#bible stuff

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Why the name Jesus? Was it unique to Him?

Actually, no.

The name Jesus, or Joshua, means “the Lord is Salvation.” And since there were others with the same name, He was commonly referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth.”

In Matthew 1:21, we see the explanation. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, Mary’s fiancé in a dream and said, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

The angel is explaining that this isn’t some other Jesus. This is THE Jesus. The Son of the Most High (aka God) and God’s going to give Him (Jesus) the throne of His father David.

Wait. How is David his “father” when Joseph isn’t even bio-dad?

Back then was totally different than today. Today bio-mom and bio-dad show lineage. Back then, lineage was only through bio-dad, or the “adopted” dad as in the case of Joseph and Jesus. In Matthew, we see Jesus’ adopted lineage.

(I know some of you are just going to skim right over this, but you might be surprised who’s in the list.)

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David (King David), Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehosophat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abihud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazor, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph, Jesus.

So, we can see how He is the legalized heir through adoption of David’s throne. And He will reign over the house of Jacob because that’s where the twelve tribes of Israel begin. The twelve tribes are also where it ends in Revelation 7 with 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes being sealed, completing the redemption of His people.

His kingdom will have no end because He is all in all. He is the Alpha and the Omega. And His children will reign with Him forever in His never-ending kingdom. How wonderful that will be! I’m ready! Let’s go!

And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”

Greetings favored one!

What a wonderful way of greeting someone you love. That greeting immediately filled my heart with love and put a smile on my face. This was how God’s angel, Gabriel, greeted Mary, Jesus’ mother.

How does one become favored?

It’s not a checklist, because none are good except God (paraphrased greatly of Romans 3:10-12.) 

If it were a checklist, there’s a great one in Psalm 1:1-2:

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.”

Yeah, we screw up every day. Even Jesus’ disciples fell asleep in the garden when they were supposed to stay awake (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22.) See how a checklist only points you to how much you need Jesus?

What it really comes down to is faith and your heart. The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 talks about the triumphs of faith.

By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4.)

By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death (Hebrews 11:5.)

By faith, Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his household (Hebrews 11:7.)

By faith, Abraham obeyed God in going somewhere to receive an inheritance without knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8.)

By faith, Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was able to conceive and this faith resulted in as many descendants as there are stars of the heaven, and as the grains of sand which is by the seashore (Hebrews 11:11-12.)

And Mary, a virgin, engaged to a man named Joseph, was favored because of her faith in God and became the mother of Jesus.

Faith causes us to be like the one talked of in Psalm 1:3 / “He will be like a tree, firmly planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does prospers.”

Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee call Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Nothing is impossible for God.

Let me say that again.

Nothing is impossible for God.

We just read about how God opened and restored Elizabeth’s menopausal womb to create John, the forerunner for Jesus. And now we see in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s menopausal pregnancy, that He has another impossibility up His holy sleeve.

Who was Mary? Other than a virgin engaged to some guy named Joseph, that is.

It’s presumed that she is from the line of Judah but other than that, not much is known.

And why not?

We mere little humans make gods out of everything. It’s not about Mary. It’s not even about Joseph, though we are told in verse 27 that he was a descendant of David.

Why is it important to know that the non-bio dad was a descendant of David? Didn’t Jesus skip that part of the DNA?

Street cred.

No, seriously.

For those who wouldn’t believe in the immaculate conception of a virgin birth, the fulfillment of a promise to David and of prophecy would mean something.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord. “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch (Jesus); and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.” -Jeremiah 29:5 NASB

Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise as Joseph’s adopted son, and came through an “impossible” avenue.

Remember what we said at the beginning: Nothing is impossible for God.

Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

I like time. I like the construct of time. I was raised to respect time and respect other people’s time. I grew up in an era of “arriving 10 minutes before your appointment is on time. Arriving at your appointment time is late.”

So, when it talks about being “in the sixth month,” is this the sixth month of the year or what?

In my bible, there’s a man-made title separating Elizabeth’s pregnancy from Mary’s, but they weren’t meant to be separated.

If you go back to Luke 1:24, Elizabeth has been in seclusion for five months. And then, in Luke 1:26, it’s the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist.

Why is this so important to know this?

John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 / “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth for our God.”

This is a prophecy about a forerunner, someone who was going to go ahead and prepare the way for Jesus.

John was six months older than Jesus. John was a forerunner from conception.

When the days of his (Zacharias’) priestly service were ended, he went back home. After these days, Elizabeth, his wife, became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

For those who are unaware, a woman only has so many eggs. Once they’re gone, her body is post-menopausal (bet you didn’t expect this today.)

We know from Luke 1:18 that Zacharias was an old man and Elizabeth was advanced in years. This means that Elizabeth was most likely post-menopausal. There’s no more gumballs in the gumball machine. 

So, after the angel appeared to Zacharias, and he finished up his priestly duties as a mute (some say he was also deaf because of Luke 1:62) he was welcomed home. 

It says “after these days” which is after his priestly duties, Elizabeth becomes pregnant. Being post-menopausal, she wouldn’t have the same signs as a younger woman who was still in her prime. She wouldn’t miss her “monthly visitor” because that visitor probably stopped visiting a while ago.

And going into seclusion back then was not normal. Especially a pregnancy late in the lifetime which would have been a cause for celebration.

So, what’s going on?

I believe the Scripture points to unwavering belief that God was going to do what He says He would. Zacharias no doubt mimed to her what happened with the angel and the news of an impending new addition to the family when he got home. 

And her seclusion?

I believe it was five months of prayer and praise, along with taking it easy because she would’ve been a high-risk pregnancy. Elizabeth even says that the Lord has taken away her disgrace among men by opening her womb. (It was culturally disgraceful to be barren.)

Look, I get it. People let us down all the time. Science and all the “healing” with treatments and meds are all still under the Almighty’s approval for healing. At the end of the day, God is who opens the womb. Genesis 30:22 says, “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.” 

Trying to get pregnant can be a very hard road to go down and despite what our hearts want, it’s God who opens the womb or keeps it closed. Seek Him first. 

The people were waiting for Zacharias and were wondering at his delay in the temple. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them and remained mute.

Maybe it’s me, but if someone were to be suddenly struck mute, I wouldn’t necessarily think God did it. I would think the person was possessed or something evil was afoot.

When Zacharias came out, he was essentially miming to everyone who was waiting that he had a vision, or rather, encountered an angel.

Ok, just picture how you would mime that if we were playing that old game of “charades.”

How did the people not think he was possessed?

Context is everything.

Zacharias was in God’s house where even the Levites, if not properly ready and cleansed to go in, would be struck down and killed. There’s no way the devil would be allowed in there.

The context, or the actions that occurred in the surroundings, meant that whatever happened to Zacharias HAD to have come from God.

So, the next time something happens to you or someone you know, instead of giving credit to the devil because that’s what society has programmed us to do, check the context. It just might be God.

Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

Why is it so hard to accept that God just might have a blessing for you?

Or that He will actually answer a prayer?

Are we so snowed over by the devil whispering in our ears that we’re not worthy of His gifts that we struggle to believe it even when an angel tells us to our face?

Zacharias was.

Zacharias came from a long line of priests. It was literally in his blood, and even he struggled to believe that God was answering his and his wife’s prayer despite the fact that God sent an angel to tell Zacharias to his face.

If we truly believe Jesus did the amazing thing of being the perfect sacrifice to set us free from the eternal death sentence of sin, why is it so hard to believe He just might want to give us other things? Other little blessings?

Look at what happened to Zacharias when he doubted God’s gift. The angel shut him up. Why? As a punishment? Maybe.

Or maybe it was to keep him from spreading his doubt, or blaspheming God and what the angel told him.

There’s a reason why there’s the saying, “Misery loves company.” We are drawn to the train wrecks, the dramas, the horrors. But that is the devil pulling us in the wrong direction. We should be facing the light, praising our Father for His gift, not peering into the darkness, expecting the worst of any circumstance.

(The angel is talking to Zacharias regarding the birth of John the Baptist continued.)

“And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

In today’s world, we are seeing a revival of people turning back to the Lord. Back then, John was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 / “A voice is calling, ‘clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’”

John also would have the power of Elijah. What does this mean? 

Elijah is one of the prominent prophets in the Bible. His story is primarily in 1 Kings 17 - 2 Kings 2. Elijah was the prophet who told Ahab (the seventh and quite possible the most wicked king of the northern Kingdom of Israel who reigned from 874-853 BCE) that it wasn’t going to rain until Elijah gave the command (1 Kings 17:1.) He was fed by the ravens (1 Kings 17:2-8.) And Elijah is also the prophet who raised the widow’s son from the dead (1Kings 17:20-24.) 

This power is referenced when the angel says John will have the power to turn the hearts back to God to restore righteousness, to call the people away from idolatry back to the One True God. The same as Elijah in 1 Kings 18 where Elijah goes up against 450 prophets of Baal and proves to them, and a myriad of people watching, that Baal is not God. Only God is God.

God has answered Zacharias’ prayer, not with just a son, but with a son who will be one of the most important servants of God who will prepare the way for God’s only Son. What an amazing answer to prayer!