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Luke 1:26-38 summary
Six months after he appears to Zechariah, the angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth to a young woman named Mary who is engaged to Joseph. He tells her she has found favor with God and will bear a son named Jesus, who will be called Son of the Most High and will reign on David's throne forever. Mary asks how this can happen, since she is a virgin. Gabriel answers that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, points to her relative Elizabeth's pregnancy, and declares that nothing will be impossible with God. Mary answers, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
The Annunciation is the moment the Christmas story turns from promise to person. We often hear it at Lessons and Carols and on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and it never quite loses its strangeness: the God of heaven and earth sends word to a young woman in a village most people had never heard of, and waits for her answer.
This commentary walks through Luke 1:26-38 a few verses at a time. For the whole chapter, see the Luke 1 Summary and Outline.
Luke 1:26-27: Sent to Nazareth
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27)
The timing. "The sixth month" is Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy (Luke 1:24, 36). Luke ties the two births together on purpose. John's story and Jesus' story are one story, and God is keeping time. Paul says it this way: "when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman" (Galatians 4:4).
The messenger. The word angel means messenger. Gabriel has delivered news before, to Daniel (Daniel 8:16; 9:21) and, in this chapter, to Zechariah. Angels in Scripture are sent either to announce God's will or to carry it out. Here Gabriel is sent to tell. See Who Are the Biblically Accurate Angels?
The place. Six months earlier Gabriel spoke in the temple in Jerusalem, at the center of Israel's worship. Now he goes to Nazareth, a small village in Galilee with no history and no reputation. Luke is already showing us his theme: God's favor runs toward the lowly. Shepherds will be next.
The young woman. Mary is engaged to Joseph. Betrothal in first-century Judaism was a binding commitment, ended only by divorce, though the couple did not yet live together. Joseph is "of the house of David," and that matters. God had promised David that his throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Through Joseph's line, Mary's son will inherit that promise. For more on Joseph, see the sermon Joseph Trusted God.
Luke 1:28-29: "Greetings, favored one!"
And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. (Luke 1:28-29)
"Favored one." Gabriel's greeting uses a single Greek word, kecharitōmenē, built on charis, "grace." It means something like "one who has been graced" or "one on whom God has bestowed favor." The Latin Vulgate rendered it gratia plena, "full of grace," the wording familiar from the Hail Mary. Either way, the emphasis falls on what God has given, not on what Mary has earned.
"The Lord is with you." These are the words the angel spoke to Gideon (Judges 6:12), and God's promise to Moses at the burning bush was "I will be with you" (Exodus 3:12). When God calls someone to a task too big for them, the first word is presence.
Mary is perplexed. She does not fall into a swoon of piety. She is troubled and she thinks. Luke uses the language of pondering for Mary more than once: after the shepherds' visit, "Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Many readers have wondered whether Mary's own memories lie behind Luke's account. We cannot know, but Luke does present her as someone who works things through.
That is good news for the rest of us. It is all right not to understand everything at once. Sometimes faithfulness is simply taking the next right step, and Mary is willing to take the step in front of her.
Luke 1:30-33: "Do not be afraid, Mary"
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:30-33)
"Do not be afraid." Encounters with God bewilder people, and nearly every angel in Scripture begins with these words. Why should Mary not be afraid? Because she has found favor and grace with God.
This is a key verse for me as a pastor. I sit with people facing the end of life or a terminal diagnosis. Death stirs up every question: Have I done enough? Do I have enough faith? What does God think of me? And the angel preaches the gospel to us too: "Do not be afraid. You have found favor with God." Let that settle over you. God's favor is a gift, not a wage. We are loved on purpose, for a purpose.
"You will name him Jesus." Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yeshua, short for Yehoshua (Joshua), meaning "the Lord saves." The name is the mission.
"Son of the Most High." Most High is an ancient title for God (Genesis 14:18-20; see El Elyon: God Most High). To call the child Son of the Most High is to say he belongs to God in a unique way. See Why Is Jesus Called Son of God and Son of Man?
"The throne of his ancestor David." Gabriel's words echo God's promise in 2 Samuel 7 and the psalm that celebrates it: "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David: 'I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations'" (Psalm 89:3-4).
"Of his kingdom there will be no end." The question that runs through the Gospels is what kind of king Jesus is. Herod feared him as a child (Matthew 2). Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" (Luke 23:3). Even after the resurrection the disciples asked whether he would now restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Jesus answers in his own way: "the kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:21). His reign is not built of wood and stone. It cannot fall like Babel's tower or Jericho's walls, because it lives wherever God's people live under his rule.
Luke 1:34-35: "How can this be?"
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God." (Luke 1:34-35)
Mary's question. Zechariah asked a question too, and he was struck silent. Mary asks and is answered. The difference is in the question. Zechariah asked for proof: "How will I know that this is so?" (Luke 1:18). Mary asks how God will do what God has promised. Hers is the curiosity of faith, not the demand of doubt. You can be faithfully curious.
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you." The conception will be God's work, not a human one. Luke uses the same Spirit language for Pentecost: "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8). The Spirit who forms Jesus in Mary will form his body, the church, in Acts. See The Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts.
"Overshadow." The Greek verb is the one the Greek Old Testament uses for the cloud of God's glory settling over the tabernacle (Exodus 40:35), and Luke uses it again for the cloud on the mountain of the Transfiguration (Luke 9:34). Mary becomes, in a sense, the place where God's presence comes to rest. See The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36) and Jesus Is a Tabernacle.
"Holy... Son of God." The child will be set apart for God and will be called God's Son. The church has confessed this as the virgin birth: Jesus has no human father, and he is fully human and fully divine. See Why Was Jesus Born of a Virgin?and Son of God: A Messianic Title of Jesus.
Luke 1:36-37: "Nothing will be impossible with God"
"And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:36-37)
A sign Mary can visit. Mary did not ask for a sign, but God gives her one anyway, and it is a person: Elizabeth, old and once called barren, now six months pregnant. Mary is not alone. In the next scene she will go and see it for herself (Luke 1:39-45). I write about Luke 1:37 and the meaning of “Nothing with be impossible with God” here.
Luke 1:38: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord"
Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)
Mary's yes. "Here am I" is the answer of the prophets. When God asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah said, "Here am I; send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). Mary calls herself the Lord's servant, a word that will echo in her song: God "has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant" (Luke 1:48).
"Let it be with me according to your word." I often wonder whether Mary taught her son this prayer. Years later, in the garden on the Mount of Olives, Jesus prays, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). The mother's yes and the son's yes sound alike. Thank God for parents who pass on the faith. See Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39-46).
"Then the angel departed." The angel leaves. The promise stays. Mary is left with a word and a road to the hill country, and she takes it.
Preaching Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:26-38 is the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Advent in Year B, and it is read on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, nine months before Christmas. It is also a regular reading at Lessons and Carols. Three ways into a sermon:
Favor before fitness. God's favor comes to Mary before she has done anything. Grace is the first word, not the reward.
Faithful questions. Mary and Zechariah both ask questions. One asks for proof, the other asks how. Faith has room for honest questions.
Here am I. Mary's yes joins the prophets' yes and anticipates her son's prayer in the garden. What would it mean to say it in our own lives this Advent?
For worship resources, see the Advent 4, Year B liturgy, Advent Liturgy and Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Sermons, including Called Forward by God's Favor (Luke 1:26-45).
Guardrail: Mary across the traditions. Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians all honor Mary, but they read verses like "favored one" differently. Catholic teaching draws on "full of grace" for doctrines about Mary's holiness. Protestant readers usually stress that the favor is God's gift. Both agree on the center of the passage: God chose her, and she said yes.
Guardrail: we do not know Mary's age. You will often hear that Mary was 12 to 14 years old. Luke does not say. That estimate comes from what we know of betrothal customs in the ancient world. It is reasonable, but it is not in the text.
Questions about Luke 1:26-38
What is the main point of Luke 1:26-38? God chooses a humble young woman to bear the Messiah, the Son of God, who will reign forever on David's throne. Mary trusts God's word and says yes.
What does "favored one" mean in Luke 1:28? It translates a Greek word meaning one who has received God's grace. The Latin "full of grace" comes from the same verse.
What does Luke 1:35 mean? The Holy Spirit and the power of God will cause Mary to conceive. Because of this, her child will be holy and called the Son of God.
What does Luke 1:38 mean? Mary accepts God's plan as the Lord's servant: "let it be with me according to your word."
Why is it called the Annunciation? From the Latin for "announcement." It names Gabriel's announcement to Mary.
Keep reading in Luke
Before this: Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25)
For teaching: Confirmation Week 2: The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-56)
Sources
Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, updated edition (Doubleday, 1993).
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Eerdmans, 1997).
John Nolland, Luke 1:1-9:20, Word Biblical Commentary 35A (Word Books, 1989).
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version.
