²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
²⁷ to a virgin betrothed 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, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of sacrifice 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 for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."
³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?"
³⁵ 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.
³⁶ 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.
³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible."
³⁸ 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.

• Background: The Angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel (Dan 9:21-27) and announced that the Savior would come in "seventy weeks" of years, or 490 years. There is a set of 490 here: Elizabeth has been pregnant for 6 months or 180 days, Mary will be pregnant for 9 months or 270 days, and Jesus will be presented in the Temple 40 days after birth.
• (v.26) Nazareth is an obscure town of about 150 people. God chooses to work with simple folks.
• (v.27) Joseph means "may Yahweh add," Mary, "excellence," and Jesus, "God saves."
• (v.28) "O favored one": This pronouncement is from an angel, and an angel is God's spokesman, so it is from God Himself.
• (vv.29-33) These lines explain why Mary is the favored one: because God gave her a pure gift, namely Jesus.
• (v.37) This line echoes God's gift to Abraham, "Is anything too marvelous for the Lord to do? ... Sarah will have a son" (Gen 19:14).
• (v.38) Mary represents the lowly people God comes to save, such as women and sinners. Mary's wholehearted response is the model for all believers.

The Lord is coming in simplicity to even the lowest people. Gabriel has brought the promise before, and he comes again to announce arrival of the savior. The Lord came to a simple, lowly woman as a pure gift to exalt and to save her as well as the whole world when we reply wholeheartedly as Mary did.

1. Imagine Gabriel saying to me, "O favored one, the Lord has given you a pure gift..." What is the gift? What has the Lord given me?
2. God's gift brings joy as well as trouble: a virgin with an unexplained pregnancy can be stoned to death. Have I been troubled by God's gift? Has the Lord guided me through the trouble?

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A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community