2017-12-11

December 11

The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:35-37)

Today’s passage brings attention to two miracles: Elizabeth’s pregnancy and Mary’s pregnancy. Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, was old and beyond the years of childbearing. Although God’s Word is always enough, perhaps the angel informed Mary of Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy in order to shore up her confidence in the Lord’s promise. Although Elizabeth could not conceive, the Lord allowed her and her husband to become pregnant.

While this miracle certainly encouraged Mary, her own pregnancy stood apart from Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Unlike Elizabeth, Mary became pregnant while still a virgin. Both pregnancies were miracles; both miracles were physical impossibilities achieved only by the power of God. Yet only Mary gave birth to the Son of God. It was important that Jesus was born to a virgin so that He would not have a biological father. In that way, He was fully God (conceived by the Spirit) and fully man (born of a woman.)

While Elizabeth was beyond the years of childbearing, the Lord miraculously gave her a child. But when God made a more incredible impossibility possible, He created a miracle that can never again be accomplished without His will—the birth of the Son of God, the anticipated Messiah.

  1. Why do you think people have difficulty believing in miracles today?
  2. Has anyone ever accomplished the impossible in your life?

 

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