Luke 1:39 “Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,” We don’t know exactly what city Mary went to when visiting Elizabeth. But the hill country of Judah was just south of Jerusalem. So, this would have been quite a trip for Mary.…
Luke 1:38 “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke may have interviewed Mary. In any case it seems likely this account came straight from her mouth. And it is a great testimony to her faith. Heavenly…
Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.” What is the significance of this being in future tense? Why doesn’t Gabriel just say, “Nothing is impossible with God,” and leave it at that? Well the construction of this verse is difficult to explain in English. English doesn’t allow for a double negative. Greek…
Luke 1:36 “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.” Gabriel tells Mary this to illustrate that the Lord can do anything. But, much more, he told her so that she would be aware of…
Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” By the power of the Father, the process of the Spirit,…
Luke 1:34 “Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” In many cases when people in the Bible asked how something could happen they received rebuke. Zacharias is a perfect case in point. However, Mary is not derided for her question here. Why the difference?…
Luke 1:33 “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” The claim made here is often dismissed out of hand. Big issues are made out of the incarnation doctrine. Whereas many more simply smudge out the meaning of this arguing that it is…
Luke 1:32 “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.” In commenting upon this passage we would generally focus on the idea of Jesus being the Son of the Highest or the giving of the throne…
Luke 1:31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” We sometimes have trouble believing what God has said. Imagine the faith that Mary had to have! Here she was being told that she would have a child, when she knew that there…
Luke 1:30 “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” This is an interesting parallel to the verse we find back in Genesis regarding Noah. Genesis 6:8 tells us Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The word here for favor is…