UBF Daily Bread

THE VIRGIN MARY’S BABY

Passage: Luke 1:26~38

Key verse: 35

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel^(A) to Nazareth,^(B) a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,^(C) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,^(D) Mary; you have found favor with God.^(E) ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.^(F) ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.^(G) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,^(H) ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom^(I) will never end.”^(J)

³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,^(K) and the power of the Most High^(L) will overshadow you. So the holy one^(M) to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God.^(N) ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child^(O) in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”^(P)

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

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Footnotes

Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,

In Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin girl, Mary of Nazareth. Gabriel greeted her as a “highly favored” one. Worldly favor is a worldly blessing, like money. But God’s favor is to be a great source of blessing to the world. Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, the Son of God, the eternal king on David’s throne.

Mary wondered how, as a virgin, this would come about? Gabriel explained it would happen by the power of the Holy Spirit. So her baby, Jesus, would be called “the Son of God.” Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus is the Savior of the world (“Jesus” means “the LORD saves”). Mary humbly accepted God’s will for her, and so she became the mother of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, son of Mary, Son of God, thank you for coming into our world to save us from sin and death and condemnation. May we seek your favor, rather than worldly favor. Make me a blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

One Word: Jesus is Son of Man and Son of God, our Savior and King forever