Luke 1:26-38; Gen 18; Ezekiel 8; Haggai 1, 2 Sam/2 Kingdoms 7, Isaiah 29:22
In our last episode we saw how the story of Jesus our Savior is set up in Luke by relating first the story of his cousin, John. I mentioned then that in Luke the links between the two children and their foretold ministries are very strong. They are, indeed, built into the very structure of Luke’s nativity story. As we begin the actual announcement of Jesus’ birth, we should note that it is deliberately linked to that of John by reference to Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy (Luke 1:26). The “sixth month,” however, is not simply a reference to Elizabeth, but in general an auspicious time to receive God’s revelation, for it is also the timing recorded by Ezekiel (8:1) when God appears to him in a stupendous vision, in the presence of the Judean elders, as well as the prophet Haggai (1:1), who receives good news about God’s intent to rebuild his people. Luke, then, links together his two stories of the infant boys, while appealing to the Old Testament in order to show the momentousness of the occasion. In reading Luke 1:26-38, we see parallels and contrasts between the announcement of John and Jesus that are designed to put Jesus in the spotlight. Here is the passage:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” 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 behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
In the story, we move from Judea to Galilee, that is from the southern to the northern area of the Holy Land, as Luke suggests that the announcement of this baby concerns the whole of God’s people, and even the Gentiles round about, not just those associated with the Temple, as are Zechariah’s family. Next, it is interesting that this time the angel visits a woman, of the house of David, rather than a priest of the house of Aaron – the new babe is to fulfil promises given to that royal house! In the visitation to Zechariah, we are not told about the angel’s greeting, but here Gabriel tells Mary to “Rejoice!” The Greek “chaire!” was, of course, a common salutation, but in this case, its literal meaning is significant, for the virgin and her entire race will receive something that brings great joy! ( I would comment, too, that the Greek here seems much more significant than the Latin Ave Maria, because “joy” and not simply well-being, are folded into the meaning of chaire.)
Despite the salutation, Mary is troubled, as was Zechariah, and, as with Zechariah, is assured by the angel not to be afraid. Zechariah has been told that his prayer is heard, and Mary is told that she has “found favor” with God. This phrase is, of course, a typical Old Testament angelic assurance, such as we see the angel of the LORD give in announcing the conception of Isaac to Abraham (Genesis 18:1). But here it does double duty, reminding us of the purity of the Theotokos –God has seen her, and she has found favor – and the fact that something momentous is about to happen. Whereas Zechariah is merely told that his wife will have a baby, Gabriel stresses the actual conception of Jesus to His mother, subtly suggesting that this event of conception is miraculous in itself. Both babies will be boys, the angel says, and he gives instructions about the name that each is to be given. (We will return to this!). While Gabriel’s words about John recalled Elijah and other prophets of the past, the angel here stresses the King of kings, whose unending rule will fulfil promises made to David and Jacob. (And we will return to this, also). Both Zechariah and holy Mary ask questions of the angel, and are given answers. Zechariah specifically asks how he will know that what Gabriel says is true, whereas Mary asks “how shall this be?” Zechariah is given the sign of his own silence, whereas Mary is told of Elizabeth’s pregnancy to assure her of God’s great power. Finally, while Zechariah can no longer speak, Mary consents formally to God’s intent, saying “yes” to God, whereas the first woman Eve disobeyed.
So much could be traced here, but let’s consider the naming of the boys, Jesus’ fulfillment of David and Jacob, and the silence of Zechariah over against the word of the Theotokos.
It’s interesting that Gabriel does not come to Joseph, as he did to Zechariah. The blessed Augustine considers this important, and explains:
The angel Gabriel came to Zechariah, not to Elizabeth. Why? Because it was through Zechariah that John was going to be in Elizabeth. The angel, in announcing that John was going to come by being born, went not to the receptacle of the womb but to the source of the seed. He announced they would both have a son, but he made the announcement to the father. John, after all, was going to come from the marriage of male and female. And once more the same Gabriel came to Mary—not to Joseph. The angel came to the one from whom that flesh was to begin, from whom it was to take its starting point. (Augustine, Sermon 291.3.17)
Well, we may quibble with this ancient theologian about biology, because we now know that no woman is a mere receptacle. But as we say in our creed, He took flesh from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. John, like every other baby in the world, had a human father and mother. Thus the father is honored as head of the household by being the recipient of heavenly revelation, just as Abraham was in the case of Isaac. But Jesus is unique, taking flesh from His mother alone, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is to His mother, then, that instructions regarding His name and ministry are given. St. Ephraim, in commenting upon this, recalls the words of Gabriel:
“…you shall call his name Jesus.” He was speaking about him who was to appear in the body. He did not say to her, “that name which is called Jesus,” but “you shall call his name.” This shows that this name is of the economy which is through the body, since Jesus in Hebrew means “Savior.” For the angel said, “You shall call his name Jesus,” that is, Savior, “for he shall save his people from sins.” This name therefore refers not to his nature but to his deeds. (St Ephraim of Syria, Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron 25.23)
The saint’s words may seem overly subtle at this point, but if we refer again to our creed, we remember that though Jesus our Lord is named, other names also are given that speak of His eternal being and nature: Son, Lord, God of God. Jesus is His human name, corresponding to His saving work, but He has had the name LORD, the being One, I Am, from all eternity.
In speaking to Mary, Gabriel sends us back to the Old Testament, where we are reminded of the importance of the “house of Jacob”—Israel’s first name, and the “house of David.” The “house of Jacob” makes a strong appearance throughout the prophecy of Isaiah, beginning with Is. 29:22: “Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: ‘Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale.’” Jacob as a people, those who are known by his second name of Israel, have known shame for centuries, but the prophet sees a time when that will be removed, and speaks of it often throughout his prophecies. That time of joy, declares Gabriel, has come: the house of Israel is finally being called back to Israel’s true God. Though many of the Jewish people did not respond, in fact all the twelve Jewish apostles, as well as St. Paul, formed the nucleous for the new revived people of God, the unashamed new Israel. And God has not closed the door to the sons and daughters of the fleshly Israel even yet, though the Gentiles are now mostly coming in.
Just as the “house of Jacob” is key in the Old Testament, so the “house of David” is seen throughout the second half of those holy books, after David is established as the king whom God loves, despite his weaknesses. When David wants to build a temple, or “house” of God, God denies him this favor, but gives him promises regarding his household, known as “the sure mercies of David.” In 2 Samuel/2 Kingdoms 7, verses 12-16, these are the words that God speaks solemnly to the king:
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.… And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.
These are, of course, the exact words of Gabriel regarding the rule of Jesus, who will, says Gabriel, receive the “throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” With this one remarkable and unique baby, the promises given both to Israel (Jacob) as a whole, and to David, king over the united Israel, will be fulfilled. And as Mary will hear when she brings the infant Jesus into the Temple, even the Gentiles will come to this Light of Light, this Ruler and LORD of all.
Mary ends her interview with Gabriel overjoyed and in awe of God, whereas Zechariah suffers from the angelic sign: but both have asked questions of Gabriel. What is the difference? St. Ambrose helps us to see that it is not the mere asking of questions that matters, but the heart which feeds the question:
Here Mary seems to have disbelieved, unless you pay close attention, for it is not right that she who was chosen to bear the only-begotten Son of God should seem to have been without faith. And how could this be? Although the prerogative of the Mother, on whom a greater prerogative is straightway to be conferred, is intact, how could it be that Zechariah who had not believed was condemned to silence, but Mary, if she had not believed, would be exalted by the infusion of the Holy Spirit? But with a greater prerogative, also a greater faith must be reserved for her. But Mary must both believe, and not so heedlessly usurp. She must believe the angel and not usurp divine things. Nor is it easy to know “the mystery which has been hidden from eternity in God,” which the higher powers could not know either. Nevertheless she did not deny the faith, she did not refuse the duty, but she conformed her will, she promised obedience. For truly when she said, “How shall this be?” she did not doubt concerning the outcome but sought the nature of this same outcome. (St. Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 2.14.34)
Zechariah, then, like Gideon before him, doubted that the LORD really was going to fulfil what He had promised, whereas the Theotokos wanted to understand more deeply the great mystery of our salvation, and asks her question in this vein. To take her as our pattern, and to try to “hide all these things” in our hearts as we hear of her later, will serve us well: there are many mysteries of God that He desires to show us, and our questions about such mysteries are not dismissed. But there is a difference between asking questions born of our yearning, which God may or may not answer at the time when we ask, depending on our ability to understand, and asking faithless questions that doubt His truthfulness, goodness, or power. Yet even if our questions are of this feeble kind, we may take heart, since Zechariah was not cast out, but both disciplined and restored to take his place in God’s story.
These two infants then, come together in a kind of harmony as their annunciations are told to us. We see both the contrasts and the similarities, reminding us that Jesus is both one of us, the cousin of John, and the LORD of all, the King of kings, the One whom angels worship. Luke the evangelist uses his literary artistry, his knowledge of the Old Testament, and his deep spiritual insight to show us these mysteries, and to prepare us for the scene to come—that wondrous event when one unborn baby recognizes the LORD of all in the womb of his young aunt.
Edith M. Humphrey 