THE PREDICTION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE CHRIST

PROCLAMATION

“… The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  …  And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus.’ ”  Luke 1:26-31 (KJV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to Luke, who like Mark was not one of the twelve apostles.  He was a physician (Colossians 4:14) and a frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul. (Philemon 1:24)  The gospel according to Matthew was addressed primarily to the Jews and presented Jesus as The Messiah, The King of the Jews.  The gospel according to Mark was addressed primarily to the Romans and presented Jesus as a good humble worker and The Servant of God.  The gospel according to Luke was addressed primarily to the Greeks and presented Jesus as The Son of Man, the ideal human being, and the perfect man.  After an introduction which explained why he was writing this account of the life of Jesus, (Luke 1:1-4) Luke begins chapter one with a description of the elderly parents of John the baptizer.   Then he describes the events surrounding the prediction of John’s birth, (Luke 1:5-25) followed by the prediction of the birth of Jesus, The Christ (Luke 1:26-45) and then the birth of John the baptizer. (Luke 1:57-66)  The chapter ends with the praise that John’s father Zechariah gave to The Lord God after John’s birth. (Luke 1:67-80)

 

APPLICATION
The birth of Jesus, The Christ, was predicted more than four hundred years beforehand by the Prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 9:6-7 and 11:1-2)  Here Luke reveals that the angel Gabriel foretold the birth of Jesus, the Christ, (Luke 1:31) and the birth of John, the baptizer. (Luke 1:11-13)  When Mary questioned the angel, regarding how this could happen since she was a virgin, she was told that The Holy Spirit of God would cause her to conceive. (Luke 1:34-35)  Today, being a Christians means believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ.   It also means believing in His pre-existence, (John 1:1) conception, and virgin birth. (John 1:14)  The virgin conception and birth of Jesus, The Christ, is presented twice in The Holy Word of God. (Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26 to 2:7)