The Bible Book

178

T

he Gospel of Luke is the

only place in the Bible in

which the announcement

to Mary of Jesus’s birth is recorded.

In an event now known as the

Annunciation, the angel Gabriel

visits a young woman named

Mary in Nazareth and declares

that she will soon bear a son. She

is surprised to hear that she is

going to give birth, as she is a

virgin, not yet married to her

betrothed, Joseph. In reassurance,

the angel Gabriel tells her: “The

Holy Spirit will come on you, and

the power of the Most High will

overshadow you. So the holy one

to be born will be called the Son

of God” (Luke 1:35).

Elsewhere in the Gospels—in

Matthew 1:20—Joseph is informed

by another angel that his wife-to-be

is expecting a child of the Lord.

The angel tells Joseph, who has

been considering breaking his

engagement to Mary because

she has become pregnant, that

the pregnancy has been divinely

orchestrated and that he should

marry her without delay and name

their child Jesus, which means

“the Lord saves.” The significance

of this name is confirmed by the

angel, who states that “he will

save his people from their sins.”

Davidic inheritance

One of the most important aspects

of Jesus’s birth is His ancestry—

the lineage of both His parents.

Although Joseph and Mary are

of humble means, they are of

noble birth, as descendants

of the Israelite King David. This

connection is of great significance

in Judaic culture and religion,

because many Jews at the time

expected not only a Messiah but

Gabriel appears to Mary in the

central panel of this oil on oak triptych.

This depiction of the Annunciation was

painted by Carlo Crivelli c.1440.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Luke 1:31

THEME

The Annunciation

SETTING

c.7 bce Nazareth, a town

of Galilee.

KEY FIGURES

Mary A young Galilean

Jewish woman. Luke’s

Gospel traces her lineage

from King David.

Joseph Betrothed to Mary

and, according to Matthew’s

Gospel, a descendant of

King David.

The angel Gabriel G od’s

heavenly messenger and the

bearer of the Annunciation.

AND BEHOLD, YOU

WILL CONCEIVE IN

YOUR WOMB AND

BEAR A SON

LUKE 1:31, THE ANNUNCIATION

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179

See also: The Birth of Jesus 180–85 ■ The Magi 186 ■ Herod’s Infanticide 187 ■

The Divinity of Jesus 190–93

THE GOSPELS

Mary

An obscure young woman

living in Nazareth and

betrothed to Joseph, Mary

rises to everlasting adoration

by the Annunciation of the

angel Gabriel. Mary humbly

accepts her extraordinary

situation without challenge

and immediately prepares

herself to deliver the son of the

Lord. She gives birth to Jesus

in a stable in Bethlehem.

Mary encourages Jesus

to perform His first miracle

at Cana. After Jesus leaves

home to begin His ministry,

Mary rarely appears in the

Bible, but she is present at the

foot of the cross during the

crucifixion and continues to

meet with the disciples after

this and the resurrection.

Mary’s devotion to God is

attested to by her psalm of

thanksgiving (canticle) in

Luke 1:46–55. This “Song

of Mary” is also called the

Magnificat, and is incorporated

into the liturgical services of

the Catholic Church. It is one

of the most ancient of all

Christian hymns.

Luke’s Gospel

focuses on Mar y.

Mary, a virgin, is pledged

to marry Joseph.

Gabriel tells Mary she has

found favor with God.

Gabriel says she will conceive

a child by the Holy Spirit.

Mary accepts Gabriel’s word

and promises to serve God.

Matthew’s Gospel

focuses on Joseph.

Mary is pledged to Joseph

but becomes pregnant.

Joseph, “son of David,”

decides to leave her quietly.

An angel explains that Mary

conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph marries Mary but the

union is not consummated.

Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

Angels announce Mary’s conception

a Davidic Messiah, or king, who

would deliver them from their

enemies—at that time, the Romans.

As Isaiah had prophesied: “He

will reign on David’s throne and

over his kingdom, establishing

and upholding it with justice and

righteousness” (Isaiah 9:7).

A common name given to

Jesus refers back to this idea of

Him as the prophesied savior.

Messiah means “anointed one”

in Hebrew—that is, Jesus has

been blessed by God to lead His

chosen people—and translates

as Christos in Greek, hence the

English name “Jesus Christ.”

Son of Man

While the Bible is full of miraculous

signs, it is noteworthy that the

means of Jesus coming to earth

is genuinely human: through

Mary’s pregnancy and childbirth.

Although Jesus proves Himself to

be the Son of God, His conception

in Mary by the Holy Spirit makes

Him both human and divine. ■

The Virgin of Guadalupe, in

a clay wall hanging in Metepec,

Mexico. The name dates back to

1851, when a peasant saw a vision

of Mary near Villa de Guadalupe.

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