah. What an honor for Mary! Henry says, “Though she lives in poverty and obscurity, yet she shall have the honour to be the mother of the Messiah; her son shall be named Jesus—a Saviour, such a one as the world needs, rather than such one as the Jews expect.”[6] Verses 32-33 goes on to describe who Jesus is. There are several things we see about the Son in these verses. (1) He is great. Nothing can compare to the greatness of Jesus. For He is the incarnate of God. He is the one by whom all things were created and by whom all things are held together. He is omnipotent and there is no one that compares to Him. (2) He is the Son of the Highest. The angel makes clear to Mary who Jesus is. He is the very Son of God. He is the Messiah. He is God Himself come down to man. (3) He will sit on the throne of David. The people of Israel were waiting for the arrival of a King that would free them from the Romans. However, Jesus came as a different type of King. He came humbly as a babe. Though King, He does not establish His Kingdom at His first coming. Instead He invites everyone to join Him in His Kingdom through the sacrifice He makes on the cross. There will come a day when Jesus will physically sit on the throne at His second coming. (4) He will reign forever. Once Jesus established His Kingdom and sits on the throne of David, His reign will have no end. No other king will replace Him. No one will overcome Him. He will reign forever. (5) His Kingdom will have no end. The Kingdom of God of which Jesus is King will last forever. In the age we live in today, kingdoms come and go. However, the Kingdom of God will stand. There will be no end to that glorious Kingdom. What great news! What joy must have filled the heart of Mary! She was to give birth to a Son who will be the forever King of kings and Lord of Lords!
It will be miraculous. In verses 34-37 we see how Mary questions the angel concerning the unlikeliness and impossibility of her having a son. She tells the angel that she has never been with a man and that giving birth to a child would be impossible. The angel responds by assuring Mary that the child conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. The angel declares that a miracle will take place inside Mary. The angel explains to Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth is also with child in her old age. Elisabeth was to give birth to the forerunner of Christ. By sharing this news with Mary, the angel was explaining to her that the birth of Jesus would be far greater than that of John the Baptist and thus required a greater miracle. It is also important to note that sin is in the seed of man. Therefore, if Jesus was conceived in a natural way He would have inherited a sin nature and thus would disqualify Him from being the Messiah and the perfect Lamb of God. Though the virgin birth is of great significance, it must be understood that the real miracle is not how Jesus came, but that He came. As the New American Commentary points out, “What is most important in the NT teaching of the virgin birth (or virginal conception) is not the manner in which God sent his Son but the fact that he sent him. To use later terminology, we might say that what is of primary importance is not the virgin birth but the incarnation. In other words it is not the “how” but the “what” of Christmas that is most important.”[7] In verse 37, the Angel says, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” God is the God of the impossible. There is nothing that God cannot do including orchestrating a virgin birth. This brings great comfort to the believer. For if God can do the miraculous in Mary, He can do the miraculous in and through you. As you celebrate Christmas and inch closer to a new year, consider how God can use you in miraculous ways in the new year.
The willingness of Mary. In conclusion we see the willingness of Mary in verse 38. Mary accepted the message of the angel and willingly submitted to the Lord’s will for her life. The great challenge we receive from the angel’s message to Mary is the challenge for us to be a willing vessel as Mary was. God has a plan for your life. He desires the best for you and He wants to do great things through you. However, God never forces His will on anyone. He will work through those who are willing. What about you? Do you have a willing heart? This Christmas, I encourage you to submit yourself to the Lord and become a willing vessel to be used of God in great and mighty ways in the new year.
[1] Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (pp. 28–29). Crossway Books.
[2] Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, pp. 82–83). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (p. 30). Crossway Books.
[4] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1823). Hendrickson.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 149). Victor Books.
[6] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1823). Hendrickson.
[7] Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, p. 85). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Pastor Chris Noland 