Accepting the Call
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Key Verse: “The angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” Selected Scripture: |
IN THE LAST LESSON AN angel of God appeared to Zacharias, a priest of Israel, and assured him that he and his wife Elisabeth would become parents of a special child who would be named John. He would be given the privilege of preaching the baptism of repentance to the children of Israel, and also to announce our Lord Jesus as the “Lamb of God” who would take away the “sin of the world.”—John 1:29
Six months later the same angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary and assured her that she would give birth to a very special son. He would be called Jesus, meaning ‘Salvation,’ or ‘Savior.’ This miraculous conception and birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was God’s marvelous gift to the poor groaning human family who had inherited the penalty of death because of father Adam’s disobedience to the Divine law. Mary accepted this special call in her life, and said, “How can this be, since I am a virgin? The angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of God.”—Luke 1:34,35, New American Standard Version
The angel Gabriel assured Mary in this matter and said, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” (vs. 37, NASV) In response to the angel’s message “Mary said, Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.” (vs. 38, NASV) This was an extraordinary event in God’s plan of salvation. Jesus would be the long-promised Messiah to the people of Israel, and his perfect life, in turn, would be given in sacrifice as a “ransom for all.” (I Tim. 2:6) The promise of his birth signaled a major turning point in the outworking of that plan to be testified in due time.
Upon hearing the glad tidings of this wonderful message from the angel of God, Mary arose, and quickly went to share the news with her kinswoman, Elisabeth, who was already six months pregnant with her promised son, John. It came about that “when Elisabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.” (vss. 41-44, NASV) We cannot help but note that Elisabeth quickly recognized the superiority of Mary’s child to her own, yet with humility and reverence she submitted to the powerful hand of God in the upcoming birth of the two miraculous sons.
The closing passage of the scripture in this lesson (vss. 46-55) records Mary’s song and prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the marvelous power and outworking of God that had been energized in her. It also echoes Elisabeth’s prophecy in connection with the fruit of Mary’s womb that would bring joy to the world in the birth of Jesus. Jesus would be her Lord, as well as Lord to the whole human family.