Tag Archives: #Luke

Christmas-Luke 1- Mary Did You Know?

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. Luke 1:26-29

Around Chrstmas time you usually hear the song “Mary did you know”? Well in the scriptures we are reading today, Mary did know because the angel Gabrielle told her. The virgin Mary was chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. The incarnation of God becoming flesh is an amazing mystery to ponder. But God is now going to provide salvation by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world

Notice Mary’s reaction upon receiving this news, “she was troubled” imagine if you were just told you were going to give birth to the Son of God! You can only imagine the range of emotions going through Mary’s mind at this point. The Bible is clear, Mary was chosen and highly favored by God, what an amazing calling to receive by The Lord

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. Luke 1:30-33

The angel Gabriel revealed many things about the coming of the Messiah. First he revealed his name, the name is Jesus. For centuries the Jews could never mention the name of God in fear of breaking the commandment, now we know the name of God, and we can call out upon the name of Jesus! Next it’s revealed that He is the Son of God and the Son of David, wait what? How can Jesus be the Son of God and David? 

Son of David is in reference to the Messianic Kingship line that was foretold throughout the Bible, however many didn’t understand or realize that the Messiah would literally be God in the flesh (John 1:14) The last thing that is revealed is this Kingdom will be eternal, meaning the Kingdom of God is coming to Earth (Revelation 21, Isaiah 65) All this has been revealed by the angel Gabriel

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. Luke 1:34-35

The obvious question , as stated by Mary, is “how can this be”? How can the virgin Mary give birth to the Son of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn’t physically conceived by a man, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, as he is God incarnate. It’s infallible for our human minds to try and comprehend this

The greatest message was delivered, Jesus is coming to save the world from sin and death, Amen!

Luke 19- Palm Sunday

And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? Luke 19:29-33

The event we are looking at today is known as “Palm Sunday” , the day when The Lord, The Messiah, rolled through Jerusalem fulfilling prophecy, setting up the events leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The celebration would end very quickly, as the same people shouting “Hosanna” will be the same people a few days later yelling “Crucify Him” as Israel rejects their Messiah because he’s not what they wanted in their own minds

The first prophecy we see fulfilled is Jesus rode in Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of Zechariah 9, why is this significant? Because Christ came in Peace because He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Christ came to save the sinners and give them eternal life. This isn’t what Israel wanted, as they wanted a ruthless military warrior that would wipe out the Roman Empire and reestablish the glory of Israel

And they said, The Lord hath need of him.And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Luke 19:34-37

The crowds were rejoicing at the coming of their King, they laid down Palm branches (hence the name Palm Sunday) and they laid down their robes or coats in reverence to the Messiah. Everyone was praising God, but it would only last for a short time. The religious leaders and the Romans got nervous, who is this new King that everyone was shouting about? On this day Jesus became a threat to the religious and political establishments

Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Luke 19:38-40

Hosanna, Blessed be the King the comes in the name of The Lord, this was the battle cry and this was the fulfillment of another Messianic prophecy Psalm 118. This was confirmation, that Jesus is The Christ. But the religious leaders, who should have known who Jesus is better than anyone, rebuked Jesus and told him to shut these people up. Christ replied “Even the stones would cry out” why? Because Jesus is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth (John 1) Not only is Jesus the Messiah, He is God in the flesh, here on Earth, to save his own creation

Palm Sunday is an event of past, present , and future ramifications. One day The Lord will return again and we will be waving our Palm Branches , shouting Hosanna (Revelation 7) Amen!