The Birth of Jesus Foretold: Part 2 (Luke 1:34-38)

Hello All,

Just a quick recap on the first part of this poem:

·         God sent angel Gabriel to tell Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus Christ

·         This event is one of the many fulfillments of God's prophecies on His salvation plan for mankind.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold: Part 2 (Luke 1:34-38)

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (3^rd November 2012)

'How will this be since I am a virgin?'

Mary inquired as confusion set in

The angel sought to clear her puzzlement

With a little more thorough explanation

'The Holy Spirit will come upon you

And the Most High will empower you to

Thus this little child that you shall bring forth

Will be called holy - the Son of God'

'Old Elizabeth has conceived a son

Your relative is with child in her sixth month

God wrought in her barrenness a miracle

For with Him nothing is impossible'

'I am the servant of the Lord,' said Mary

'According to your word, let it be to me'

The angel Gabriel departed from her

And left her with much to marvel over

Points for Reflection:

·         I am sure we could understand Mary's confusion about her foretold virgin pregnancy. It seems utterly impossible to the human mind that such a thing could happen. But with our God who is the creator of the heavens and the earth and the giver of life to all of his creation, nothing is impossible for him.

For nothing is impossible with God

(Luke 1:37)

 Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you

(Jeremiah 32:17)

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

(Matthew 19:26)

·         It was prophesied that the Holy Spirit will perform this great miracle, so that Mary will conceive without having union with a man. This indicates Jesus holiness because although he was a genuine human being, he did not inherit a sinful nature and disposition from Adam, as all other human beings do.

He [Jesus Christ] committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his [Jesus Christ's] mouth

(1 Peter 2:22)

·         This does not mean that Jesus was not God when he was born into this world but he was fully God and fully human.

For in him [Jesus Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily

(Colossians 2:9)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth

(John 1:1.14)

·         As a confirmation of angel Gabriel's message, he told Mary about Elizabeth, Mary's relative, a woman more than sixty years old who was previously unable to bear children but who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy at that point of time. As unbelievable as it seemed, Elizabeth had conceived in her old age, and Mary would conceive too. But the conception in Mary would be far more miraculous than the one in Elizabeth. Mary would conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren

(Luke 1:36)

·         Mary showed true submission to God's word and promise. In those days, if an unmarried woman was found to be with child, she would be called an adulteress and stoned to death. Despite all the potential dangers and shame that lay before her, she chose to submit to God's will and entrusted her life into God's hands.

If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones

(Deuteronomy 22:23-24)

And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her

(Luke 1:38)

·         Living in obedience and submission to God as his children is not easy because it entails sacrifices. Every Christian experiences varying levels of sacrifices. Some are tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. Others are disowned or persecuted by their families. For those of us who do not face such severe persecution for our faith, there may be certain things in life that we have to forsake for the sake of Christ (e.g. forgoing certain sinful habits, setting apart time and energy to read the Bible, praying and helping out in church or Christian activities, giving a portion of our earnings to God, etc…)

And he [Jesus Christ] said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me

(Luke 9:23)

·         Are you willing take up your cross and follow Christ daily no matter what the cost?