Luke the Lord’S Gospel

By Carroll Roberson

Luke the Lords Gospel is a deeper look into the life and times of Jesus, our Lord. For centuries, scholars have only studied Luke from the Greek perspective and have failed to see the Hebrew Lord behind the Greek text. Was Luke a Gentile like most scholars teach? Or was he a Greek-speaking Jew living in the diaspora?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973615637

Carroll Roberson

Evangelist Carroll Roberson has researched the life and ministry of Christ from the Hebrew perspective for over thirty years. Carroll takes the Judeo/Greek text of the four gospels and uncovers the original Hebrew thought. His straight forward approach has helped countless people come to a greater understanding of the biblical Jesus. Carroll is also widely known for writing several hundred Christian songs. His weekly TV program “This is Carroll Roberson” that is seen on various Christian stations around the nation and overseas.

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CHAPTER ONE

Prologue

Luke 1:1-4- Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

Luke used various sources, written manuscripts, oral traditions, as well as his own research. He was building on the eyewitness accounts like the gospel of Mark, that most scholars agree was in reality the gospel according to Peter. Luke even tells us that the people who had delivered the truths about Jesus unto him were also ministers of the word. Is he referring to Peter and Paul, or James, who were truly ministers of the Word? As mentioned earlier, Luke had met many saints who had seen the Lord face-to-face.

Luke had a perfect understanding of everything that had happened, even "from the first." He is writing to his readers everywhere within the Roman world, but especially to the person named Theophilus, to whom he also addressed in Acts 1:1:

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.

Scholars have debated over the centuries just who Theophilus really was. His Greek name means friend of God. Without taking up a lot of time and space giving you the different theories, this writer is convinced that Theophilus was a real person with some rank and title in the Roman administration. He could have been the one who was also known as Titus Flavius Sabinus, a Prefect of Rome, who was the older brother of the Roman Emperor Vespasian. Many believe that Theophilus showed kindness to Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. One tradition says that Theophilus was sick, and God used Luke to heal him; therefore, Luke was released and commissioned to write his account. No one can say of a certainty, but Luke calls him most excellent, and he uses that title when addressing another Roman official in Acts 23:26:

Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.

It was not uncommon for a wealthy Roman nobleman to commission authors to write books. Theophilus was a Roman believer in Jesus, who wanted Luke to write a comprehensive account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Just think how the friendship of Theophilus and Luke was orchestrated by the Almighty God to bless countless saints down through the centuries. Luke was uniquely suited to meet the need of Theophilus because of his knowledge of the Greco-Roman culture, as well as first-century Judaism, as we will see.

Luke 1:5-7- There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

It is here that Luke makes the transition from the classical Greek style of his prologue to a biblical style that is used in the Greek Septuagint of the Old Testament. Luke sees the Old Testament ending with the expectation and unfulfilled promises. So he is going to weave numerous allusions to the Old Testament into his narrative. Luke sees what he is about to write as a continuation of the Tanakh.

Luke begins by letting his readers know that the events took place within the broader framework of world history. He mentions the name of Herod, the king of Judaea, known also as Herod the Great. He ruled in Israel from 40BC-1BC. During a very dark period in the history of Israel, where they were being ruled by a puppet king, and the Jewish establishment was corrupt, Luke tells us that there were two righteous people within that system.

Zacharias, the Hebrew Zecharyah, means, Yahweh remembers. Zacharias was serving as a priest during the course of Abia, or Abijah. It’s interesting that the name Abijah comes from two Hebrew words; Ab, meaning father, and Yah, meaning the name of the God of Israel. So here we have a godly priest who is truly serving the God of Israel during a course that bears God’s name. There were twenty-four courses in one calendar year, and each priest served one week at a time, at two different times of the year from Sabbath to Sabbath. These courses went back to the time of King David. The list of these courses is found in I Chronicles 24:7-19:

Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, The fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, The ninth to Jeshuah, the tenth to Shecaniah, The eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, The thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Aphses, The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezekel, The one and twentieth to Jachin, the two and twentieth to Gamul, The three and twentieth to Delaiah, the four and twentieth to Maaziah. These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

The course of Abijah was the eighth course starting from Passover, which was normally in the month of April. So this would put the priest Zacharias in the Temple probably during the month of June.

and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. The name Elisabeth, or the Hebrew Elisheva, means the oath of my God. She was named after the wife of Aaron in Exodus 6:23:

And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

When we put the two names, Zecharyah and Elisheva together, they mean, Yahweh remembers the oath of my God. For four hundred long years there had not been a voice from God to the people of Israel. Now the time was fulfilled and the stage was set for God’s voice to be heard once again. He had not forgotten His covenant that He made with Abraham.

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. The word righteous here carries with it a different meaning than the word righteous in the Pauline epistles, even though the word is translated into the same Greek word, dikaios. Through faith in the sinless Christ all believers are declared perfectly righteous in the eyes of God. But here in Luke 1:6 it means that Zacharias and Elisabeth walked according to the Torah. The Messiah was about to come and He was the only one who could declare people truly righteous, but there was a remnant of people who were walking blameless before the Lord, like Zacharias and Elisabeth.

And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. To be barren was considered a sign of God’s disfavor, but being able to have children was viewed as a divine blessing.

Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. Deut.7:14

This placed Elisabeth along the same Matriarch lines as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Hannah. So the miraculous birth of John the Baptist would fall in line with Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, and Samuel.

Luke 1:8-10- And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

The Temple in Jerusalem is mentioned more than nine times throughout Luke’s gospel. This was the crowning moment in the life of Zacharias, because this would be the first time that he ever was given the opportunity to burn incense in the Temple. The custom was one of casting lots and this time the lot fell to Zacharias. Casting lots was such a strong custom in Bible times that it was used for good by ancient Israel and was used for evil by the pagans. Luke 23:34 When Israel cast lots they believed this was a sign from God, and it proved that man did not make the choice.

The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. Proverbs 16:33

The one who burned incense came the closest to the holy of holies and had a private audience in the presence of the God of Israel.* The people all waited outside in prayer during that moment for the priest to walk out of the sanctuary and pronounce the blessing upon the people of Israel.

* What is interesting to this writer about Zacharias’ experience is that the glory of God had departed the Temple in the time of Ezekiel. (Almost 600 hundred years before) Eze.11:22-25 The ark of the covenant was in the Temple of Solomon but was not in the second Temple during Zacharias’ time. But during a time of religious corruption, when ceremonialism superseded spirituality, the God of Israel still manifested Himself to a man who walked righteous before Him. Zacharias was not just serving a priestly position; his heart was filled with faith and love for the God of Israel!

Luke 1:11-12- And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

Angels played an important role in the nation of Israel, as well as the history of salvation. Angels are closely connected to worship as we can see in Isaiah 6:1-6:

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

Since the Temple in Jerusalem was supposed to be an earthly model of God’s heavenly sanctuary (Heb.8:1-5), the Israelites believed that the priests officiated on earth just as the angels ministered in heaven. The Temple was even adorned with images of angels, as in Exodus 25:18-22:

And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Also in I Kings 6:23-36:

And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits. And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size. The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub. And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. And he overlaid the cherubims with gold. And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without. And the floors of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without. And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work. And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.

Angels delivered good news of conception and childbirth, as with Ishmael (Gen.16:11), Isaac (Gen.18:10), and Samson (Judges 13:3-5). So here the angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias to give him the announcement that his wife, the aged Elisabeth, is going to have a son. Luke often mentions angels throughout his gospel: (Luke 1:11, 1:26, 2:9, 2:13, 22:43, 24:4) It’s easy to understand why even a godly man like Zacharias would be troubled and afraid. First time to ever burn incense in the Temple, the crowning moment in his religious life, and now on the right side of the altar of incense, there stands Gabriel! Wow!

The First Oracle

Luke 1:13-17- But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

This is the first of seven oracles that Luke gives to us, the annunciation of John. The poetic style of all seven of these oracles that we will study as we move through the next two chapters, are Hebrew, and Hebrew was the language of angels in the Bible. It’s clearly seen in the Hebrew name of John, Yochanon, which means, Yahweh has been gracious. When the angel told Zacharias that his prayer was heard, this was a Semitic style from the Old Testament, like in Gen.16:7-14. It really would have been more like this; "For heard is thy prayer or techinah.

When the angel makes mention that this child John shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, he is alluding to the Nazarite vow in Numbers 6:1-12:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD. And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.

John’s dedication to the Lord reminds us of Samson in Judges 13:4-7, Samuel in I Samuel 1:11, and the calling of Jeremiah from his mother’s womb in Jeremiah 1:5.

The powerful purpose of John would be to turn the hearts of Israel to the Lord God. In order to do this, John needed to live an ascetic lifestyle, totally dedicated to the Lord, and preach repentance in the spirit and power of Elijah. It’s very interesting that in the last book of the Old Testament, some four hundred years before the angel appears to Zacharias, we find these words:

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Malachi 4:5-6

Before we leave this passage it is necessary to contrast the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. While some may have questions about the comparison, we must consider the different missions of both:

John was in the spirit of Elijah - Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh

John lived an ascetic lifestyle in the desert and took the Nazarite vow - Jesus lived among His people, and did not take the Nazarite vow because He was sinless

John was the forerunner of the Messiah – Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah

John told the people to prepare the way for the Lord – Jesus of Nazareth was the Lord

John was filled with the Holy Ghost – Jesus of Nazareth was the Second Person of the Triune Godhead,(Father, Son, Holy Ghost) was sent by the Father into the world, would die in the flesh, be raised by the Spirit, and would give the Holy Spirit to everyone who believed in Him

John’s ministry would last for only a few months – The ministry of Jesus would last for a little over three years and change the course of human history

Luke 1:18-20- And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

While we can sympathize with the aged Zacharias, we must realize that this is the beginning message of glad tidings, which means, declaring the gospel, from the angel of the Lord. The coming of the Messiah of Israel is unfolding and there was no room for doubting the miraculous works of the God of Israel and the coming gospel. What the God of Israel was about to perform was much greater than someone serving as a priest in the Temple, the Elijah-like forerunner of the long-awaited Messiah of Israel would be born to the aged Elisabeth. The punishment of being stricken dumb would only be for a short time, and this brief punishment would only be a time of silence that would burst forth in praise with Zacharias giving a beautiful oracle later in the chapter.

I am Gabriel- Most of the time during the history of Israel, angels were just messengers of God. Their names were not normally given. But here Gabriel gives out his name. Interesting! This is the same Gabriel that spoke to the prophet Daniel about the time when the Messiah would come in Dan.9. So over five hundred years had passed and now Gabriel is the same angel who is sent by God to speak to Zacharias, and later to the mother Mary. There are seven major names of angels in the Bible along with Jewish literature:

Michael = Who is like God

Gabriel = Hero of God

Raphiel = Healing of God

Uriel = Light of God

Jehudiel = God of the Jews

Selaphiel = Prayer of God

Barachiel = Blessed of God

These are believed to be the seven angels in Revelation 8:2:

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

Luke 1:21-25- And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

Everyone within the Temple compound waited and waited for Zacharias to emerge and lift up his hands toward the worshippers and lead the benediction, but when he came out, he only made frantic gestures and he could not speak. One of the most important functions of the priest who burned the incense was to pronounce the Jewish blessing upon the people. The blessing was always from Numbers 6:24-26:

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

This author finds it so fitting and at the same time such a contrast that Luke begins his gospel with a priest named Zacharias, who could not pronounce the blessing upon the people, and at the end of his gospel, Jesus, the High Priest, lifts up His hands and pronounces the blessing upon His disciples just prior to His ascension. (Luke 24:50)

After the week of serving in the Temple, Zacharias returned to his own house and back to Elisabeth. In due time the aged Elisabeth conceived just like the angel had said. We must keep in mind that Elisabeth was past the age of bearing children and she was well stricken in years. (Luke 1:7)

Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Try to imagine all the years of being looked down upon, her reproach, by the religious leaders because she could not have children. Think of her personal disappointment over the years. And then, after she conceived, one can understand why she hid herself for five months. What thought must have been going through the mind of Elisabeth? This reminds us of how the God of Israel dealt with Rachel in Genesis 30:23:

And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:

Luke 1:26-29- And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

Six months later the angel Gabriel made a second appearance. The first appearance was in the Temple in Jerusalem in the midst of a cloud of incense. The second appearance of Gabriel was in a house in a little, unimportant village called Nazareth* to a betrothed young girl. Already we can see that the workings of the Lord are certainly not limited to the Temple, or to any physical structure. It’s interesting that we find here that Joseph not only lived in the village of Nazareth, but he was of the house of David*.

* Nazareth was referred to as the Branch village, because the coming Messiah is called The Branch in many places in the Old Testament. (Isa.4:2, Isa.11:1, Jere.23:5, 33:15, Zech.3:8, 6:12) In Isa.11:1, the Hebrew word for Branch is netzer, which gives us a word pun for the Hebrew name notzri which is where we get the village of Nazareth. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for Christian is notzri because the first followers of Jesus were called people of the Way of The Nazarene.

* After the Babylonian captivity there was a small group of people from the house of David that settled in Nazareth. The reason Gabriel went there was because of the covenant that the God of Israel made with David back in 2 Samuel 7:13-17. So when we find the term house of David we need to be reminded of the significance of God’s promise to David.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. The Greek word that Luke used for favored is charitoo and is equivalent to the Hebrew word chanan. The Hebrew word is more meaningful, and connects us to many of the Patriarchs, Matriarchs, Prophets, and Saints of the Old Testament who were also highly favored, people like Abraham, Rachel, David, Esther, Daniel, and others. Without downplaying the godliness of Mary, we must not fall into the cultic worship of Mariolotry*. Mary is a wonderful example of humility and servitude, and she is to be lifted up like the other saints of old. Mary is now in heaven, and if she knew the idolatrous worship that is being devoted to her, she would be very sad.

* Mariolotry is the idolatrous worship of the Virgin Mary. Mary’s title was changed from Christotokos (mother of Christ) to Theotokos (Mother of God) at the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431AD, and later confirmed at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451AD. This title implies that Mary did not have a mother and that she never had the inclinations to sin like everyone else. This cultic worship of the Virgin Mary has been changed over the centuries and now they believe that Mary was not only sinless, but they also teach the perpetual virginity of Mary. This is very unscriptural! Mary gave birth to Jesus, her firstborn, (meaning there would be other children) Matt.1:25, and Jesus would later have brothers and sisters, Mark 6:3. The first-century followers of Jesus the Messiah did not worship Mary, they worshiped Jesus the Son of God!

Blessed art thou among women. This greeting was also given by Elisabeth to Mary in Luke 1:42. How blessed Mary truly was to be the earthly mother of our Lord! Jesus existed before time and now He is using the womb of a little virgin girl to become flesh and to enter into time. Israel’s Messiah wanted to experience what His people experienced, even in His birth. While Mary certainly would have to be the most blessed of any women in the Bible, this same greeting was also given in the song of Deborah to Jael, or Yael, after she helped to gain victory for the Israelites and killed Sisera in Judges 5:24:

Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

Luke 1:30-37- And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.

The Second Oracle

Gabriel gave the announcement of John’s birth, and now he delivers his message to Mary within the same structure of Hebrew poetry. When we think of the covenant that God made with David, the style is very similar:

And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

2 Sam.7:9-16

The birth of our Lord was natural, but the conception of our Lord was supernatural. The sinfulness of humanity, even in the direct lineage of the Messiah, necessitated a virgin birth. This takes us to one of the most important prophecies concerning the hope of Israel in Isaiah 7:14:

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Notice the powerful wording in this verse in Isaiah: a sign, a virgin, conceive, a son, his name Immanuel!

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. The angel told Mary that his name would be called JESUS, which comes from the Greek to English translation, but His Hebrew name would be Yahshua, which means, Yahweh saves.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Notice several important terms in these verses:

Great

Son of the Highest

Lord God

Throne of his father David

He shall reign

House of Jacob

Forever

To help us to better understand what Gabriel was delivering to Mary, it had been the long-awaited hope that all of Israel would one day be gathered together. Since the 8th century BC, the northern tribes had been