Luke 1:26-38
Six months after Gabriel appeared to Zacharias at the temple he also appeared to Mary. He told her that she would have a son and his name would be called Jesus. Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be great and would be called the Son of the Highest and that the Lord God would give him the throne of his father David. He would reign over the house of Jacob and his kingdom would have no end.
Part of this prophecy from Gabriel is still yet in our future today. The Lord Jesus will yet return to the earth and sit upon the throne of David in Jerusalem and reign over all the nations of the earth with a rod of iron. This is described for us in the book of Revelation.
Mary had questions about how this prophecy would happen but she did not have an attitude of unbelief as Zacharias. She was not disciplined or rebuked in the same way as Zacharias. Mary believed the word which the angel spoke to her.
The angel told Mary that the Holy Ghost would come upon her and she would conceive a son. The angel told Mary that her cousin Elisabeth was also expecting a son.
Verse 37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible."
I need to remember this in my life. With God nothing is impossible. I have hope because I do not yet know what the Lord can do in my life. Consider the account of Job in the Bible and remember that the Lord is merciful and filled with compassion for his servants.
Nothing is impossible with the Lord.
Mary believed the message from Gabriel.
Within this prophecy from Gabriel we also have a future hope that the Lord Jesus will return again to this earth and reign over the nation of Israel. We have not yet seen the complete fulfillment of this prophecy. However, since we know that the word which Gabriel said to Mary was fulfilled we know also that the rest of this prophecy will be fulfilled as well. The Lord Jesus will sit upon the throne of David and rule over the nation of Israel. Do we believe this message as Mary did? Or do we have the attitude of Zacharias who did not believe and was rebuked by the Lord.
Let us have faith and believe in God's word. Nothing is impossible with the Lord. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think.
Luke 1:39-45
Elizabeth receives a revelation when she was filled with the Holy Spirit. What did she know? She knew that Mary was carrying a baby who was the Messiah. She said that Mary was the mother of her Lord. She also knew that Mary believed the word from the angel Gabriel. This stands in contrast to Zacharias who did not believe the word of the angel and was disciplined for his unbelief.
I don't think Elizabeth knew this information before Mary came to visit her simply because of how this was recorded by Luke. This was the first contact Mary and Elizabeth had and it seems from a straight forward reading of these verses that Elizabeth did not know any of these things before Mary showed up. She received knowledge from the Holy Spirit when she heard Mary's greeting. This might be called a "word of knowledge" from the Lord and it is a very real spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit. Revelation like this from the Lord is real.
What did Elizabeth say? She called Mary "blessed" and also the fruit of her womb "blessed". She was blessed because God chose her to be the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There was great humility in Elizabeth's words. She was surprised that the mother of the Messiah would come and visit her. This shows that Elizabeth did not think of herself more highly than she ought but she considered herself with sober judgment.
She shared with Mary that the baby inside her leaped with joy when he heard the voice of Mary. This shows there was a deep connection between John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. That connection was the Holy Spirit of God.
Christian brothers and sisters have this connection as well. I've never known in my life more joy than when I find a true brother in Christ. It is truly the greatest joy in my life to fellowship with another brother in Christ and to encourage one another in our faith in the Lord Jesus. Some of my greatest moments of happiness were over an open Bible with another brother or sister in Christ.
This passage also reminds me of how important it is to show hospitality to others and be ready to drop everything when someone shows up. You never know you might be entertaining angels without realizing it.
