Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Luke 1:26 - 38

Luke 1:26 - 38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[b] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[c] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[d]
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

6 comments:

  1. Questions:

    1. v29 - What was Mary troubled about? What was confusing her?
    2. v32 - How does Jesus have David's throne and how is He reigning over the hose of Jacob?

    ReplyDelete
  2. http://napa-institute.org/2017/05/15/why-was-mary-troubled/ says:

    The Bible says Mary “was greatly troubled” (Luke 1:29). I used to think that Mary was afraid at the sight of the angel.

    But that’s not why Mary was troubled. Luke’s Gospel tells us, “Mary was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). Mary was not so much troubled by the sight of the angel as she was by what the angel said. There was something troubling about the angel’s greeting.

    For a young Jewish woman of the first century, that last expression—“the Lord is with you”—would bring to mind what was spoke to the many great heroes of the Old Testament. When God called someone to an important task, to a mission that would stretch the person like never before, the assurance that the Lord would be with that person was often given. When Moses, for example, was called by God at the burning bush to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, the Lord told Moses, “I will be with you” (Exod. 3:12). When Joshua was called to lead the people into the hostile territory of the Promised Land, God said, “I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5) When Gideon was called by the angel to liberate the people from the Midianite oppressors, the angel said, “The Lord will be with you” (Judges 6:12).

    So when Mary hears from the angel, “The Lord is with you,” she is standing in the tradition of Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David and the prophets who heard similar words when God called them to their crucial missions. These words would indicate to Mary that God is about to call her to some important mission in His saving plan. Upon hearing these words, Mary probably was thinking “Uh oh….What might God be asking me to do?” No wonder she was greatly troubled!

    ReplyDelete
  3. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/447-luke-1-32-33-did-luke-make-a-mistake says:

    He has viewed the passage as a prediction that Christ would sit upon the literal, political throne of David. Actually, the declaration has to do with the Lord’s spiritual enthronement in heaven following the resurrection.

    This is precisely the significance of Peter’s argument on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. In this context, the apostle affirms that God had promised David that one of his descendants would rule “upon his throne.” Peter announces that “foreseeing this” David had spoken concerning Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (2:30,31).

    The apostle then says: “Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted . . .” (33). It is quite clear, therefore, that the prophecy of Luke 1:32,33 finds its fulfillment in the current spiritual reign of Christ.

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/dispen/davidthr.htm says:

    Please note: Progressive Dispensationalists teach that when Christ ascended to the right hand of God, He sat down on the throne of David. Thus they teach that 1) Christ is now sitting on David's throne, the David kingdom having been already inaugurated; 2) David's throne is now located in the third heaven.

    Where will David's throne be located? David's throne will be located in Zion (Jerusalem), not in the third heaven. It is there in Zion that God will cause the horn of David to spring up.

    What will conditions be like when the Messiah sits on the throne of David? At that time the earth's government will be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6) and the earth will enjoy peace as the Prince of Peace sits upon David's throne. Such conditions are certainly not found during this present church age.

    The only way to get to David's throne is by way of the gates of the city of Jerusalem.

    David's throne is in Jerusalem of Judah, on earth, not in heaven.

    When will the Messiah be upon David's throne? This will take place when Messiah the King reigns and executes justice IN THE EARTH. At this time Israel will dwell safely. This can only mean that Christ will sit on David's throne during His millennial reign and not before.

    The TIME: the millennial reign of Christ when righteousness will characterize the earth and when peace and safety will characterize Jerusalem. The PLACE: "in the land," that is ON THE EARTH, in the city of Jerusalem.

    The throne of David is here associated with Levitical priests. Christ cannot be upon the throne of David apart from an association with Levitical priests. During this present age there are no functioning Levitical priests. During the millennium Levitical/Zadokian priests will be associated with Christ and serving in the millennial temple (Ezekiel 40:46; 43:19; 44:15; 48:11).

    The resurrected David, who is called both KING and PRINCE, will be directly involved in the millennial government, serving under Christ: "Directly under Christ, having authority over all Israel, will be the resurrected David, who is given both titles of king and prince. He will be king because he will rule over Israel, but he will be a prince in that he will be under the authority of Christ" (Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footprints of the Messiah, page 282). See Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23-24 and Hosea 3:5.


    These passages are often explained in a non-literal way as referring not to David himself, but to David's greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, though the literal interpretation is to be preferred. But regardless of this, during this present church age we are never told that David is reigning as King or as Prince. David the future king/prince is only mentioned in a millennial, earthly, Jewish context.

    (OK, this is just getting wacky now)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Summary of questions and findings:

    1. v29 - What was Mary troubled about? What was confusing her?

    I don't know, but the explanation above seems logical. The angel addressed her in a way that indicated she was destined for greatness.

    2. v32 - How does Jesus have David's throne and how is He reigning over the hose of Jacob?

    Surprisingly, I had a very difficult time finding coherent answers. There seems to be three views:
    1. When Jesus rose from the dead, He became King and had started His reign from that moment.
    2. Jesus is going to reign and start His reign on earth when He comes back (in the future). He will literally reign over the earth and His throne will be in Jerusalem. Israel will ascend to the primary nation and the promises to Israel will be fulfilled.
    3. Both: Jesus has started His kingdom when He rose. The culmination will be at Judgement Day when He judges all and all other dominions will become subject to Him at that time.

    I lean towards the "both" answer, but am not sure.

    ReplyDelete
  6. One other comment not relating to Bruce's questions, as I have friends who insist that Christmas was only an attempt by the church to keep those former pagans from celebrating Saturnalia. If the sixth month here referred to is the Jewish sixth month which is in the spring, than nine months later is December. It is noteworthy that the date of the winter solstice was not selected by the church in 386, but 12/25, nine months after the date believed to be the annunciation to Mary. I also learned that Christmas carols date back to the early 100's A.D., so noting and celebrating the incarnation is very ancient. Though there are arguements that support Jesus' birth in the spring or autumn, I am strangely comforted that December 25 has at least a good reason behind it being the day to make Jesus' birth.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.