Miriam, or Mary as we call her in English, was a devout Jew living in the town of Nazareth. The angel Gabriel told Mary that she was going to have a baby, and to call him Jesus. Elizabeth, her cousin, was six months pregnant at the time.
Mary, in answering the angel, calls herself a bond slave to the Most High God. “I am the Lord’s servant.”
The word servant, in Greek, means: a bond slave.
In Hebrew, Gabriel means: God is mighty.
God has used angels to announce to Mankind things He is going to do. For example: Abraham, Daniel, and John in the book of Revelation.
Luke chapters 1:1-2:52 & 3:21-38
Matthew chapters 1:1-25 and 2:1-23
Background Reading: – The Birth of Jesus Foretold
Luke 1:26-38
26 Now in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the angel Gabriel[God is mighty] was sent by God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!” 29 Startled by his statement, she tried to figure out what his greeting meant.
30 Then the angel told her, “Stop being afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God. 31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 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 ancestor David. 33 He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen, since I have not had relations with a man?”
35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will surround you. Therefore, the child will be holy and will be called the Son of God. 36 And listen! Elizabeth, your relative, has herself conceived a son in her old age, this woman who was rumored to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God’s promises.”
38 Then Mary said, “Truly I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you have said happen to me.” Then the angel left her.
More Information:
Gabriel is one of only three angels named in the Bible.
The other two are Michael, who also serves God, and Satan, who rebelled against God and we know what his end will be.
There are multiple groups of angels mentioned, like the Cherubim and Seraphim. Cherub is the singular of Cherubim in Hebrew, like Seraph is the singular of Seraphim.
Hebrew puts “im” on the end of a word to make the word plural for three or more, where English often puts an “s” at the end to make the word plural.
Other slides in this module:
- The angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about the birth of Jesus
- Mary got a visit from the angel Gabriel
- Elizabeth got a visit from Mary
- Mary offered a hymn of praise to God
- An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream
- Joseph goes to Bethlehem
- Mary traveled with Joseph on a donkey
- Jesus a newly born baby
- Shepherds keeping watch
- Angels praised God for the birth of Jesus
- Jesus at 40 days old was taken to the Temple
- Simeon blesses Jesus
- Anna the Prophetess
- Magi traveled from the East to find Jesus
- The visit of the Magi to King Herod
- Magi followed the star to a house
- Jesus as a child in a house
- Joseph takes Jesus and escapes to Egypt
- King Herod the Great plans how to kill Jesus
- The return from Egypt to Nazareth
- Jesus about twelve years old
- The cross is still to come
- Questions and Answers 1-11
- Questions and Answers 12-23
- Timeline for Birth of Jesus – The Christmas Story
- Timelines
- Background Information – Birth of Jesus – The Christmas Story
- Resources – Birth of Jesus
- Next Module – Ministry of Jesus » »