Fear Not Mary - Luke 1:30

Luke the physician wrote, “in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, you that are highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be”, and in chapter one and verse thirty of His book, Luke shared how, “the angel said, Fear not, Mary” where we read:

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God.

The verse reads, “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:” Luke began with the words, “and the angel” or “and the messenger or envoy” “said unto her” which means “uttered, declared and proclaimed to Mary”, “Fear not” or “do not be afraid, put to flight, struck with fear or seized with alarm”, “Mary” which refers to “the mother of Jesus whose name means their rebellion”. Luke shared how the “angel” encouraged “Mary” not to be “afraid”.

The verse continues, “for you have found favor with God.” Luke added the words, “for you have found favor” which means “because, since and on account that you, Mary, have come upon, met with, discovered and learned grace or that which afford joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm and loveliness” “with God” or “with the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Luke shared how the “angel” gave “Mary” the reason she should not be afraid was because God extended His “grace and loveliness” upon her.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we see how the “angel” provided comfort and reasoning to “Mary” who was “frightened” by his appearance and words spoken to her. Mary did not need to “fear” because she had been chosen by God to extend His grace. God loves people, and because He desires to give “grace” to people through His Son Jesus, He brought Jesus into the world to “save” them from their sins. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus will receive the “grace” of God which provides not only forgiveness of sins, but also leads to everlasting life. May all who read these words receive Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” and have no need to be “afraid” any more.

Next time Luke shares how “the angel” told Mary, “you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".