My Grownup Christmas List: A Kept Promise
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An old promise of _______ announced by an ___________.
The birth stories of John and Jesus belong to the long tradition of birth stories in the OT and in Jewish literature … Prominent among these stories is the theme of barrenness. This appears in the stories of Sarah (Gen. 18), Rebekah (Gen. 25), Rachel (Gen. 30), the mother of Samson (Judg. 13), and Hannah (1 Sam. 1–2). Not only are these stories concerned with the reversal of the fortune of the individual barren women, but also the births of the heroes are linked with the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Israel. The presence of God for his people is therefore the underlying theme behind these narratives.
In the Old Testament, _____________ women came to be understood as representing _____________.
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (Lk 1:26–27)
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” 29 But she was greatly troubled by the statement and was wondering what kind of greeting this could be. (Lk 1:28–29)
Sing out, daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, you daughter of Jerusalem. (Zep 3:14)
The LXX (Septuagint) translates the Hebrew word רָנַן (rā·nǎn) [“sing out” in Zephaniah 3:14] as χαίρω (chai-rō).
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God. 31 Listen, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He 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. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” (Lk 1:30–33)
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Ge 6:8)
Gideon said to him, “If I have now found grace in your eyes, offer me a sign that it is you who are speaking with me.” (Jdg 6:17)
εὑρίσκω (heu-ris-kō) “found/find” and χάρις (cha-ris) “favor/grace.”
11b The Lord also declares to you [David] that the Lord himself will make a house for you. 12 When your days are complete and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your seed, who will come from your own body. I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14a I will be his father, and he will be my son. (2 Sa 7:11b–14a)
Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34)
ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω … a man not I know (I do not know a man)
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” (Ge 4:1, ESV)
The Hebrew word translated “knew” in Genesis 4:1is יָדַע (yā·ḏǎʿ). In the LXX (Septuagint) יָדַע (yā·ḏǎʿ) is translated as the Greek word γινώσκω (gi-nōs-kō). This is the word we have in Luke 1:34, ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω … a man not I know (I do not know a man).
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An old promise of _______ accepted by ___________.
And the angel answered 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 called holy—the Son of God. (Lk 1:35)
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Ge 1:2)
When you send forth your Spirit, they are created. (Ps 104:30a)
And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Ex 40:35)
The _________________ of God is in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the new _____________________ of God. He is the ___________________ for all sin.
36 And 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Lk 1:36–37)
Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the set time next year I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son. (Ge 18:14)
Then Mary said, “See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Lk 1:38)
Mary’s faithful response is clear evidence of God’s grace in her life. Her God-given faith allows her to accept the angel’s message without question and humbly place herself in the Lord’s service.
Points to Ponder
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What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
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Why is it a sin to reject God’s Word when it does not agree with our human reason (see 1 Corinthians 2:9, 14)?
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Why should we not doubt what is revealed in the Bible? How can we overcome such doubts (see John 1:46)?
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Christians have always confessed the virgin birth of our Savior. Why is it so important for us to understand and accept as true the detail about Mary and how she conceived?
