The Annunciation #75

The Annunciation is the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. It is recorded in Luke 1:26-38 and marks the beginning of the New Testament account of the coming of Christ. Many Christian traditions celebrate it as the Feast of the Annunciation.

Biblical Account

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary who was betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David. Gabriel greeted her as favored one and said the Lord was with her. Mary was greatly troubled by the greeting and wondered what it meant. The angel told her not to be afraid, for she had found favor with God, and that she would conceive and bear a son and name him Jesus. He would be great and be called the Son of the Most High, the Lord God would give him the throne of his father David, and his kingdom would have no end (Luke 1:26-33).

Mary asked how this could be, since she was a virgin. Gabriel answered that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, so the child would be called holy, the Son of God. As a sign, he told her that her relative Elizabeth, who was old and had been unable to have children, had conceived and was in her sixth month, for nothing will be impossible with God. Mary replied that she was the servant of the Lord and asked that it be done to her according to his word (Luke 1:34-38). She soon visited Elizabeth, who greeted her with a blessing (Luke 1:39-45).

Matthew tells the same events from Joseph’s side. Learning that Mary was pregnant, he intended to end the betrothal quietly, but an angel told him in a dream that the child was from the Holy Spirit and that he should name him Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:18-25).

Theological Significance

The promise to Mary echoes God’s promise to David of an everlasting throne (2 Samuel 7:12-16), presenting Jesus as the long-awaited heir. The announcement also affirms that the child is more than a human king, since he is called the Son of God, and that his conception is the result of God’s action rather than human initiative. This is the basis for the Christian teaching on the virginal conception and the incarnation.

Mary’s response has been valued as a model of humble trust. She raises an honest question, receives an answer, and consents, even though the situation carries risk to her reputation and future. Christians differ in how they honor Mary, from the high veneration of Catholic and Orthodox traditions to the more restrained approach of many Protestants, but all draw on this passage. By long tradition the feast is observed on March 25, nine months before Christmas, though Scripture gives no date.