Angel Appears to Mary

Angel Appears to Mary. What troubling news the angel brought to Mary. How was she to respond? How would Joseph, her betrothed react? These and many other thoughts must have entered her mind as she pondered the angel's words.

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

Luke 1:26-28, NKJV

What troubling news the angel brought to Mary. How was she to respond? How would Joseph, her betrothed react? These and many other thoughts must have entered her mind as she pondered the angel's words.

Angel Appears to Mary - Background

Our Bible passage begins with the words, "Now in the sixth month ..." To understand this we need to look at the preceding verses in Luke 2. In doing so, we discover that Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, who was advanced in years was also to have a son. When the angel appeared to Mary, Elizabeth was already in the sixth month of her pregnancy.

Angel Appears to Mary - Troubling News

The angel's news to Mary was very troubling. After all, she was a virgin, she had never had sex with any man. Being engaged to Joseph, she had to wonder how Joseph would react to such news. Would he believe that she had been unfaithful to him?

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

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.

Luke 2:34-35, NKJV

Angel Appears to Mary - Mary's Response

Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit--her child would be the Son of God! Prophecy had foretold of such a thing and many wondered who this woman would be. How did Mary react to this news?

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 2:38, NKJV

In verse 38 we begin to see the Godly character of Mary. Not knowing how Joseph or her friends and neighbors would react, she simply accepted the news from the angel saying, "Let it be to me according to your word."

Angel Appears to Mary - Our Response

What can we learn from Mary in this Biblical account from Luke 2?

Mary was one of many women, yet she was not too lowly for God to take notice. We look on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.

As believers, let us love God from our heart of hearts. Let us not live for the Lord in a superficial way, but let us devote all of our hearts, souls, and minds to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we had received the news that Mary received from the angel, how would we have reacted? Would our love for the Lord be so great that we would immediately accept the news from the angel as truly coming from God Himself?

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, how did he respond?

So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

Luke 10:27, NKJV

Let us, like Mary, fall before our Lord and ask for the help and strength to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind.

I am writing this devotional at a time when the coronavirus, COVID19, is ravaging the entire world. Where is God in all of this? Let us understand that God is God and we are not. Let us also understand that we are not in this world to gain our fortune, become famous, or fall into any other of the many trappings of this world. As we face death all around us, let us understand that, as believers, this world is not our home. We are here to spread the wonderful Gospel that there is hope for us.

We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but God has provided a way to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth to pay the debt of our sins by dying on the cross. His resurrection three days later teaches us that we, too, will be resurrected. But where will we go? Those who love and serve the Lord God with all of our hearts and minds will enter into the glories of heaven and live there for eternity. Those who have not received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior will go into eternal punishment.

That is a sobering thought. Go now, before it is too late and fall before Christ, confess your sins, and accept the payment Jesus has already made on your behalf.

We have much more to learn from Mary, but that will have to wait for another devotional.

God Bless You,

Linda