Commentary on Luke 1:26-38 The church has often had a difficult time knowing how to regard Mary. In certain times and places, she has been exalted to a status approaching that of deity, such that some medieval theologians even began to speak of a Quaternity rather than a Trinity.
Full Answer
What is the meaning of Luke 1 26 38?
Luke 1:26-38 The Word of God . 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. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favoured one!
Who was Luke in the Bible?
With the word us, Luke put himself in the community of Christians who believed and received the accounts of Jesus’ life. Luke was a companion of Paul ( Acts 16:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24) and Paul called him the beloved physician ( Colossians 4:14 ).
Is there a special birth in Luke 1?
Taken as a whole, Luke 1:26-38 is similar to some Old Testament texts in which there is a divine annunciation of a special birth: of Ishmael in Genesis 16:7-13; of Isaac, in Genesis 17:1-21, and again in 18:1-15; of Samson in Judges 13:2-25.
What is the Grace commentary on the Book of Luke?
[Note: This is the “Old” version of the Grace Commentary on Luke. It will be updated to the new version soon.] In Luke 1:6-25, Gabriel announced to Zacharias that Elizabeth would bear a son named John who would come in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for the Messiah.
What is the name of the son in Luke 1:6-25?
What does Luke reveal about God?
What does Luke mean by Mary's name?
What does Mary know about God working a miracle in her?
How do you describe the reading Luke 1/26 38?
Summary. God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth with a message for Mary, who was promised in marriage to Joseph. The angel told Mary that she would have a son, whom she was to name Jesus. The angel said, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.”
What was Gabriel's message to Mary?
Before their marriage, an angel named Gabriel was sent to Mary and said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Why did God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus?
Virgin Mary Was never a sinner. That is why she was chosen to be the mother of The Almighty, Jesus Christ. The Blessed Virgin Mary was born without original sin by God's divine grace. Next to Jesus, only she is free from all sin.
What was Mary's response to the angel?
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “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 called holy, the Son of God.
Why was Mary afraid of the angel?
Belief in our creator who sent the only Son to die for us and to teach us that God is love for us in every minute of the day is our support in difficulties and fear, as God was her support. She feared. She saw the challenge of following Christ. But she received help and support from God--Father, Son, and Spirit.
Who wrote the Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came?
This is a loose translation of a Basque carol by Sabine Baring-Gould (d. 1924) who was schoolmaster, then curate (when he wrote 'Onward, Christian soldiers'), and rector, variously in Yorkshire and Essex.
Why do Catholics pray to Mary?
Catholics do not pray to Mary as if she were God. Prayer to Mary is memory of the great mysteries of our faith (Incarnation, Redemption through Christ in the rosary), praise to God for the wonderful things he has done in and through one of his creatures (Hail Mary) and intercession (second half of the Hail Mary).
What lessons can we learn from Mary the mother of Jesus?
To reflect on this great moment in history, here are 3 practical lessons we can learn from Mary:Be prepared to be used by God. As an unmarried young woman from Nazareth, Mary has a very low social status, but God doesn't care about that. ... Put your faith in God. ... Live your life as a servant of the Lord.
Did Jesus have a wife?
"Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim," King said in a press release.
What virtue that Mary showed to us?
How Mary demonstrated blind obedience: Mary was able to confidently give her fiat at the moment of the Annunciation, and also in every circumstance after that. How we can live out this virtue: We are called to obey God, even when we don't fully understand why He asks for certain things.
What do you think it means that Mary treasured things in her heart?
Mary teaches a wonderful lesson to all mothers through the ages. We need to listen to and observe our children. Then we need to treasure in our hearts and ponder what we have seen or heard. As we open our hearts before God, he will show us the path to take.
How did Mary express her faith?
Mary's faith, expressed by her “yes” at the Annunciation, is contagious—contagious immediately, from its very beginning. The Magnificat is not only a memory of God's salvific acts, but also a prophecy that God will continue to act in this way, that God is faithful.
What is the commentary on Luke 1:26-38?
Commentary on Luke 1:26-38. The church has often had a difficult time knowing how to regard Mary. In certain times and places, she has been exalted to a status approaching that of deity, such that some medieval theologians even began to speak of a Quaternity rather than a Trinity.
What does Luke 8:21 mean?
In Luke 8:21, Jesus tells a crowd of people, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”.
What is Mary's final response to the Lord?
Mary’s final response, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38) may recall the words of Samuel (2 Samuel 3:4-9). The latter parallel suggests what many readers seem to intuit: the focus of this pericope is actually more on Mary than it is on Jesus.
Who is Mary in Luke?
Some scholars have even said that in this pericope, Luke presents Mary as a prophet and Jesus as her oracle. Mary is identified here as the “favored one” (Luke 1:28) and as one who has “found favor with God” (Luke 1:30).
Is Luke 1:26-38 the same as the Old Testament?
Taken as a whole, Luke 1:26-38 is similar to some Old Testament texts in which there is a divine annunciation of a special birth: of Ishmael in Genesis 16:7-13; of Isaac, in Genesis 17:1-21, and again in 18:1-15; of Samson in Judges 13:2-25.
LUKE 1:29-36. PARALLELS WITH ZECHARIAH
Note the parallel wordings in the accounts of the angel’s appearance to Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) and to Mary (Green, 83):
LUKE 1:26-29. REJOICE, YOU HIGHLY FAVORED ONE!
26Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27to a virgin (Greek: parthenon —maiden, unmarried daughter, virgin) pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s ( parthenou) name was Mary.
LUKE 1:30-33. BEHOLD, YOU WILL BRING FORTH A SON
30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and will call his name ‘Jesus’ (Greek: Iesous —a variant of Joshua, a name that means “the Lord saves” or “salvation comes from the Lord”).
LUKE 1:34-35. THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL OVERSHADOW YOU
34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin (Greek: andra ou ginosko— a man I do not know) ?” 35The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.
LUKE 1:36-37. EVERYTHING SPOKEN BY GOD IS POSSIBLE
36Behold, Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37“For everything spoken by God is possible” (Greek: hoti ouk adynatesei para tou theou pan rhema —literally, “For nothing will be impossible with the word spoken by God.”).
LUKE 1:38. BE IT TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD
38Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord (Greek: Idou he kyriou doule —”I am the Lord’s servant”); be it to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.
What is the intention of Luke's story?
Luke now shifts the story to another couple. The intention of the story is to draw out a dramatic contrast to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. So as we go through the story, be sure to make mental notes of the things that are similar to Zechariah’s story and the things that are different. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, ...
Is the birth of Jesus a miracle?
But the birth of Jesus is a greater miracle because Jesus’ birth will not happen by any human intervention. His birth will happen exclusively by the power of the Most High.
Luke 1:26-38
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.
Some thoughts on today's scripture
When a woman in the crowd cried to Jesus: Blessed is the womb that bore you, he replied, Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it. First of these was his mother, who said Let it be with me according to your word. We remember her words whenever we pray the Angelus.
What is the introduction to the Gospel of Luke?
A. Introduction to the Gospel of Luke. The first four verses of Luke’s gospel are one sentence in the original Greek. They are written in refined, academic, classical style. But then, for the rest of the gospel, Luke didn’t use the language of scholars but of the common man, the language of the village and the street.
How many references to Jesus praying are there in the Gospel of Luke?
He has seven different references to Jesus praying that are found in this gospel alone. · Luke’s gospel is the one with the most emphasis on the Holy Spirit and on joy. · Luke’s gospel is the one with the most emphasis on preaching the good news (the gospel ).
What happened to the priest's lot when he went into the temple?
So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
Did Luke write about Jesus?
When Luke wrote, most Christians already knew all about the life of Jesus, both from the oral accounts passed on by the original disciples, and by the biographies that had already been written. i. With the word us, Luke put himself in the community of Christians who believed and received the accounts of Jesus’ life.
Was Luke a Gentile?
Luke was a doctor and therefore a man of science and research, and this is reflected in his history of the life of Jesus. ii. By every indication, Luke was a Gentile. Colossians 4:10-11 and 4:14 show that he wasn’t Jewish, because he was not included in the group who are of the circumcision.
Did Luke write the New Testament?
Because he also wrote the book of Acts (which makes up the second volume of this Gospel), Luke wrote more of the New Testament than any other human writer did (assuming that Paul did not author the letter to the Hebrews). c.
What is the name of the son in Luke 1:6-25?
[Note: This is the “Old” version of the Grace Commentary on Luke. It will be updated to the new version soon.] In Luke 1:6-25, Gabriel announced to Zacharias that Elizabeth would bear a son named John who would come in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for the Messiah.
What does Luke reveal about God?
The overall picture that Luke reveals is that God is at work, not just for Zacharias and Elizabeth (the privileged and honored) or Mary (insignificant and despised, but honored), but for all Israel, and especially, for all who are oppressed. “God is intervening in human history to bring forth an everlasting kingdom” (Green 1997:84). 1:26.
What does Luke mean by Mary's name?
Luke uses the technical term for virgin, ( parthenon) so there is no doubt about her state. She confirms her viginity in 1:34. Mary’s name means “excellence ” (Bock 1994:107). Luke also reveals that Mary was betrothed which was like a modern engagement, but more binding.
What does Mary know about God working a miracle in her?
As she will see evidence that god has worked a miracle in Elizabeth, Mary will know that God will work a miracle in her also, for with God nothing will be impossible.”. 1:38. Mary accepts the word of the angel, giving herself as a maidservant to the Lord. She is willing to do whatever God asks of her.