Christmas Angelic Announcements – Mary the Mother of Jesus is the second lesson in our mini-Bible-series on the angels of Advent. Gabriel makes a second appearance, first to Zechariah in the temple to announce the birth of John the Baptist. This week he pays a visit to Mary, Jesus’ mother.
There are a few details in this account that are striking. The first is her initial reaction. Anytime any mortal sees an angel it’s not a fun experience. Sinful mortals don’t do well in the presence of holy beings, like angels. We’ll get into this topic more after the first of the year, but anytime mortals come into contact with ANY spiritual being it doesn’t necessarily go well. Mary was greatly troubled at the angels words because she was a sinner too! Personally – if I never see an angel all my days, I’ll be good with that. There are some things we can leave to our God.
The second is Mary’s faith. We can’t see faith, but we can see the fruits! We can see what people do and say. By a persons actions we can often see what is in that person’s heart. At first blush the words that Mary says to the angel aren’t really any different than what Zechariah says.
Mary: “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Zechariah: “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The easy answer is the angel’s reaction. Zechariah gets a gentle rebuke and the loss of speech until the child is born. Mary gets an explanation from the angel and a reminder that God is omnipotent. When we hear God’s promises to us, may we accept them by the Spirit’s power.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s study – the first in our series on the Christmas Angelic Announcements – Mary the Mother of Jesus.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.