Day 13, Read Luke 1:31-33

The words of Gabriel to Mary reveal so much about the Child to whom she will give birth.  Let us again consider the greatness of God.

·        His name will be Jesus/Yeshua.  The name is important.  It means “Jehovah (Yahweh) is salvation”.  Joseph is given the same name by Gabriel “for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). 

·        He will be great.  Jesus would certainly be famous in Israel in His day, but many would deny His greatness beyond Israel.  Certainly the same cannot be said today strictly from the “fame” point of view.  But certainly the Scriptures speak of His greatness in much more than being famous.  He is a great Light (Mt. 4:16), able to bring hope to a dark world.  He is the great Shepherd of the sheep (Heb. 13:20) and our great High Priest (Heb. 4:14).  Jesus is the great God and our Savior (Titus 2:13). 

·        He will be called the Son of the Highest, the Son of God (v35).  One might wonder if the Jews should have known that the Messiah would be God Incarnate.  Certainly there are many clearly Messianic passages in the Old Testament that predict this.  In Isa. 7:14 Messiah would be called “Immanuel” (God with us).  In Isa. 9:6 He is the “Mighty God, Everlasting Father.”  In Ezek. 44:1-3 it is the LORD that enters through the Eastern Gate, a reference to Messiah.  In Micah 5:2 Messiah is “from of old”, a term used to speak of the eternal God (Dt. 33:27; Hab. 1:12).  In Mal. 3:1-2 the forerunner of Messiah comes before “the LORD,”.

·        He will be a King.  Gabriel tells Mary that God will give to Him, Jesus, the throne of His father David.  He will reign over Israel in a Kingdom that is without end.  To Jesus is promised what was clearly a Messianic promise.  Psalm 2:6-9 says that God decreed that the throne of David would be given to the one that is His Son.  Thus “Son of God” and “Son of David” belong together.  God had intended all along to do this, and Gabriel is announcing that the Son born of Mary, named Jesus, will be the Son of the Highest who will rule from David’s throne. If you compare today’s reading with the promise God made to David in 2 Sam. 7:16 you will see in both passages the terms house, kingdom, throne and forever.  Mary’s Child was a Royal Child.

Often we have asked people this question: Who is Jesus to you?  In fact Jesus asked this question of His disciples (Matt. 16:15).  Is He a “Jesus” that is packaged in a nice little box where you can keep Him manageable, so to speak?  Or is He the Jesus of the Bible?  Is He your Savior from sin who alone can bring hope to you in your darkness?  Is He God-in-the-flesh?  Is He your King? 

Perhaps you are reading these words at Christmas time.  The way the holiday is normally carried out in Western culture does more to obscure the truth about the Child than to know and enjoy Him.  Find some time to be quiet and to consider the King, Jesus Christ.