What does it mean to be “favored” by God? If the God of all creation blesses one or favors one, how is that manifested? If a coach “favors” a player, he or she gets to play more than expected. If a parent favors a child, he or she gets fewer restrictions and more privileges. Human favor is expressed through recognition or enrichment, it is material, this-worldly, and often connotes favoritism. Favor, in human relations, is tinged with injustice, with what is perceived to be unfair, with “playing favorites.”

On the other hand, we might say to a friend, “Do me a favor.” A “favor” in this case is an undeserved help or gift, one which one did not have coming. It is a benefit that is over and above what might have been expected.

This gets us closer to what we mean when we speak of being favored by God. Mary is favored (1:28,30). However, God’s favor is seen not so much in this worldly enrichment as in privileged service. It is not uncommon today to hear it said, “God is really blessing us,” by which is meant, “We are doing well financially.” “We’re making a lot of money.” Mary is “blessed among women” (1:42), not because she will be rich in the commodities of this world, or rich in worldly recognition, but because she will play an exceptional role in the redemption of the world.

If we are to “get it” with this passage a spiritual or other-worldly mindset will be necessary. The greatest thing that could happen to us in this world would be for God to call us to a place of distinctive service. To be favored by God is not to wake up with a pot of gold or a horde of adoring fans. Were God to show us His special favor the result would be privileged service. It might mean a call to the ministry, or to the mission field, where service is immediate and continuous. There could be no greater blessing than that, or to be the mother of one so called, as we’ll see. We recognize the equality of all vocations. There can be no higher calling than that to which God has called us, whether it be as a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. Yet we also recognize the distinctive favor of God, the unique privilege of serving in a capacity that directly ministers the gospel of the kingdom and serves Christ and His people. This is truly to be favored, to be called to costly but significant service.

Favored one

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth (Lk 1:26)

“In the six month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel is sent on another mission, to a “city in Galilee,” or really a small town (Greek has no word for town and it was more than a village), a Gentile region (“Galilee of the Gentiles”) [1] called Nazareth. Nazareth had a mixed population and was a border town of no reputation, remote, and ridiculed (“can anything good come out of Nazareth?”).[2] Whereas Gabriel’s prior mission was to the center of Jewish civilization, to the city of Jerusalem, to the temple and among the priests, this one takes him to an obscure place and among unknowns. This one who is to be favored is an unlikely one and in an unlikely place. God distributes His favors without partiality. At times He visits a great family, at other times (and more frequently) He favors a lowly, obscure, unknown family with which to bless with His privileged calling.

to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. (Lk 1:27)

Luke now provides background on Mary and Joseph. She is a “virgin,” a young girl of marriageable age, who has not “known” a man.[3] She was not “engaged,” as in the NASV, but “pledged” as in the NIV, or better “betrothed” (ESV). Betrothal was more binding than our engagement. Normally it lasted about a year, during which time the girl remained in her father’s house.[4] Betrothal could be broken only by divorce. Typically betrothed girls were quite young – 12 to 13 years old, and so would marry at 13 or 14. This was true of both the Jewish and Roman worlds.

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, whose name means “May he (God) add (sons),” according to Marshall.[5] That Joseph was of the “descendents” or literally the “house of David” (ESV) shows that Jesus was the son of David through Joseph as his legal father (Lk 3:23; Mt 1:16). Jesus, though born to this obscure couple, will be in fact of the Davidic line and rightly the heir to His throne. All this is given by way of background to the favored one, whose name is Mary.

And coming in, he said to her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28)

“Hail,” he says, using a common form of greeting, or “Greetings” (ESV, NIV), though it may have a stronger sense of “rejoice!”[6] “Favored one” means “one who has been shown favor,” or “one who has been shown grace.”[7] The emphasis falls upon gracious action of God without any hint of the worthiness of the favored one.[8] Moreover, “the Lord is with you.” This is an Old Testament greeting, here used not as a wish (“May the Lord be with you”), but as a statement, the Lord is with you; He is present to help you.[9] The great task to which the favor of God assigns you, Mary, will be accompanied with the divine assistance that will make completing your service possible. If God is with us, anything is possible. This lowly, obscure, virtuous girl will conceive and give birth to Messiah.

Understandably she is “greatly troubled” by what she heard.[10]

But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. (Lk 1:29)

She is perplexed, confused, and apparently fearful. Knowing herself to be an ordinary girl, and seeing this extraordinary visitor and his extraordinary words, she is confused; she is unable to make sense of it.[11] She feels her unworthiness. She knows she is a sinner and a nobody, even if some of her admirers through the centuries haven’t. Who am I to have such an honor? Why me? The angel reaffirms the message of God’s favor:

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” (Lk 1:30)

The angel reaffirms God’s sovereign, gracious choice of Mary to play a central role in His plan of redemption. “Do not be afraid,” he says, because she was fearful. She is one who has “found favor,” signifying, says I. H. Marshall, “the free gracious choice of God who favors particular men and women; the stress is on God’s choice rather than human acceptability.”[12]

Who, then, is Mary? She is an unworthy sinner graciously chosen by God to serve an exceptional role. She is a recipient of grace not a source of grace. Much mischief has been done on the basis of a mistranslation of 1:28 along with 1:30. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translated “Hail, favored one” as gratia plena, in English, “full of grace.” This phrase was then interpreted to mean that Mary was a source of grace that people could draw upon. Hence, “Hail Mary, full of grace.” Mary was understood to be one who could bestow grace. So widespread is this misperception that this language has even entered into the terminology of American football, a desperation pass, one needing help, is called a “Hail Mary.” The right understanding is clarified in verse 30 (if there was any question). Mary is one who has “found favor” (charin). “Gabriel is saying simply that God’s favor rests on her,” explains Morris.[13]

Mary will serve God not because she has earned the opportunity, or is deserving, or worthy, but because of the blessing of God. Luke’s emphasis is on her ordinariness. She is not “immaculate” (without sin), but a sinner who acknowledges her need of a Savior (1:47). She will serve because God is gracious. Her exalted role is a gift of God, and as such she is an eternal monument to grace. Why would any of us be called to minister the gospel? Why would any of us be called to serve Christ’s kingdom? None of us deserves to have a role. None of us is worthy to serve our holy God. None of us is adequate to represent our glorious Christ. Yet we do cherish the opportunity. O God, we pray, that You might use me! O that I might contribute to the salvation of souls; that I might assist in the sanctification of the saints. As a young man I remember when I first began to think that God might want to use me. I was struck with amazement (and doubt) that I might have such a privilege and yet eager that it might be so. None of us deserves the opportunity. Again, none of us is adequate. Yet we do aspire to be used in matters of eternal consequence. O that God might overlook my weaknesses, my foolishness, my flaws and foibles and use me, even me!

The favor

What is the favor with which Mary is favored? What is the role that she is to play in the plan of redemption? She will not be with Jesus a co-redemptrix or co-mediatrix, as in Roman Catholic theology. She is simply to be a mother. She will be the mother of a remarkable child. Still, it is as a mother that she will serve.

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” (Lk 1:31)

“Jesus” is the Greek/English version of Hebrew Joshua, meaning “the Lord is salvation,” and was a common Jewish name until the beginning of the second century when both Jews and Christians quit using it. Listen carefully and one can hear the echo of both Genesis 16:11, describing the birth of Ishmael, and Isaiah 7:14, foretelling the virgin birth of Immanuel.

“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;” (Lk 1:32)

Like John, Jesus “will be great” (cf. 1:15); but his greatness will far exceed that of John. He will be “incontestably great,” says Matthew Henry.[14] He “will be called the Son of the Most High,” not merely the “prophet of the Most High” (1:76) like John. Jesus is the unique, distinctive Son. He will receive “the throne of His father David (cf. Acts 2:30; Heb 1:8). Because Messiah was expected to be a descendent of David, this is a specifically Messianic claim (cf. Jer 30:9; Ez 34:24, 37:4; Hos 3:5; Am 9:11).

and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end. (Lk 1:33)

“He will reign over the house of Jacob,” as Messiah, and reign over so much more. “He will reign . . . forever.” Current Messianic thought conceived of Messiah’s kingdom as a precursor to God’s eternal kingdom and therefore of limited duration. The kingdom that Messiah Jesus will establish, however, will be not a temporal kingdom but an eternal; not a worldly kingdom but a heavenly and spiritual one, as anticipated in Isaiah 9:7 (cf. 2 Sam 7:13; Ps 89:3ff, 28ff: 132:11ff; also Mic 4:7; Dan 7;14). Lowly Mary shall give birth to this great Son.

Mary remains confused, understandably so. Calvin says that Mary was “struck with a feeling of sudden wonder.”[15] She asks the natural question:

And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34)

Her question, unlike Zacharias’ (1:18), arises from her wonder, not unbelief. She wants to know how God will do this remarkable thing. How can she bear a child, she asks, when she is a “virgin,” since she has not “known a man,” to know (ginōskō) referring to carnal knowledge (cf. Mt 1:25; Gen 4:1,17; 1 Sam 1:19, etc.).[16] Some Roman Catholic interpreters have understood Mary to mean “I have resolved not to know a man,” that is, that she had taken a vow of virginity. Marshall, a fair and balanced commentator, says, “It is impossible to see how the text can yield this meaning,”[17] while Calvin finds the interpretation “quite absurd.”[18] The lexicon won’t support such an interpretation and the context is that of betrothal, of which a vow of virginity would be a complete contradiction.

The angel Gabriel explains further:

And 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 offspring shall be called the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35)

Morris speaks of the “reverent reserve” and “delicate expression(s)” with which Gabriel describes how Mary will come to conceive a child. [19] Her conception will be a result of God’s work. Because of this the child would be “holy” and uniquely the “Son of God.” To “come upon you” is used of Pentecost (Acts 1:8). To “overshadow” is used of the glory cloud settling on the tabernacle (Ex 40:35), and metaphorically of God protecting His people (Ps 91:4; 140:7). “God’s powerful presence will rest upon Mary, so that she will bear a child who will be the Son of God.”[20]

The virgin birth has been subject to considerable skepticism in some circles. I’ve never fully understood why. Once we accept the doctrine of God at all, that there is a God and that He is the creator of all things, what is the problem with a little matter like the virgin birth? The divine and human are to be fully united in Jesus without compromising the properties of each nature. There will be union without confusion. Jesus will be truly God and truly man. What could be more natural, in a supernatural sense, than that the seed of the woman should be joined to the divine in a miraculous conception? Of course there is mystery in this. “Great is the mystery of godliness,” says the Apostle Paul, that “He . . . was revealed in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16).

God condescends to Mary’s weakness and provides a sign, a positive sign.

“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. For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Lk 1:36,37)

Gabriel tells Mary of Elizabeth’s conception, of which she apparently had not heard, that she might see that “nothing will be impossible with God.” This is exactly our point regarding the virgin birth. Elizabeth’s conception is put forward as confirmation of the promise of Mary’s conception. “No word of God must be incredible to us, as long as no work of God is impossible to Him,” says Matthew Henry.[21]

What, then, is Mary’s favor? We have a number of elements to note.

First, Mary’s favor is to serve God. We return to the point that we made at the outset. When God favors a person, he or she is given the opportunity to serve Christ and His gospel. We must think as God thinks and esteem what He esteems if we are to understand this. We would regard it a high privilege to be called to serve our nation as President, or in Congress, or as a Judge. We would count it an unparalleled honor to command our nation’s military forces in defeating its enemies on the battlefields, on the oceans, and in the skies around the world. We would relish the opportunity to serve our favorite team as a star athlete, leading it to victories over despised rivals. Great as these roles might be, they are temporal. We might thank God for the opportunity to play such parts, and well we should. But these roles only have to do with this world, and make no certain contribution to what is eternal and everlasting. The greatest favor that God ever could show to any of us would be to call us to devote our lives to the advancement of His gospel kingdom. This is what Mary is being called to do. Her whole life will be dominated by her service of Jesus. This is what it means to find favor with God. Make no mistake about it. There is no greater blessing that any of us could be given than to preach and teach God’s word, at home or abroad, across this country or around the world. There is no greater blessing than to be called to devote our lives to the gospel, no greater favor, no greater vocation. It ought to be our prayer every day of our lives, “how might I serve You, O God! I present myself to You as a living sacrifice. In what capacity might I now serve” (Rom 12:1,2)?

Second, Mary’s favor is in connection with motherhood. Mary’s great gift is that she will be a mother. This is the great task to which she is being called. She will fulfill the strictly biological task of conceiving, carrying, and bearing the child, a function often denigrated, avoided, or in our day even assigned to surrogates. She will also fulfill the task of nurturing the child, shaping Him into the kind of person that He will become. The task of bearing and nurturing this Child is a great task. She will nurse this Child, change His diapers, rock Him to sleep, soothe His infant tears, assist His early steps, help Him form His first words. He will learn the first lessons of piety on her knees. She will nurture Him through the toddler years, early childhood, youth, and into early manhood. Since time immemorial these have been the primary tasks of mothers, and they are exalted tasks. It may be wonderful to win a legal case, to cut a business deal, to run a company. We don’t denigrate or exclude any of these jobs from the options of the faithful. What we do insist, however, is that there is nothing that any of us does that compares with the significance of the care of another human being from conception to adulthood. To bear and nurture one made in the image of God, whose life is sacred and endowed with an exalted dignity is an incomparably exalted task. It’s messy. It’s frustrating. It’s hidden. It doesn’t attract attention or honor. In our day, it’s even scorned; but it is exalted. It is a blessing of God to be assigned the tasks of motherhood.

Since this is so, how much more is the case given the One she will bear. This will be no ordinary child, but the Messiah, the Savior, the King. She will not serve Him by being one of the Twelve, by being His publicist, His advance man, His agent, His hairdresser, make-up artist, or through any public function. She will not preach or teach or govern. She will not hold office or wield power, or issue orders, or make public decisions. She will be His mother. This means she will be “blessed among women” (Lk 1:42).

Our great universities today, along with elite opinion in the media, see vocational significance only in white-collar, public, professional, and business tasks. One of our young college students, bright enough to earn a full academic scholarship at the University of Chicago (an Ivy League, and more than Ivy League equivalent), found her aspiration to use her education as a wife and mother held in absolute derision. She was wasting her education and her whole life, as far as they were concerned. Contempt of motherhood helps explain why birth rates in Europe and in the most secular parts of our country are plunging. Motherhood is thought to be an unworthy vocation, its tasks assigned to surrogates and nannies.

On the contrary, God deliberately assigns Mary the task, pious Mary, devout Mary, because the task of nurturing the child Jesus is a vital, incomparably important task, one that only a particularly devout mother can perform.