Luke 1:26–35; 2:4–7

Bible Studies for Life
Chair of Philosophy, Samford University; Southwestern Seminary graduate

Jesus, God’s Greatest Gift
Luke 1:26–35; 2:4–7
These verses proclaim the central assertion of Christianity — Jesus who was born of a woman is also the Son of God. The Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 would interpret this assertion with the doctrine that Jesus is fully human and fully divine, two natures in one person. All the Church’s teachings and practices derive from this truth.

Because of the importance of Jesus’ miraculous birth for Christianity, Luke takes special care to explain its importance. It happens in a particular way with a specific purpose. Because Luke puts such importance on its details, it is as though he is warning future readers not to misuse or misunderstand the story’s importance. The clear teaching is that Jesus is human and the Son of God.

The Role of the Angel Gabriel
Angels play significant and diverse roles throughout the Scriptures, but here the angel Gabriel is a messenger. He announces to Mary the extraordinary event of Jesus’ birth. Because Gabriel is a messenger, what he tells is from God. He does not authorize his own words. In fact, because an angel is a messenger, an angel does not have authority separate from God.

Luke emphasizes this. The miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth does not come from an occultic power, as from an angel, but from God, the Creator. Luke stresses that Gabriel takes the initiative toward Mary. He comes and explains to Mary what will happen. We are not told that Mary was seeking a miracle or vision from God. Though Mary is an extraordinary woman, having “found favor with God” (1:30), and her role should always be told, Luke tells the story in a way that we would be wrong to interpret it as implying the event occurred because of Mary’s power or that she made up the story to make herself important.

Jesus’ Titles and Function
Another feature of the story is Luke’s emphasis on Jesus’ titles and function. He will be holy, called the Son of the Most High and Son of God, sit on the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob, and His kingdom will never end. Again Luke accentuates the specifics to caution any subsequent reader from misunderstanding and misusing the Christian message. Jesus is as intimately connected by His nature to God as a son is in his nature to his father. As a father and son share the same familial nature and name, so Jesus and God the Father share the same nature.

In knowing Jesus as the Son of God, we also come to know the nature of God the Father. A superficial understanding of this relationship suggests polytheism, but Luke is trying to prevent this misunderstanding. Jesus as the Son and God the Most High are identical in divine nature.

Furthermore Luke connects Jesus to Israel. Though Luke is a Gentile who often relates Jesus to all peoples and nations, here he explains Jesus’ function in a specific twofold way — Jesus is to continue the throne of David and the house of Jacob. What God started with the patriarchs (i.e., Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and in part established with David’s kingdom, Jesus will continue for eternity. This linkage between Jacob, David and Jesus refers to the covenant that God established to redeem the world. Jesus is not starting another covenant, another religion, but fulfilling the one given to the patriarchs and David.

The Virgin Birth
The angel Gabriel announces and explains Jesus’ special birth. Mary’s virginity is clearly mentioned, as well as the extraordinary agency of the Holy Spirit. There are no parallels or analogies for such a birth in Scripture. If Luke had been uncertain about the Virgin Birth, he would probably have told it in a more typical way. But he clearly focuses on the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth. For Luke, the Virgin Birth is as important to the story’s full meaning and importance as the work of the angel and Jesus’ titles and function.

Because Jesus’ birth is a miracle, we should accentuate what Luke does. Jesus is human. Mary was His mother. Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God. In this story, God’s greatness is seen in Jesus, who is not just an appearance of humanity or of divinity but fully each.