Verse of the Day
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”The announcement in Nazareth shows that Mary came from humble, agrarian roots. Galilee was not a respected region. It was hardly the expected locale for one sent from God (John 7:41). Gabriel, the same angel who spoke to Zechariah, brings the divine message. Luke identifies Mary as a virgin, engaged to Joseph; that is, she was pledged to him sometime in the previous year. A Jewish betrothal involved two steps: the formal engagement including a contract and exchange of a bridal price, and then about a year later, a wedding (Deut. 22:23).
Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph who was of the house of David. Though it was honorable to be of the house of David, there was also a sense of shame, since the house of David had been deposed and no longer sat on the throne in Jerusalem (cf. 1:5), despite divine promises to David (2 Sam 7:11-33). Mary’s betrothal to Joseph was probably arranged by her parents. Joseph was probably much older than Mary. He could have been in his late twenties or thirties, possibly into his forties. Mary, on the other hand, was probably in her early teens, and may have been as young as twelve.
Read all of Luke Chapter 1
Listen to Luke Chapter 1
Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
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