The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26–38)

[Stephan Choe]

December 15, 2025

Key verses 31–33: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will have no end.”

In human history, the birth of Jesus fundamentally changed the destiny of humanity, as the terms "before Christ" and "after Christ" suggest. Before Christ's birth, people lived in the shadow of death, but with his birth, a new age of meaningful, eternal life began.

Although more than 2,000 years have passed since Christ's birth, people can still be divided into two groups: those before Christ and those after Christ.

How could the birth of Christ so drastically change the destiny of humanity? Today, we want to take a closer look at the significance of Christ's birth.

I pray that you all will recognize the significance of Christ's birth for your lives and experience its profound impact.

1. The Good News of Jesus' Birth (26–33)

There is a small, unassuming town in Israel called Nazareth. In Jesus' time, Nazareth had about 300 inhabitants. Around 3,000 years ago, Nazareth belonged to the tribal territory of Zebulun, one of the twelve tribes of Israel (see Joshua 19:10ff). Although this city is very old, it wasn't particularly important until the birth of Jesus. Therefore, Nazareth was despised by some, who said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

But with the birth of Jesus, Nazareth gained worldwide fame. Today, St. Joseph's Church stands in Nazareth. It is said that on the site of today's St. Joseph's Church, there once stood a house where Joseph and Mary lived and raised Jesus.

Before the angel Gabriel visits Mary, he has visited Zechariah six months earlier and announced Elizabeth's pregnancy (John 1:13, 19). Now he visits Mary, the Virgin, in Nazareth.

When I came to Germany 48 years ago, you could tell a woman's marital status by the way she addressed her: A married woman was called "Mrs. Schmidt," an unmarried one "Miss Schmidt." Those times have changed. Today, all women are addressed as "Ms. Schmidt."

As the angel Gabriel visits Mary, she is still a virgin, even though she is betrothed to Joseph. The betrothal lasts about a year and is just as binding as marriage. A virgin is expected to strictly maintain her virginity until her wedding. Mary knows how to behave as a virgin and as Joseph's betrothed.

Joseph is a poor carpenter. Nevertheless, Mary has great respect for him because he is a pious man. He is also a descendant of King David.

Mary dreams of a happy married life with Joseph. She dreams of a happy life with him in a beautiful house he would build. She wants to always be with him, wherever he is. In the courtyard of their house, she wants to create a magnificent garden with flowers, fruits, and vegetables. She also dreams of loving children. Her house is to be a paradise for them both. She considers how many sons and how many daughters she wants and what their names should be. Ideally, she will have three sons and three daughters. The sons are to be named James, Joseph, and Simon. And the daughters? Perhaps Sarah, Rebecca, and Grace.

But then an unexpected shock for Mary! The angel Gabriel appears to her. He says: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” (28).

Mary is astonished. Understandably so, for she is experiencing an angelic apparition for the first time in her life. The angel's greeting further unsettles her: “Blessed one—what kind of greeting is that?”

The Latin Bible translates “Hail Mary” as “Ave Mary.” The “Hail Mary” is a prayer of the Catholic Church. The first half of the “Hail Mary” is:

Latein: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. …

English: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Thou art favored among women, and blessed be the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Before the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he has visited Zechariah six months earlier and announced Elizabeth's pregnancy (1:13, 19). Now he visits Mary, the Virgin in Nazareth.

When I came to Germany 48 years ago, you could tell a woman's marital status by the way she addressed her: A married woman was called "Mrs. Schmidt," an unmarried one "Miss Schmidt." Those times have changed. Today, all women are addressed as "Ms. Schmidt."

When the angel Gabriel visits Mary, she is still a virgin, even though she is betrothed to Joseph. The betrothal lasts about a year and is just as binding as marriage. A virgin is expected to remain a virgin until her wedding. Mary knows how to behave as a virgin and as Joseph's betrothed.

Joseph is a poor carpenter. Nevertheless, Mary has great respect for him because he is a pious man. He is also a descendant of King David.

Mary dreams of a happy married life with Joseph. She dreams of a happy life with him in a beautiful house he would build. She wants to always be with him, wherever he is. In the courtyard of their house, she imagins a magnificent garden full of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. She also dreams of beloved children. Their house will be a paradise for them both. She considers how many sons and daughters she wants and what their names should be. Ideally, she will have three sons and three daughters. The sons will be named James, Joseph, and Simon. And the daughters? Perhaps Sara, Rebekah, and Grace.

But then Mary experiences an unexpected surprise! The angel Gabriel appears to her. He says, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” (28).

Mary is astonished. Understandably so, for she is experiencing an angelic apparition for the first time in her life. The angel’s greeting further unsettls her: “Blessed one—what kind of greeting is that?”

The Latin Bible translates “Hail Mary” as “Ave.” The “Hail Mary” is a prayer of the Catholic Church. The first half of the “Hail Mary” goes:

Because Mary is afraid, the angel assured her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (30)

“Grace” means “God’s undeserved favor.” God does not choose Mary to be the mother of Christ because of her goodness, but out of grace. The term “grace” refers to God’s undeserved favor.

The angel continues to speak to Mary:

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” (31–33)

Based on these words of the angel, we would like to learn more about three essential aspects of his message:

First: Jesus is our Savior.

The angel Gabriel says to Mary, “Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus.”

The angel tells her that she will give birth to a boy named Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew, the angel also tells Joseph to name their child Jesus (Matthew 1:21).

Why should Mary and Joseph name their child Jesus?

Jesus means “God is salvation” or simply “Savior.” Jesus is the Latin form of the Hebrew name “Joshua.” Jesus is also the Savior who redeems us from sin, the power of death, and hell.

The central theme of the entire Bible is “God’s salvation.” The Old Testament tells of God’s liberation of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians and other nations; the New Testament tells of the redemption of people from the power of sin and death through Jesus Christ. The salvation history of the Old Testament serves as a model for salvation through Jesus Christ. And the New Testament tells of the fulfillment of God's promise of salvation from the Old Testament.

Our God redeems his people from sin, death, and the devil through Jesus Christ and leads us into his kingdom. When we speak of "Jesus," we should be aware that Jesus is "our Savior." He is our Redeemer and Savior. God is truly the best name-giver.

Every person needs deliverance from the power of sin and death, for no one can escape the power of death or attain eternal, blessed life in the kingdom of heaven by their own strength. But Jesus saves us all and gives us eternal life and the kingdom of heaven if we repent of our sins and believe in him as Savior and Son of God. He blots out all our sins and makes us children of God. He gives us eternal life and the kingdom of heaven. This is the Good News of God. This is God's Christmas gift to us. We should gratefully accept this gift. We should celebrate Christmas as a festival of thanksgiving for God's redemption.

Second: Jesus is the Son of God.

The angel announces to Mary her future son: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (32).

“Son of the Most High” means “Son of God.”

Why is Jesus called the “Son of God”?

Because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, as the angel explained to Mary: “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 called holy—the Son of God” (35).

In the history of humankind, no woman has ever given birth to a child without a man. So how could Mary give birth to Jesus? Because she conceived him through the Holy Spirit. This is how God became man. That is why he is called the Son of God.

No one had ever seen God until the birth of Christ. But Jesus Christ revealed God, as it says in John 1:18: That is why the Apostle John writes in his Gospel, chapter 1, verse 14:

“No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is God and is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed him to us.”

God came in the form of a man named Jesus and revealed himself to us. Therefore, in Jesus Christ, we can truly know God and have fellowship with him. That is why Jesus is called “Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23). Immanuel means “God with us.”

In Jesus, we can be with God.

“God is with us”—that is the most joyful message for us. Through Adam’s fall from grace, we humans lost fellowship with God. Jesus Christ came into our world to be with us. To do this, he wanted to tear down the walls between God and us. These walls are called sin, death, and hell. Therefore, Jesus took all our guilt upon himself and died in our place on the cross. Through his sacrificial death, all the walls between God and us fell away. This fall of walls is comparable to the fall of the Berlin Wall. After the fall of the wall on November 9, 1989, East and West Germany were reunited. Through Christ's sacrificial death, all walls between God and us fell. We can now enjoy blessed fellowship with God.

That is why the Apostle John writes in his first letter (1:3):

"What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And we have fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

When we repent and believe in Jesus Christ, all walls between God and us fall away, and we can enjoy intimate fellowship with God. All our guilt and unbelief are forgiven. And we are children of God. God gives us his Spirit, warmly welcomes us, and accompanies us. He leads us into the Kingdom of Heaven, where we can see God face to face. Therefore, we live in the Kingdom of God.

Drittens: Jesus ist unser wahrer König.

Der Engel spricht weiter über Jesus:

„…und Gott der Herr wird ihm den Thron seines Vaters David geben, und er wird über das Haus Jakob herrschen in Ewigkeit, und sein Reich wird kein Ende haben“ (32–33).

2. Mary's Response: "Let it be done to me according to your word!" (34–38)

How does Mary respond to the angel's message: "You will conceive and bear a child…"?

She asks the angel: "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (34).

In those days, unlike today, a betrothed woman had no personal relationship with her betrothed until the wedding. Therefore, Mary could hardly imagine how she would bear a child.

Then the angel explains: "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 called holy—the Son of God."

The angel gives an example of God's power: "Look, Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son in her old age. She is in her sixth month, and she was said to be barren." (36)

…Finally, the angel says to Mary: "For nothing is impossible with God." (37)

Mary accepts this message in faith and says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” (38a)

From her response, we learn two things:

First, we learn about her faith in God.

“Let it be done to me according to your word”—this response shows us that she believes in the almighty, merciful God.

The best thing we can do to the glory of God is to believe in God and his word. Our faith is not our own doing, but God’s gift. God joyfully gives us faith in Jesus Christ.

This Christmas, let us joyfully accept this gift and believe in Jesus Christ. When we gratefully accept God’s gift, God rejoices greatly. Let us celebrate such a joyful Christmas.

Secondly, we learn from her the obedience of faith.

Mary's faith is not theoretical, but practical. She firmly believes that Almighty God will give birth to his Son through her, a virgin. Because she truly believes in God and his word, she dedicates herself to him willingly. That is why she says, "I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word."

Her faith and her obedience are one. This is wonderful. Her obedience stands in contrast to Eve's disobedience. Through Eve's disobedience, sin entered the world. But God uses Mary's obedience and brings salvation to the world. Praise be to God!

Who is Jesus? Why is the birth of Jesus Christ so significant for us?

First and foremost, Jesus is our Redeemer. Jesus is God in human form. He redeems us from sin, death, and the devil, and grants us forgiveness, life, and the Kingdom of Heaven. He has fellowship with us and leads us into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Secondly, Jesus is our true King and Lord. He reigns justly and kindly. His kingdom lasts forever. We praise and thank him. To him be the glory forever. Amen.