Mary the future mother of Jesus may have been as young as twelve years old when the angel Gabriel appeared to her.  Yet she bowed in submission to God and allowed him to use her as a vessel for Jesus.  She must have been aware that the risks were overwhelming.  She was a betrothed woman in a conservative culture who was about to become mysteriously pregnant.  She was not powerful, she was not wealthy, she was humble and available.  Her qualities are available to all who would serve God.  Are you humbly aware of your own shortcomings?  Are you available to God?  If so, God will use you.

Luke 1: 26-38

 ²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, 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, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

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

 ³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[c] the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God.”

 ³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Questions

1. What word describes Mary’s sexual experience?  How is it emphasized?
2. How did Mary react to the angel’s greeting?
3. How did Mary conclude the conversation?
4. Are you troubled by what God might want you to do with your life?
5. How can you be submitted and available to the will of  God?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. To which town in which region was the angel sent?
2. Whose descendent was Joseph?
3. What was God’s disposition toward Mary?
4. What names will Mary’s son be known by?
5. When will Mary’s son’s kingdom end?

Interpretation

1. What does Gabriel mean?
2. Find out the location of the region of Galilee (hint:  it is not just by the lake).
3. Where is Nazareth located?
4. Why is Joseph’s line significant?
5. Why must a person accept mystery if they are to accept this passage?

Application

1. To what extent are you able to accept mystery?
2. What changes might an angel ask you to make with your life?
3. Would you be able to take public disgrace for God’s sake?
4. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?  What is Jesus’ relationship and comparison to God the Father?
5. How would you answer a Muslim who says, “There is only one God.  God did not have a wife.  God did not have sex and have a son.  Jesus is a prophet not a god.  The trinity of God, Jesus, and Mary is a blasphemy?”