Luke 1:30-31 - Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus."

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus."

Luke 1:30-31

Commentary

Mary was an amazing woman. Think of the situation: a 13 - 15 year old virgin is told that she has favor with God. Favor? She will be pregnant and have to convince her fiancée that she was not unfaithful. She will have to endure the gossip that will follow her for the rest of her life concerning the birth of her son and the timing of her wedding to Joseph. In the culture of her day, unwed mothers were quietly "put away" (see Matthew 1:18-19). Yet God DOES give Mary favor: He reveals to her the unique role that she plays in God's purposes. And she embraces that role, even though it will come a great personal cost. We want God to fit into our story, yet Christmas is a reminder that our story is never really understood until it's seen in the light of God's story. Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King!

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

Matthew 1:23 - they will call him Immanuel - which means, "God with us."

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel -which means, "God with us."

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

Matthew 1:23

Commentary

The story of Jesus confronts us with events that defy and even offend rational thinking. Matthew pulls no punches: this Jesus is miraculous from start to finish. The birth of God as a man is one of the great mysteries of Christianity. Which is of great comfort, because if everything about this God could be explained one should question its supernatural origin. The preposterous nature of this miracle (and the ones that follow Jesus) demands a verdict. As C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: " Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC