Luke 1:35
The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
The angel replied
This phrase introduces the response of the angel Gabriel to Mary, indicating a divine message. The Greek word for "angel" is "ἄγγελος" (angelos), meaning "messenger." In the biblical context, angels are often seen as God's messengers, bringing important revelations or instructions. Gabriel's role here is significant, as he is delivering a message that will change the course of history.

“The Holy Spirit
The term "Holy Spirit" in Greek is "Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον" (Pneuma Hagion). The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, involved in creation, inspiration, and sanctification. In this context, the Holy Spirit's role is to bring about the miraculous conception of Jesus, emphasizing the divine nature of this event. The Holy Spirit's involvement underscores the purity and holiness of the conception, setting it apart from ordinary human procreation.

will come upon you
The phrase "will come upon you" suggests a divine overshadowing or presence. The Greek word "ἐπελεύσεται" (epeleusetai) implies an action of coming upon or over. This indicates a powerful, yet gentle, divine intervention. The imagery here is reminiscent of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2, symbolizing creation and new beginnings.

and the power of the Most High
"Power" in Greek is "δύναμις" (dynamis), which denotes strength, ability, or miraculous power. "Most High" translates to "Ὑψίστου" (Hypsistou), a title for God that emphasizes His supreme authority and majesty. This phrase highlights the omnipotence of God, who is orchestrating this miraculous event. It reassures Mary of the divine power at work, capable of accomplishing what is humanly impossible.

will overshadow you
The word "overshadow" comes from the Greek "ἐπισκιάσει" (episkiazei), meaning to envelop in a shadow or to cover. This term is used in the Septuagint to describe the cloud that covered the Tabernacle, signifying God's presence (Exodus 40:35). Here, it conveys the idea of God's protective and creative presence, ensuring that the conception of Jesus is a holy and divine act.

So the Holy One to be born
"The Holy One" refers to Jesus, emphasizing His purity and divine nature. The Greek "τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον" (to gennōmenon hagion) indicates that the child to be born is set apart for a sacred purpose. This title affirms Jesus' sinlessness and His role as the Messiah, who is consecrated for God's redemptive plan.

will be called the Son of God
"Son of God" is a title that affirms Jesus' divine identity and relationship with God the Father. In Greek, "υἱὸς Θεοῦ" (huios Theou) signifies a unique and intimate connection with God, distinguishing Jesus from all other beings. This title fulfills Old Testament prophecies and reveals the mystery of the Incarnation, where Jesus is both fully God and fully man, sent to redeem humanity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Angel Gabriel
A messenger from God who delivers the news of Jesus' miraculous conception to Mary.

2. Mary
A young virgin chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, demonstrating her faith and obedience.

3. The Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity, who plays a crucial role in the conception of Jesus, emphasizing the divine nature of His birth.

4. The Most High
A title for God, highlighting His supreme power and authority in orchestrating the miraculous birth of Jesus.

5. The Son of God
A title for Jesus, affirming His divine nature and mission as the Savior.
Teaching Points
The Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is active in the miraculous and the mundane, guiding believers and empowering them for God's purposes.

Divine Sovereignty and Human Obedience
God's plans often involve human cooperation. Mary's willingness to accept God's plan is a model of faith and obedience for believers.

The Mystery of the Incarnation
Jesus' conception by the Holy Spirit underscores the mystery of the incarnation, where God became man to redeem humanity.

The Identity of Jesus
Recognizing Jesus as the Son of God is foundational to Christian faith, affirming His divinity and His role as Savior.

Faith in God's Promises
Believers are called to trust in God's promises, even when they seem impossible, as demonstrated by Mary's faith.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' conception influence our understanding of His work in our lives today?

2. In what ways can Mary's response to the angel's message inspire us to respond to God's calling in our own lives?

3. How does the title "Son of God" shape our understanding of who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish?

4. What parallels can we draw between the creation account in Genesis and the new creation initiated by Jesus' birth?

5. How can we apply the concept of divine sovereignty and human obedience in our daily walk with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:2
The Spirit of God hovering over the waters at creation parallels the Holy Spirit's role in the new creation through Jesus' birth.

Isaiah 7:14
The prophecy of a virgin bearing a son named Immanuel, which is fulfilled in Jesus' birth.

Matthew 1:18-25
The account of Jesus' birth from Joseph's perspective, confirming the divine conception by the Holy Spirit.

John 1:14
The Word becoming flesh, emphasizing the incarnation of Jesus as both fully God and fully man.

Philippians 2:5-7
Jesus' humility in taking on human form, which began with His miraculous conception.
The Beginning of the Creation of GodR.M. Edgar Luke 1:26-38
Of Christ's IncarnationLuke 1:34-35
Rome -- Her New Dogma, and Our DutiesBishop Samuel Wilberforce.Luke 1:34-35
The Difficulty of Mary's SituationE. T. Marshall, M. A.Luke 1:34-35
The Life of SeparationCanon Body.Luke 1:34-35
The Miraculous ConceptionBishop Horsley.Luke 1:34-35
People
Aaron, Abia, Abijah, David, Elias, Elijah, Elisabeth, Gabriel, Herod, Jacob, Jesus, John, Joseph, Mary, Theophilus, Zacharias, Zechariah
Places
Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea, Nazareth
Topics
Angel, Answering, Begotten, Birth, Born, Child, Ghost, Highest, Holy, Holy-begotten, Messenger, Named, Offspring, Overshadow, Power, Reason, Rest, Spirit, Wherefore
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 1:35

     1205   God, titles of
     1513   Trinity, mission of
     2018   Christ, divinity
     2030   Christ, holiness
     2054   Christ, mind of
     2066   Christ, power of
     2218   Christ, Son of God
     3015   Holy Spirit, divinity
     3030   Holy Spirit, power
     3120   Holy Spirit, descriptions
     3269   Holy Spirit, in Christ
     3290   Holy Spirit, life-giver
     5061   sanctity of life
     5457   power, human
     5738   sons
     8203   character

Luke 1:5-38

     5658   boys

Luke 1:26-38

     2515   Christ, birth of
     4112   angels, messengers
     4145   archangels
     5548   speech, divine
     6710   privileges

Luke 1:26-56

     5745   women

Luke 1:30-35

     2421   gospel, historical foundation

Luke 1:32-35

     2078   Christ, sonship of

Luke 1:34-35

     2595   incarnation
     5740   virgin

Luke 1:34-36

     1450   signs, kinds of

Luke 1:34-37

     1416   miracles, nature of
     2535   Christ, family of
     5663   childbirth

Library
July 19 Morning
He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.--LUKE 1:49. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?--Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.--Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy.--Hallowed be thy name. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people. Who is this
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August 3 Morning
His mercy is on them that fear Him.--LUKE 1:50. Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.--The Lord
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 9 Morning
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.--LUKE 1:53. Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.--When
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

March 24 Morning
Abraham believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.--GEN. 15:6. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him: but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

True Greatness
He shall be great in the sight of the Lord.'--LUKE i. 15. So spake the angel who foretold the birth of John the Baptist. 'In the sight of the Lord'--then men are not on a dead level in His eyes. Though He is so high and we are so low, the country beneath Him that He looks down upon is not flattened to Him, as it is to us from an elevation, but there are greater and smaller men in His sight, too. No epithet is more misused and misapplied than that of 'a great man.' It is flung about indiscriminately
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Magnificat
'And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48. For He hath regarded the low estate of His hand-maiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name, 50. And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. 51. He hath shewed strength with His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52. He hath put down
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Elijah Come Again
'There was, in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren; and they both were now well stricken in years. 8. And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Zacharias's Hymn
'And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, 69. And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; 70. As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began; 71. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Dayspring from on High
'The day-spring from on high hath visited us, 79. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.'--LUKE i. 78, 79. As the dawn is ushered in by the notes of birds, so the rising of the Sun of Righteousness was heralded by song, Mary and Zacharias brought their praises and welcome to the unborn Christ, the angels hovered with heavenly music over His cradle, and Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed it. The human members of this
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Fourteenth Day. The Holy one of God.
Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.'--Luke i. 35. 'We have believed and know that Thou art the Holy One of God.'--John vi. 69. 'The holy one of the Lord'--only once (Ps. cvi. 16) the expression is found in the Old Testament. It is spoken of Aaron, in whom holiness, as far as it could then be revealed, had found its most complete embodiment. The title waited for its fulfilment in Him who alone, in His own person, could perfectly show forth
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

The Angel's Greeting
THE ANGEL'S GREETING St Luke i. 28.--"Hail, thou that art highly favoured among women, the Lord is with thee." Here there are three things to understand: the first, the modesty of the angel; the second, that he thought himself unworthy to accost the Mother of God; the third, that he not only addressed her, but the great multitude of souls who long after God. I affirm that had the Virgin not first borne God spiritually He would never have been born from her in bodily fashion. A certain woman said
Johannes Eckhart—Meister Eckhart's Sermons

Jesus Born the Son of God.
(Christmas Sermon.) "Glory to God in" the Highest, on earth peace; goodwill towards men. Amen." TEXT: LUKE i. 31, 32. "Behold, . . . thou shalt bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High." THESE were the words of promise spoken by the angel to Mary, that Ho whom she should bear should be called the Son of the Highest; and as this promise is after wards brought into direct connection with the statement that the power of the Highest
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

The Key-Note of a Choice Sonnet
But now, having introduced to you her magnificat, we will dwell upon these words, "My soul doth magnify the Lord," and I do earnestly hope that many of us can adopt the language without being guilty of falsehood: we can as truly say as Mary did, "My soul doth magnify the Lord." If there are any of you present to-night who cannot say it, get to your chambers, fall upon your knees, and cry to the Lord to help you to do so; for as long as a man cannot magnify God he is not fit for heaven, where the
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 26: 1880

"The Tender Mercy of Our God"
"His heart is made of tenderness, His bowels melt with love." The main point of this morning's sermon will be to bring out into prominence those few words, "the tender mercy of our God." To me they gleam with kindly light: I see in them a soft radiance, as of those matchless pearls whereof the gates of heaven are made. There is an exceeding melody to my ear as well as to my heart in that word "tender." "Mercy" is music, and "tender mercy" is the most exquisite form of it, especially to a broken heart.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

A Harp of Ten Strings
IT IS VERY CLEAR that Mary was not beginning a new thing; for she speaks in the present tense, and in a tense which seems to have been for a long time present: "My soul doth magnify the Lord." Ever since she had received the wonderful tidings of the choice which God had made of her for her high position, she had begun to magnify the Lord; and when once a soul has a deep sense of God's mercy, and begins magnifying him, there is no end to it. This grows by what it feeds upon: the more you magnify God,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

The Judgment Upon Zacharias
UNBELIEF is everywhere a great sin, and a grievous mistake. Unbelief has proved the ruin of those countless multitudes who, having heard the gospel, rejected it, died in their sins, have been consigned to the place of torment, and await the fiercer judgment of the last day. I might ask the question concerning this innumerable host, "Who slew all these?" The answer would be, "Unbelief." And when unbelief comes into the Christian's heart, as it does at times--for the truest believer has his times of
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

Of Fervent Love and Vehement Desire of Receiving Christ
The Voice of the Disciple With the deepest devotion and fervent love, with all affection and fervour of heart, I long to receive Thee, O Lord, even as many Saints and devout persons have desired Thee in communicating, who were altogether well pleasing to Thee by their sanctity of life, and dwelt in all ardent devotion. O my God, Eternal Love, my whole Good, Happiness without measure, I long to receive Thee with the most vehement desire and becoming reverence which any Saint ever had or could have.
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Prayer and Consecration
"Eudamidas, a citizen of Corinth, died in poverty; but having two wealthy friends, Arctæus and Carixenus, left the following testament: In virtue of my last will, I bequeath to Arctæus my mother and to Carixenus my daughter to be taken home to their houses and supported for the remainder of their lives. This testament occasioned much mirth and laughter. The two legatees were pleased and affectionately executed the will. If heathens trusted each other, why should not I cherish a far greater
Edward M. Bounds—The Essentials of Prayer

Luke's Preface and Dedication.
^C Luke I. 1-4. [1] ^c 1 Forasmuch as many [of whom we know nothing and have even no tradition] have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled [completed, or accomplished according to the divine will] among us, 2 even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses [the apostles were necessarily such and there were some few others--Acts i. 21-23] and ministers of the word [the apostles were ministers, and not ecclesiastical
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Mary, Future Mother of Jesus, visits Elisabeth, Future Mother of John the Baptist.
(in the Hill Country of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 39-56. ^c 39 And Mary arose in these days [within a week or two after the angel appeared to her] and went into the hill country [the district of Judah lying south of Jerusalem, of which the city of Hebron was the center] with haste [she fled to those whom God had inspired, so that they could understand her condition and know her innocence--to those who were as Joseph needed to be inspired, that he might understand--Matt. i. 18-25], into a city
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Birth and Early Life of John the Baptist.
(Hill Country of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 57-80. ^c 57 Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her [mercy in granting a child; great mercy in granting so illustrious a child] ; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass on the eighth day [See Gen. xvii. 12; Lev. xii. 3; Phil. iii. 5. Male children were named at their circumcision, probably
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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