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The Birth of Jesus is Announced

Luke 1:26-38

Good News Translation (GNT)

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26  In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy
   God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in
   Galilee named Nazareth.
27  He had a message for a young woman
   promised in marriage to a man named Joseph,
   who was a descendant of King David.
   Her name was Mary.
28  The angel came to her and said, "Peace be
   with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly
   blessed you!"
29  Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's
   message, and she wondered what his words
   meant.
30  The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary;
   God has been gracious to you.
31  You will become pregnant and give birth to a
   son, and you will name him Jesus.
32  He will be great and will be called the Son of
   the Most High God. The Lord God will make
   him a king, as his ancestor David was,
33  and he will be the king of the descendants
   of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"
34  Mary said to the angel, "I am a virgin.
   How, then, can this be?"
35  The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will
   come on you, and God's power will rest upon
   you. For this reason the holy child will be
   called the Son of God.
36  Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said
   that she cannot have children, but she herself
   is now six months pregnant, even though she
   is very old.
37   For there is nothing that God cannot do."
38   "I am the Lord's servant," said Mary;
  "may it happen to me as you have said."
   And the angel left her.

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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a young virgin named Mary, who lived in the town of Nazareth.

She was engaged to be married. At that time, she had not slept with any man.

The angel told Mary that she would give birth to a son, and that he should be named Jesus, which means "saviour."

This son would be called the Son of the Most High - that is, the Son of God.

He would inherit the throne of his father David, the great king of the Jews.

From this, we know that Mary, Jesus' mother, was descended from David.

Joseph, the man Mary was engaged to, was also a descendant of David.

The angel also said that Jesus would reign over the house of Jacob forever.

The house of Jacob is Israel, the Jewish nation.

Jesus will rule over a new spiritual Israel, that is, His church. His kingdom will be a spiritual kingdom; therefore, it will last forever.

Mary asked, "How will this be?" She didn't ask, "How will I know this?" as Zechariah had asked.

His question arose from unbelief. Her question arose from a desire to know the way in which God would perform this great miracle.

Then the angel told Mary that her son would not be born by a human father, but by God's own Spirit.

Jesus would truly be the Son of God.
When Joseph found out about Mary's pregnancy, he decided to divorce her.

But an angel spoke to him also and told him not to divorce Mary, because she was pregnant not by another man, but by the Holy Spirit.

Then the angel told Mary about Elizabeth's pregnancy. Elizabeth was a relative of Mary on the side of Mary's mother. Let Mary not doubt.

If God could give an old barren woman like Elizabeth a child, He could also give a virgin a child.

Footnote
"Messiah" is a Hebrew word meaning
"one anointed by God."
Messiah is another name for "Christ" .

Other versions are available here

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