In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
In this scene, Luke brings us to the heart of the mystery of God the Son truly becoming man. The one eternal Person of God the Son did not merely appear human. He truly became human. Without ceasing to be God, he took a real human nature from Mary. He entered our timeline as a true infant, with the weakness and vulnerability every infant has, because he chose to save us from within our humanity, not from a distance.
Luke begins by locating this event in time: “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth” (v. 26). The “sixth month” ties Mary’s annunciation directly to Elizabeth’s pregnancy and shows that God is already acting in ways beyond human strength. Luke also shifts the setting from the temple in Jerusalem, where Zechariah received his announcement, to Nazareth, a small town in Galilee. Nazareth is not only quiet and ordinary. It is also treated with scorn, as Nathanael later says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn. 1:46). Luke is showing that God begins this work in a place many people looked down on.
Mary is described as “a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David” (v. 27). Luke is preparing the reader for the promise that this child will fulfill God’s covenant with David. Gabriel greets her with words that are both startling and personal: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you” (v. 28). Mary is “greatly troubled” and thinks carefully about what this greeting means (v. 29). Luke presents her as attentive and serious in the presence of God’s word.
Gabriel immediately addresses her fear: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (v. 30). What follows is not Mary’s plan but God’s initiative. The angel announces that she will conceive and bear a son and that she is to name him Jesus (v. 31). Then Gabriel speaks of the child’s identity in the language of God’s promises to Israel: “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,” and “the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father” (v. 32). He will “rule over the house of Jacob forever,” and “of his kingdom there will be no end” (v. 33). Luke is showing that God’s ancient promises are now reaching their fulfillment, and that this fulfillment will be lasting and universal, not temporary.
Mary then asks a direct question: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (v. 34). Luke presents this as a real question that seeks understanding, not a question of doubt. Earlier, Zechariah asked, “How shall I know this?” and was asking for proof (Lk. 1:18). Mary is not asking for a sign. She is asking how God’s promise will happen. That difference helps explain why Zechariah’s question brings a consequence, while Mary’s question does not.
Gabriel answers by explaining God’s action: “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35). Luke’s language points to God’s direct work, not human generation. The word “overshadow” recalls the way God’s presence covered the tabernacle when He dwelt among His people (Ex. 40:34-35). Luke is showing that the God who once made His presence known to Israel is now acting in a new and deeply personal way so that He may dwell among His people as one of them.
Gabriel then draws the conclusion: “Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (v. 35). Luke is clear. This child is connected to David’s line, yet his conception is not by human generation. It is God’s work through the holy Spirit. The child is holy, and he is the Son of God in a unique way.
The angel also gives Mary a confirming sign: “Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age” (v. 36). Luke ties these two births together. God is bringing new life where human life seems closed. Then Gabriel states the assurance that sums up the whole scene: “for nothing will be impossible for God” (v. 37). This echoes God’s earlier saving work in Israel’s history, when God brought life and fulfillment where human strength could not (cf. Gen. 18:14).
Mary’s response is simple and complete: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (v. 38). Luke presents her consent as free and wholehearted. She receives God’s word and entrusts herself to God’s plan. Then “the angel departed from her” (v. 38). The scene ends quietly, but everything has changed. God’s saving plan has entered human history in a new way through the child Mary will bear.
Almighty God, give me a faith that listens, a heart that trusts, and a will that says yes to Your word. This we pray through Your Eternal Son. Amen.
_____________________
Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011). Bible notes on Lk. 1:26-38.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Luke (Four Courts/Scepter), pp. 243-245.
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (Paulist Press, 2018), p. 1038.
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990), pp. 680-681.
- Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, eds., The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke (Ignatius Press), pp. 104-105.
Comments