04. Luke 1:26-38

Exposition

Gabriel’s annunciation of Jesus’ birth to Mary parallels his announcement of John’s birth to Zechariah with some significant differences. The man, Zechariah, is a highly-placed and respected religionist in Israel. Jesus’ mother, Mary, is a peasant girl of no account. He works in Jerusalem. She lives in out-of-the-way Nazareth. Yet her child is the greater of the two announced to be born. He and his wife are too old and have failed sexually to bear a child. She is too young and has not had sex. Zechariah and Elizabeth’s child’s birth is marvelous. Mary’s is miraculous (“virgin” 2x in v.27). Zechariah could not get over his doubts to accept the news of his son’s birth-to-be. Mary believes the angelic announcement enough to say “yes” to it. Luke’s story moves in a downward-outward direction, away from the center and the Temple. This reversal theme is prominent in Luke and it is well to be alerted to it early on.

Mary’s father has agreed to her marriage to Joseph. The bride price had been paid. But the couple did not live together yet. Joseph is not mentioned here but he is important to the story Luke tells as Jesus’ connection to the line of David, whose heir Gabriel claims him to be (vv.32-33).

Zechariah and Mary both question Gabriel’s announcements to them on the basis of biology. The former does not believe God’s word through Gabriel and Mary does. Enough to at least say “yes” to a word she cannot understand because she believes in God and can leave the “how” of this promise to him.

“An old rabbinical story says that when there was a crisis in the life of God’s people, the great rabbi, Baal Shem Tov, would go to a particular place in the forest, build a great fire, say a particular prayer, cry to God for salvation, and the story says, ‘It was sufficient; for God saw the fire in the place, heard the prayer and heard the cry, and God saved his people.’

“A generation passed and another grave crisis came upon the people. Rabbi Maggid of Mezeritch, a disciple of the great Shem Tov, went to the same place in the forest and cried to God for mercy, ‘Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer.’ And the story says, ‘It was sufficient. And the miracle was accomplished.’

“Still later, another generation passed and another crisis came upon the people. Moshe-Leib of Sassov, a disciple of Rabbi Maggid, would go to into the forest and say, ‘I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient’ And it was sufficient and the miracle accomplished.

“Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhin to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: ‘I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is tell the story, and this must be sufficient.’ And it was sufficient” (from Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters by Elie Wiesel, p. 167).

If it is right to call Mary the “first disciple,” the first one to believe God on behalf of Jesus, and surely it is, then her “let it be with me according to your word” (v.38) is sufficient. And so is ours it we can bring ourselves to utter it.