Gospels Part 082
Gabriel continues with his shocking announcement to Mary, now telling her that even though she is a virgin, she will conceive and bear a son.
As we saw last time in Luke 1:32-33, the angel Gabriel gave this startling message to Mary:
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end” (New English Translation [NET]).
Continuing with the story in Luke 1:34, Mary asks the obvious question:
“Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?’” (NET).
Mary was a young virgin who had never been intimate with a man. So, she asks Gabriel about how this will take place. The angel then tells her in Luke 1:35 how she will become pregnant and give birth to the Messiah.
“The angel replied, ‘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 holy; he will be called the Son of God’” (NET).
Here we see the Holy Spirit equated with the power of God, not as a separate being that is part of a Trinity. In Hebrew it’s quite common to say the same thing two slightly different ways. We see this repeatedly in the book of Proverbs, but also in the Psalms and other books of the Hebrew Scriptures. And that’s what we see her: the same thing said two slightly diverse ways: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” It is equating the Holy Spirit with the power of God, and the power of God with the Holy Spirit. (To learn more about this, be sure to read Is God a Trinity?)
Another fact to consider is that Jesus only refers to God the Father as His father, and not once does He refer to the Holy Spirit as His Father. This is another proof that there are not three beings, but only God the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which is the power and essence of God. Look also at the opening greeting of Paul’s letters. His standard greeting, with slight variation, is “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” He never mentions the Holy Spirit in these greetings—an inexplicable oversight if the Holy Spirit is the third being of a Trinity!
Continuing with Gabriel’s words in Luke 1:36:
“And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month” (NET)!
Regarding “your relative Elizabeth,” the Greek Luke uses is not specific as to exactly how they are related. The word translated “relative” simply means someone who is kin or related by blood. Whatever the relationship between Elizabeth and Mary is, John the Baptizer and Jesus are cousins. Being so close in age, with Jesus’ family traveling regularly to Jerusalem for the Feasts, I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to assume that the families spent some time together at the Feasts and that John and Jesus played together as children while they were growing up.
Gabriel concludes his message in Luke 1:37:
“For nothing will be impossible with God” (NET).
So as evidence that this miraculous conception will indeed come to pass for Mary, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that her elderly relative Elizabeth is now in her sixth month of pregnancy—so if this woman who is well past childbearing age can miraculously conceive and have a baby, then Mary, a virgin, can also miraculously conceive and have a baby. And Gabriel says, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” If God says it, it will happen.
Mary then responds as recorded in Luke 1:38:
“Mary said, ‘Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her” (NET).
After her initial reaction of being shocked and frightened at this angelic visitor, Mary now unhesitatingly accepts this life-altering message.
Let’s consider the implications of this for a moment. Mary is most likely a teenager, as most Jewish girls at that time married in their mid-teens. What would it mean for her to become pregnant when unmarried? The shame this would bring upon her family was unthinkable. They would be disgraced for decades, perhaps generations. For herself, the punishment for fornication—sexual relations before marriage—was the death penalty, specifically death by stoning. This would be conducted publicly in her community, in front of friends and family.
This is what was at stake for her. But what was her reaction? “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.”
What was behind her words? Luke doesn’t say. It seems obvious that Luke used Mary as a source when writing his gospel (see Luke 1:1-3), and she related this miraculous event to him. But from all appearances it seems that Mary was a young person of remarkable faith. Her trust in God led her to respond in the only way a person of living and unshakable faith can respond when directly called by God for a life-altering mission: “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.”
No excuses. No “Not yet, let me think this over.” Just simple acceptance and obedience, trusting that God was in complete control and would see her through whatever difficulties would arise.
So, Mary will indeed miraculously conceive and give birth to a son who would be named Jesus, or “God saves.” May we all have the kind of faith and complete trust that she showed, earning her a unique place in history as the mother of the Son of God!
© 2026 Scott Ashley. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
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Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
