Amy C Walters

The Birth of Jesus Foretold – Luke 1:26-38

The birth predictions of John the Baptist and Jesus are very similar. Both come via an angel. Both are miraculous births. Both say that the child will be great. But the angel says some unique things about Jesus that focus our attention on who this amazing baby will be.

Most of the message that the angel delivers to Mary is focused on her son, the son that she is going to be miraculously empowered to have.

And again, we see a lot of parallels between the angel’s message to Zechariah and the angel’s message to Mary, but there’s also very significant differences.

When the angel first appears to both Zechariah and Mary, he has to say, “Do not be afraid.” Apparently, seeing an angel in person is a terrifying experience because both of them respond in that same way and the angel has to reassure them, it’s okay. You do not need to be afraid.

And then the angel goes on to say, to Zechariah, “Your wife will have a son.” And he says to Mary, “You are going to conceive and have a son.”

So in both cases, the angel says, there’s going to be a miraculous birth, and it’s gonna be a boy. And in both instances, the angel tells them what they are going to name their children. To Zechariah, he says, “You will name him John.” And to Mary, he says, “You will name him Jesus.”

So we see these strong parallels that are tying these two stories together. But now we get to the part where they divide and emphasize some really important points.

With these two children, we’re told they will be great. In John’s case, it says, he will be great in the Lord’s sight. And it goes on to explain the important purpose that John has, which can be summed up in this idea of, he will make ready a people prepared for the Lord. So his job is to point people to the Lord, to the coming Messiah.

But regarding Jesus, the angel says, “He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High.” The Most High is a title referring to God and only God. It’s a title that brings to mind his power and his authority over all things. It signifies that he is above all other gods, above everything else.

He is the Most High. And that title does not apply to anybody else. So the angel, in applying this title to Jesus, the son of the Most High, is to say Jesus is God. He is coming in human form. He is also God.

We’re also told that “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” Now, we know that Mary is pledged to be married to Joseph, not David. So why is he saying his father David?

This goes back to the promise that God made to King David, one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history. And he promised him that one of his descendants, somebody who would come later on in his family line, would reign as king forever. And this promise was understood to be talking about the Messiah, the Savior, the one who God had promised to come and save the world from its sins. So to say that he would reign on the throne of his father David is to say this child is the Messiah, is the one who was promised.

It’s interesting too how it’s really emphasized that his kingdom will never end. It says “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.” “Forever” and “Never end.” This double emphasis on the eternality of this reign.

This is no ordinary baby.

This is God himself.

This is the Messiah.

This is the moment Israel had been waiting for for all of its history.

The angel tells Mary a little bit later as he’s describing how this miracle is gonna take place. He says, “He will be called the son of God.” 

In case it wasn’t already clear that this child was something special, he is also called the son of God. So we have the angel pointing our attention to this incredible, unique baby.

And Mary, much like Zechariah, has a very practical question. “How can this happen?”

There are logistical hurdles. She’s a virgin. And so she asks about this.

And the angel’s answer is incredible. He says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” 

I love that picture of God overshadowing Mary. There’s so much protection and comfort and covering and closeness and shielding there.

I wonder how many times Mary went back to those words over the next months and years and in the challenges that she would face. How often did she think back to those words and say, “Most High, overshadow me, please.”

But the interesting thing is, the angel does not stop there, he says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you so that the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.” 

God’s presence and power and protection over Mary is not just so that she can huddle there and enjoy those comforts, but they are there to point the way to Jesus, to point to the Holy One that would be born.

In fact, that is our key truth for today, and it’s very simple, and yet it has profound implications for all of our lives, is that we need to focus on Jesus.

In this story, when Mary has these questions about how this is going to happen when she doesn’t understand the situation, the angel points her ultimately to Jesus.

These stories between Jesus and John are so connected, and this whole compare and contrast is set up ultimately to point everyone to Jesus.

God breaks through the silence of 400 years with angels appearing and miraculous births, all to point people to Jesus.

That’s what all this is for, to focus our attention on the one who came to save his people from their sins.

Think about your own situation, where you are right now. Maybe you’re struggling with something, and you just don’t know what to do, or you want to get out of a situation.

Are you focused on the situation? Or are you focused on Jesus?

Are you in your pain demanding answers to the situation? Or are you looking for where Jesus is in it?

Maybe life is going well.

Are you focused on all the gifts that Jesus gives and the blessings that you’re enjoying? Or are you focused on the giver of those gifts and Jesus himself and his grace?

Are you working hard to be the best person you can be, struggling with all your might to be perfect and not make any mistakes and be sinless and need Jesus less? Or are you focused on Jesus, the one who saves you from your sins, the one who lived a perfect life so that you don’t have to?

Because you can’t. You can’t live in perfection, all you can do is look to Jesus.

Today as you go, take some time to think about where your focus is right now. Is it on your situation, your circumstances, your struggle, your pain, your own effort? Or is it on Jesus?