Luke 1:26-38
Below is a sermon manuscript from November 30, 2025. Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
Did Mary know? There is a Christmas song that says “Mary Did You Know?”
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters? Did you know
That your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered
Will soon deliver you.
Sometimes this song is picked up by Christians as a test of Biblical fidelity. Some point here to Luke 1 and attack the song, saying, “Yes, she knew! It’s right here in the Bible.” I admit, I was a part of the Mary Did You Know hater club. But as is often the case zeal for Biblical faithfulness is sometimes misplaced or just an outlet for spiritual pride. The reality is that Mary did know some details, but not everything. Even in our passage, it says that he will be called the Son of the Most High. This is different from the fact that he shall be called Jesus. One is an instruction that tells us about Jesus – Matthew’s Gospel tells us the importance of the name because Jesus saves. It is also important because neither Mary nor Joseph names Jesus; God does. But the other descriptions tell us how people will think about Jesus. This may come in time as they see his work, as they hear about the resurrection. They will come to see him as he really is. For Mary, she knows this, and believes this, but also is in the process of learning it. There is no precedent for God in flesh. This has never happened in history.
The Announcement of Jesus Him
Jesus is Great
First we see that Jesus is great. This is a quality that is an attribute of God in Deuteronomy 10:17,
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.[1]
Titus 2:13 applies it to Jesus Christ. Again, this “will be great” that we see in verse 32 is applied to Jesus in Titus. He is recognized for his greatness, and people call him that, but before he demonstrated any of that, Gabriel tells Mary it will happen.
But Jesus wants us to see greatness in a new way. He tells his disciples in Luke 22:26-27 that greatness comes from serving others. How different is this from the world that we live in. We can see greatness in those who are served, those who don’t need to lift a finger. I saw a post this past week that said, “You should always answer people, not I will look into that. But my people will look into that.” Not, “I will get back to you, but my team will get back to you.” There is a tendency to see distance as a way to elevate ourselves, but in Jesus Christ, God enters into creation. Greatness is seen in Him, coming not in his distance.
And his coming to serve is coming in humility. To a dot on the map, a type of town nobody would have heard of. To a person, not of nobility but of humility. Jesus’ greatness would capture the attention of others not because he had a leg up socioeconomically, so to speak, but because of who he is.
Jesus is the Son of God
If Luke used an attribute ascribed to God and alluded to the idea that he was more than man, next, he increases the clarity. Most High is a description of God. This is how Luke uses the term over and over in both the book of Luke and Acts. (1:76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17)
This is important because the Bible often speaks of the Messiah and his special relationship with God. A couple examples would be messianic Psalms like Psalm 2:7 and 89:26. But here there is even more at play. It is distinct. We see further clarification in verse 35 when God is referred to as Most High and Jesus is explicitly called the Son of God.
In 1:32 the emphasis is on Jesus’ messiahship, since the Old Testament promised that the Messiah would have a special father-son relationship with God. This use of the title is common in the New Testament. Elsewhere, as here in 1:35, the title emphasizes Jesus’ essential deity[2]
Again, think of the original audience of the Gospel of Luke. They have heard that Jesus was crucified and stories of people who witnessed his resurrection. Stories have circulated about his miracles and him being more than a man. And in Luke’s extensive research, you are hearing that an Angel said this about him before he was even born. What? So, you mean my neighbor Sarah, who has been talking non-stop about Jesus, is just saying what Gabriel told Mary, what people would say about Jesus. Maybe she’s not crazy!
Jesus is the forever King
It’s important to get a little bit of background information to understand the significance of Jesus getting the throne of David. This refers to a teaching in the Old Testament about David’s forever throne.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’[3] ”
| In the century leading up to Jesus’ birth, when the powerful Roman empire dominated Palestine, hope for the coming Messiah to free God’s people from their oppressors became particularly intense. Though these expectations were diverse in the various strands of first-century Judaism, the dominant hope was for a messianic deliverer from King David’s line. In the Psalms of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic work (written under an assumed name) from the first century b.c., the following hope is expressed:See, Lord, and raise up for them their king, the son of David,to rule over your servant Israel.…Undergird him with the strength to destroy the unrighteous rulers,to purge Jerusalem from gentiles who trample her to destruction;in wisdom and in righteousness to drive out the sinners from the inheritance;to smash the arrogance of sinners like a potter’s jar;To shatter all their substance with an iron rod [cf. Ps. 2:9]to destroy unlawful nations with the word of his mouth; [cf. Isa. 11:4]At his warning the nations will flee from his presence;and he will condemn sinners by the thoughts of their hearts.(Pss. Sol. 17:21–25)The Gentiles who “trample [Jerusalem] to destruction” are the Romans. It is not difficult to see why such excitement surrounded Jesus and even John the Baptist (Luke 3:15), when people suspected either might be the Messiah, the Son of David.Similar expectations for a Davidic Messiah appear in apocalyptic Judaism and in the Qumran (Dead Sea) scrolls.A-8 The community at Qumran awaited two messiahs: a royal Davidic one and a priestly one from the line of Aaron.[4] |
The words of Gabriel here bring to mind Old Testament prophecies and cultural expectations. Jesus will counter many of the expectations. He will fulfill the promises in an unexpected way. Many are hoping for a King to crush, but this King will first come to be crushed for His enemies. Jesus both fulfills expectations and subverts expectations. As we continue in the book of Luke, we will see this happen over and over in the life of Jesus.
The Birth of Jesus Demonstrates God’s Power
Jesus’ birth is miraculous
Before Mary is mentioned by name, she is referred to as a virgin twice. Repetition is important in the Bible. Today we have various ways of drawing attention to an idea, such as capital letters, underlining, bold, and italics. Scripture uses repetition to draw attention to words or ideas. Here we have a virgin being used to set the stage for the “who” Gabriel is going to address. The city gives us the background information and historical setting, but the location is more centered on the person, which makes the dual description that much more interesting. In one way, it is dragging it out, giving more details, but it is also informing the mind, “pay attention to this.” This is important because, unlike John, there is no precedent for Jesus’ birth. If John’s birth indicated that God was at work and drew into it continuity with the Old Testament and barren mothers, this birth transcends all that has come before. It’s as if those births pointed to something greater to come, and now it is arriving.
Luke assumes the marriage customs without explaining that Mary’s father has given his consent for her to marry Joseph and the bride price has been paid, but Joseph has not yet taken her to live with him in his household (see Matt 1:18; 25:1–13; m. Ketub. 4:4–5). Her betrothal to Joseph, who plays no role in this episode, sets up the child’s connection to David (1:32, 69; 2:4, 11; 3:31) with those messianic reverberations.[5]
Here we have a virgin who is to have a child. But Gabriel does not tell her that she will have a child to Joseph. This is the implication for Elizabeth when Gabriel comes to Zechariah. In Luke 1:13, Gabriel tells Zechariah that Elizabeth will bear him a son, but here we just see that a son will be born. Joseph is not involved. Mary gets the implication. It will be miraculous. Gabriel tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, language that echoes Genesis 1, where the Spirit is hovering over the face of the waters. There we have the Spirit involved in the work of creation, and here we have the Spirit at work in New Creation.
Jesus’ birth brings in new humanity
Jesus’ supernatural birth safeguards his human nature from the same kind of fallenness that we have. Scripture is clear that he was born in the likeness of sinful flesh. But it never says he had sinful flesh. His humanity is unstained by guilt and corruption. Why is this important? Because Jesus is both a continuity with our humanity – being born of Mary but also a discontinuity – being a miraculous birth. In this, he is ushering in a new humanity. He is both of the line of Adam and a true and better second Adam. Paul will help us see how this relates to our salvation in Romans 5, where he says that death comes through Adam but life comes through Jesus.
Over Thanksgiving, we went to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. They had a little basketball hoop set up in the house, and of course, “do over.” Jesus was the do-over, just like Noah’s shot.
Jesus birth shows that nothing is impossible with God
Gabriel lets us know in a clear statement one thing this birth demonstrates, “that nothing will be impossible for God.” God is not limited by human constraints. He is the God who spoke the world into being.
It is a frequent biblical theme that what is humanly impossible is possible for God. Jesus states this explicitly in 18:27, and the same idea specifically in relation to an “impossible” childbirth appears in Genesis 18:14. As in the previous section, the experience of Abraham and Sarah remains in the background of Mary’s story as well.[6]
We might ask, why did Mary get pregnant, and how? Related to the second question, it’s easier to say that it wasn’t than what it was. There is no indication in the text that it is something as crude as mating with God.
John Nolland says it like this,
God is not father as Mary is mother.[7]
One thing that we need to recognize is that this is a mystery. It is also something that is almost assumed within the Biblical narrative. It is mentioned here and in Matthew’s gospel almost as an explanation and indication of Jesus’ uniqueness, but without much further reflection.
The other question we may have is when? We are not told directly in the text. But we might assume it is immediately just as we are indwelt with the Spirit when we receive the Word by Faith, so Jesus dwelt in Mary when she received the Words of Gabriel by faith. Still, we are not given direct teaching on this, so we have to be careful as we speculate.
The Response of Mary Demonstrates Her Faith
Roman Catholics make a lot of Mary. Some of this was speculation that turned into church teaching. Roman Catholics have certain dogmas and teachings directly related to her and her role. Some of this is problematic at an institutional level, but can be taken even further by members of the church. I am thankful that the Pope, earlier this month, clarified that Mary is not the co-redeemer and asked Catholics to stop using the terms Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix. There is still much to disagree with, but still, it was a helpful clarification. Protestants have always protested Roman Catholicism’s excesses with the Marian dogmas. But with that, there can be a pendulum in the other direction. It is true that this passage says more about God than it does about Mary. Yet, we do see her name used over and over. We also see a clear contrast between her response to Gabriel and Zachariah’s response to Gabriel. God is always the main hero in Scripture. He alone is flawless and perfect. Further, we see that even in this scene, God is the one who initiates. Garland writes,
The passive voice of the participle is a divine passive: God is the one who shows her favor. She is greeted in terms of God’s relationship to her as a recipient of grace.[8]
Yet, we can find admirable qualities in people in Scripture and see God’s grace at work in their lives. We also need to recognize that Jesus is from Mary. Likely resembling her physically and being nurtured by her. There is a special relationship children have with their mothers, and Jesus has that with Mary.
God works through a young, engaged woman
As we mentioned before, Mary was a virgin who was engaged to be married. Given the cultural setting, she was likely between 12 and 14, with many scholars leaning toward the younger end. Women in society lacked many of the opportunities of men. They were not highly regarded. But we see, over and over, in Luke’s gospel, the value of women in the plan and purposes of God. A woman from the middle of nowhere would be God’s chosen instrument to bring the savior of the world.
Think of how scary this situation must have been for Mary. Schreiner says this,
Engagement was a serious matter in Judaism. We read in Deuteronomy 22:23–24 that if a man has consensual sexual relations with a woman engaged to another man, then both the man and the woman are to be executed[9]
Mary had every reason to fear but she trusted God.
Mary Trusts God’s Word
What we see in Mary is that she trusts God’s Word. Again, there is no precedent for what is taking place. But she trusts God with it. Her question is different than Zechariah’s question. Zechariah basically asks for proof that it will happen. He is looking for a sign. But Mary is asking how it will take place. One is a question of faith, and the other is in doubt.
Think about it like this. You go over to your relatives for Thanksgiving, and they say, “We’re going to Deep Fry the Turkey this year.” You could say, “Yeah, how’s that going to work?” And everyone knows you are doubting the guy who always tries something new and almost burns the house down every year. Or you could say, “How are you going to make that work?” With an attitude that is always astonished by how that talented relative tries new things and absolutely masters it every time. One is in complete trust and – maybe even wonder – the other is saying, “Do I need to give the fire department a heads up or not? How will I know I can have my kids nearby and be safe?” Mary is in the trust department. She doesn’t understand the details of how this one will come to be, but she knows that God always delivers on His promises.
Mary’s song that is coming up reveals her humility and astonishment that God would use someone like her. Darrell Bock writes,
She brings no outstanding credentials to the task and lives on the edge of the nation. She brings nothing on her résumé other than her availability and willingness to serve. But those characteristics are the most basic ones anyone can offer God. So he puts her to use in his plan, taking her through a process for which she has had no training or preparation. He simply promises to be with her in the journey, and she responds by being willing to go on the ride.[10]
In faithfulness there is spiritual strength. Luke wants us not only to see Mary as the humble mother of Jesus, but also as an example of faith.[11]
Here is the truth. The one requirement to turn and trust God’s good word when it comes to you is trusting in it as a good word for you and having the humility to receive it. If we don’t trust God’s Word we will not receive it. But it takes humility too. The Gospel says that we have sinned and that our sin separates us from God, but that God sent Jesus to rescue us from our sin. If we trust in him, we will be forgiven. Pride says, “No, you don’t have a problem.” Pride says, “even if you did have a problem, it’s nothing you can’t solve.” Jesus taught about the difficulty of the self-sufficient to enter the Kingdom of God. And the people questioned him, saying,
Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.[12]
God can work through the person who feels like they have nothing to offer. And he can humble the one who thinks they do not need God. Hughes writes,
As we study the Annunciation, we must accept the essential spiritual fact of the Incarnation and the gospel: the Lord comes to needy people—those who realize that without him they cannot make it—those who acknowledge their weakness and spiritual lack. The Incarnation, salvation, resurrection, Christmas are not for the proud and self-sufficient.
As we follow the course of the Annunciation, we will catch the pulse of the virgin’s heart because Mary is a model for those who experience the birth of the Savior in their lives.[13]
Right now, we are about to pass around plates for the Lord’s Supper. Receiving them is an act of humility. It is a recognition that I need what is offered to me through Jesus. It is available to all through the offer of the gospel, but it is only received through humble faith.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Dt 10:17.
[2] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 332–333.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 2 Sa 7:12–16.
[4] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 333.
[5] David E. Garland, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 78–79.
[6] R. T. France, Luke, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013), 16–17.
[7] John Nolland, Luke 1:1–9:20, vol. 35A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 58.
[8] David E. Garland, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 79.
[9] Thomas R. Schreiner, “Luke,” in Matthew–Luke, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. VIII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 734.
[10] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 59.
[11] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 61.
[12] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 18:26–27.
[13] R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 30.
[14] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Nu 6:24–26.
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