Luke 1:26-38 | Advent IV (B) |
Mary's Catechesis -- The Annunciation | |
One of the surprises for many of us as we read the first chapter of Luke's Gospel is the prominent place of Mary in the story of Jesus' birth. This humble virgin from Nazareth is the mother of God! Mary appears as an Old Testament saint who received the good news from the angel that God was working in her a miracle that would bring about the re-creation of the world. And Luke describes her in language reserved in the Old Testament for Israel. Like Israel, Mary is described as the daughter of Zion for she is the new locale for God's presence, the new temple where God's holiness will dwell. What a miracle! And this is not because of who Mary is, but because of what God is doing in Mary to bring about his plans of salvation.
A Jewish hearer of Luke's Gospel would be struck how Jewish Luke's Gospel sounds, and how Jewish it appears as the narrative unfolds. Luke begins by introducing us to two aged Old Testament saints, Zechariah and Elizabeth. The miraculous circumstances of John's birth recalls the miraculous birth of Isaac to two aged saints, Abraham and Sarah. And what could be more Jewish than the liturgical rhythm of the temple with its sacrificial offerings!
The angel greets this insignificant virgin from Nazareth who scholars estimate could be no older than 15 years old! In the announcement from the angel Gabriel Mary learns what God is doing to redeem our lost and fallen race. This is Mary's catechesis, that is, where the Lord speaks to her through the angel about the miraculous child she will conceive in her womb by the Holy Spirit, and where she echoes back in humble trusting faith, "let it be to me according to your word."
The announcement to Mary is the climax of Luke's first chapter. The evangelist sets the scene by introducing the circumstances of this miraculous event. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph of the house of David, in Nazareth of Galilee during the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Here begins a movement in the infancy narrative from Galilee to Jerusalem, a preview of Jesus' journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week.
John and Jesus are paralleled throughout the first chapter of Luke, and this may be most clearly seen in the comparison between Zechariah, the father of John, and Mary. Zechariah is described in great detail -- he is a Levite and a priest, considered among his peers as righteous and blameless. In contrast, very little is said about Mary herself except her relationship to Joseph with whom she is betrothed, who is of the house of David, anticipating a major part of the angel's announcement. Mary's insignificance and her humble circumstances are arresting, and the only significant piece of information is her status as "virgin," which is repeated twice to emphasize this miraculous status. Mary's humble status will be emphasized in the Magnificat as a means to describe the nature of the incarnation and the kingdom of the incarnate one. Her virginity stands in contrast to Elizabeth's barrenness, which is used as a sign to Mary that the angel's announcement is true (1:36).
The action of the announcement to Mary by the angel is also very simple. The angel comes to Mary to greet her as the "Daughter of Zion" and tell her that she will soon bear within her body the presence of the Lord because of the Lord's gracious action. Mary is deeply troubled by the word and greeting of the angel. The angel alleviates her fear by stating that Mary's status comes from God which is why she has found favor with him. The miraculous birth is announced!
The greeting of the angel to Mary is simply "the Lord be with you." The Lord is with Mary in two senses. He will come upon her and overshadow her and the presence of the Lord will be in her womb. Mary as the Daughter of Zion begins the new era of salvation with her conception. Luke contrasts this to Zechariah and Elizabeth whose son John the Baptist is born according to the old era with its laws and regulations. The new era of salvation must come through the womb of Mary, and this may only happen through the gracious action of God upon Mary who finds favor with God because God chooses to bestow his favor on her.
Is this not the same with us as we are incorporated into the kingdom by the pure grace of God, and therefore, is this not the same with the church, which is where faith is born by the pure grace of God? As Eve contained in her womb all humanity that was doomed to sin, now Mary contains in her womb a new humanity that is promised grace because of her Son, Jesus Christ. Thus, the angel must say "rejoice" for Israel is now reborn through Mary's womb. The Lord is with Mary -- he is with his church!
Mary is instructed by the angel concerning the child she will conceive and bear. This is her catechesis! Titles for this child abound: he is called Jesus, Son of the Most High, King, and Son of God. For the hearer of Luke's Gospel, there should be no doubt at this point who the Gospel is the subject of this Gospel. Although Luke does not give us the meaning of the name "Jesus" (1:31), Matthew does: "He who will save his people from their sins" (1:21). The Old Testament equivalent is Joshua, i.e. deliverer, savior. It sums up both the person and work of the Messiah. John the Baptist will be "great before the Lord" (1:15), but Jesus is Great, the Son of the Most High (1:32).
Luke describes the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary as a day to be marked, for on this day the kingdom comes because Jesus is a continuation of the Davidic line. All the promises of God in the Old Testament are now coming to fulfillment in Christ, and specifically the promise of an everlasting kingdom to the house of David: "the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will be King over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end" (1:32-33). The royal line of the kingdom of Judah, prophesied by Jacob (Genesis 49), merges with the royal line of David (2 Samuel 7): "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established forever." Jesus is now a King who will reign over the house of David because the messianic and kingly succession now continues here in Jesus.
The climax of the angel's words is the announcement that the virgin will conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary asks the angel, "How will this be, since I know not a man?" and the angel announces to her that "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." This same Spirit hovered over the waters and brought forth creation (Gen 1:2), over Israel as the presence of God in the pillar of cloud (the shekinah) during the exodus (Ex 13; 14; 33), over the ark of the covenant (Ex 40), at Sinai (Ex 19), over Jesus at his baptism (Lk 3), and in the cloud at his transfiguration (Lk 9). This same Spirit will also be promised to the disciples by Jesus just before his ascension when they will be "clothed with power from on high" (24:49). As the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary and overshadows her, she conceives Jesus as holy, the Son of God. This is the climactic moment of the incarnation of our Lord!
Luther always maintained that the conception of Jesus came through the power of God's word in Mary's ear. She heard the word from the angel and conceived the child. Mary is truly the first catechumen here, since catechumens were called "hearers of the word." This child conceived in Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit is the incarnate presence of God, greater than Isaac or Samuel, greater than his cousin John, as all the titles indicate. "Holy" and "Son of God" are the final titles given to Jesus. At Jesus' baptism and again at his transfiguration the Father will confirm that Jesus is "my beloved Son," telling us what we already know from Jesus' conception.
The Annunciation to the virgin Mary teaches us about the virgin birth, Jesus as the Son of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' conception. Thus the Nicene Creed captures all this teaching in a single phrase: Jesus "was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man." As "Son of God" and "holy," Jesus is set apart by God to cleanse Israel -- and all of us -- from our sins and to inherit for us the kingdom promised by the Father.
The coming of the Holy Spirit upon Mary reminds us of the descent of the Spirit on Jesus at his baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit at our baptism. When the power of the most high overshadows her, God becomes incarnate -- becomes flesh -- as part of her flesh, reminding us of the reception of the body and blood of Christ into the believer's body in the Lord's Supper. If so, the announcement to Mary is our first glimpse of the pattern of incorporation into the church that will be followed throughout Luke-Acts and in the early Christian communities: catechesis, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Mary prefigures this as she receives catechesis from the angel (1:31b-34), the Holy Spirit comes upon her (1:35a), and she receives the flesh of Christ (1:35b).
Mary is the mother of God, and also the first catechumen. She sets the pattern for all who will follow her. "With God nothing is impossible." So Mary rejoices as the one favored by God to become the flesh-and-blood home of his incarnate Son. The Lord is with her indeed! By calling herself "the servant of the Lord," she humbly submits herself to God's word and to his miraculous presence with her and in her body. Mary serves as a model of the humble hearing of God's Word and the trusting response of faith created by that Word -- the Word now made flesh in her womb.
The Church celebrates "The Annunciation" to the virgin Mary by the angel Gabriel about the virgin birth of Jesus on March 25th. In ancient times, March 25th was considered the first day of the new year, for many thought that on this day the creation of the world began. As early as the third century, many early Christian communities also thought that this was the day Christ was crucified, since it was possible for that first Good Friday to fall at the end of March. This united the creation and the redemption in the minds of the ancient church. And it was not difficult for those early Christians to take the next logical step, that is, to suggest that Christ died on the day he was conceived. This is the reason why many believe that Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, nine months after Jesus' conception and crucifixion.
Even though the early Christians had no solid evidence for all this, the theological consequences are intriguing. Isn't the Annunciation the day when God comes into this world, and shouldn't it be as much a major festival as Christmas or Easter? Didn't early Christians believe all this about the dates precisely because they held the annunciation of Christ's conception to Mary in as high esteem as they did the birth of the child and the death of child? These early Christian communities believed that in the world's history there were four great days, all of which were on par with one another -- the day God created the world, the day God came into this world, the day God offered Himself up as the sacrifice for sins, and the day that God showed he was final conqueror over sin, death, and the devil by rising from the tomb.
The angel Gabriel visited Mary on the second day, the day God proved that in spite of our continual rebellion against him he loved us. It was natural for early Christians to celebrate the conception of Jesus and death of Jesus on the same day. The suggestion that the Annunciation and not Christmas is the first celebration of the incarnation is affirmed by the Nicene creed which simply states, "who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man." The significant divine action was in Nazareth, as the Holy Spirit came upon the humble virgin and the power of the Most high overshadowed her. For it was in Nazareth where the Word was made flesh.
But what might Luke say about all this? He too describes the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary as a day to be marked, a day that could be described as a festival of Christ, for on this day the old meets the new. All the promises of God in the OT are now coming to fulfillment in Christ. John prepares his way, calling Israel to repent of its unbelief, to repent of its rejection of God's plan of salvation in the promised Messiah. And with hearts cleansed through a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, John calls Israel to look up to the holy city of Jerusalem where this Jesus will give up his life late one March afternoon. John will be great before the Lord, says Gabriel, but as Gabriel says to Mary, Jesus is the Lord, he is Great, for he is the Son of the Most High, he is given the throne of his father David, he will reign over the house of Jacob, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
The throne of David -- the house of Jacob -- the kingdom that has no end -- OT promises that turn our hearts toward Jerusalem in repentance and faith as we contemplate the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord. Jesus became the friend of all men by being made in the likeness of sinful flesh in order to redeem sinful flesh. We who thought God was our enemy and our persecutor -- we who lived in hostility to God as we wallowed in our fallenness -- we poor sinners are the reason Jesus was conceived by the power of Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary where his body, his flesh, would be offered up as an everlasting atonement and sacrifice for all sins. Jesus shared our common humanity in every way, and because this child conceived in Mary is holy, the Son of God, he is able to redeem our bodies and make them holy like his body. And because his body rose from the dead, so also will our bodies rise in the resurrection of all flesh.
What a place to stand at the beginning of Advent! To stand in Nazareth with the virgin and the angel Gabriel and look out across the life of Lord to Jerusalem and to a cross and an empty tomb. What suffering and glory to behold! And to think that the baptismal waters that flow from his death and resurrection make us his holy children wherein he dwells. And that the body and blood that flow from his sacrificial death are now received by us in, with, and under bread and wine for the forgiveness of all our sins, for our eternal benefit.
"And the angel said to her: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.' And Mary said, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her."
| AMEN |
| Dr. A. A. Just Jr. Advent 1996 |