No End!

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December 21, 2008 - Luke 1.26-38

Open It

  1. When was an occasion that you received an unexpected honor?

  2. How do you tend to react when you receive unexpected good news?

Explore It

  1. Who greeted Mary? Why? (1:26-28)

  2. How did Mary learn of her role in Jesus' birth? (1:26-28)

  3. How did Mary feel when the angel appeared to her? (1:29-30)

  4. How did Gabriel describe the child that would be born to Mary? (1:31-33)

  5. What title would Jesus have? (1:32)

  6. What Old Testament personalities were part of Jesus' royal line? (1:32-33)

  7. Why wasn't Mary struck dumb by the angel as Zechariah was? (1:34)

  8. How did Mary's response to the angel differ from Zechariah's? (1:34, 38)

  9. Why did Gabriel mention Elizabeth's pregnancy to Mary? (1:36-37)

  10. What kind of attitude was apparent in Mary's response to the angel's visit? (1:38)

  11. What did Mary's final statement to Gabriel show about her relationship with God? (1:38)

Get It

  1. What do Mary's responses to Gabriel tell us about the kind of people through whom God works?

  2. In what different ways do people respond to the story of Christ's birth?

  3. What difference does it make whether or not a person believes that the child born to Mary was really the Son of God?

  4. How has the fact that "with God, nothing is impossible" taken root in your life?

  5. In what ways would you say Mary's responses to Gabriel summarize what our relationship with God ought to be like?

Apply It

  1. What "impossibilities" in your life do you want to thank God for this week?

  2. What can you do to maintain a servant's attitude as you live from day to day?

  3. In what ways can you develop the kind of humble spirit that Mary had?

NOTES

Luke 1:26: Gabriel appeared not only to Zechariah and to Mary but also to the prophet Daniel more than 500 years earlier (Daniel 8:15-17; Daniel 9:21). Each time Gabriel appeared, he brought important messages from God.

1:26 Nazareth, Joseph's and Mary's hometown, was a long way from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish life and worship. Located on a major trade route, Nazareth was frequently visited by Gentile merchants and Roman soldiers. It was known for its independent and aloof attitude. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. Nevertheless, the people of Nazareth would reject him as the Messiah (Luke 4:22-30).

Luke 1:27-28: Mary was young, poor, female-all characteristics that, to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. But God chose Mary for one of the most important acts of obedience he has ever demanded of anyone. You may feel that your ability, experience, or education makes you an unlikely candidate for God's service. Don't limit God's choices. He can use you if you trust him.

Luke 1:30-33: God's favor does not automatically bring instant success or fame. His blessing on Mary, the honor of being the mother of the Messiah, would lead to much pain: her peers would ridicule her; her fiance would come close to leaving her; her son would be rejected and murdered. But through her son would come the world's only hope, and this is why Mary has been praised by countless generations as the young girl who "found favor with God." Her submission was part of God's plan to bring about our salvation. If sorrow weighs you down and dims your hope, think of Mary and wait patiently for God to finish working out his plan.

1:31-33 Jesus, a Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, was a common name meaning "the LORD saves." Just as Joshua had led Israel into the promised land (see Joshua 1:1-2), so Jesus would lead his people into eternal life. The symbolism of his name was not lost on the people of his day, who took names seriously and saw them as a source of power. In Jesus' name people were healed, demons were banished, and sins were forgiven.

1:32-33 Centuries earlier, God had promised David that David's kingdom would last forever (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, a direct descendant of David, whose reign will continue throughout eternity.

Luke 1:34: The birth of Jesus to a virgin is a miracle that many people find hard to believe. These three facts can aid our faith: (1) Luke was a medical doctor, and he knew perfectly well how babies are made. It would have been just as hard for him to believe in a virgin birth as it is for us, and yet he reports it as fact. (2) Luke was a painstaking researcher who based his Gospel on eyewitness accounts. Tradition holds that he talked with Mary about the events he recorded in the first two chapters. This is Mary's story, not a fictional invention. (3) Christians and Jews, who worship God as the Creator of the universe, should believe that God has the power to create a child in a virgin's womb.

Luke 1:35: Jesus was born without the sin that entered the world through Adam. He was born holy, just as Adam was created sinless. In contrast to Adam, who disobeyed God, Jesus obeyed God and was thus able to face sin's consequences in our place and make us acceptable to God (Romans 5:14-19).

Luke 1:38: A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary, with her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Still Mary said, despite the possible risks, "May it be to me as you have said." When Mary said that, she didn't know about the tremendous opportunity she would have. She only knew that God was asking her to serve him, and she willingly obeyed. Don't wait to see the bottom line before offering your life to God. Offer yourself willingly, even when the outcome seems disastrous.

1:38 God's announcement of a child to be born was met with various responses throughout Scripture. Sarah, Abraham's wife, laughed (Genesis 18:9-15). Zechariah doubted (Luke 1:18). By contrast, Mary submitted. She believed the angel's words and agreed to bear the child, even under humanly impossible circumstances. God is able to do the impossible. Our response to his demands should not be laughter, or doubt, but willing acceptance.

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