Luke 1:26-38  For those who serve, who put the interest of others before themselves, God promotes with high favour

Luke 1:26-38  For those who serve, who put the interest of others before themselves, God promotes with high favour

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 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; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 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 Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God. 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Background

God sends the archangel Gabriel to a virgin girl of remarkable spiritual perceptivity, and with great favour announces the conception of His Son, Jesus. Divine favour is not just something we can enjoy, it is a state. For those higher up the ladder of divine favour, God’s voice becomes clearer, revelations are more profound, and their prayers carry greater authority. God bestow a measure of favour to each person according their calling and the virtues of their heart. Today’s devotion teaches us: For those who serve, who put the interest of others before themselves, God promotes with high favour.

Observation

“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

God chose a certain virgin (a young woman who has never engaged in sexual intercourse) named Mary and sent Gabriel the archangel to her. The archangel’s greetings addressed Mary as one who is highly favoured. Mary was shocked because she has never seen herself as one favoured by God. Mary, a young woman with little achievements in the eyes of the world received God’s highest favour.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

Following the salutation was the announcement to conceive God’s Son and name Him Jesus. And He will be divine (Son of the most High), and will reign over Israel forever. He is One who will save humanity from eternal condemnation and reign over creation.

“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Mary raised the question as to how she as an unmarried virgin bear a child. The angel responded with an astounding directive that she would conceive by power of the Holy Spirit. And only by way of this conception can the Son of God be incarnated into the world: for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”

Mary’s response (despite her youth) revealed her extraordinary qualities of faith, courage and spiritual perceptivity. Despite the enormity and the impossibility of what lies ahead, she needed no convincing but accepted the mission.

Truth

Through grace the Divine became human so that humanity may become divine

The manner in which Jesus is conceived attests to His divinity and humanity: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. It is indeed the Holy Spirit that conceived Jesus, the divine-human.

What are the implications of Jesus’s incarnation? The apostle Paul taught that only in God becoming a divine-human (fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form… Colossians 2:9) can He do the following:

• Make man complete, which is to become righteous and divine as Christ is (Colossians 2:10,12,13)
• Disarm demonic rulers, and rule over them (Colossians 2:10,15)
• Cancel out the certificate of debt (curse of sin) on man’s behalf (Colossians 2:14)

Unless God put on the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:2), there is no way God can exercise His saving power or omnipotence over humanity. Christ’s saving grace is to result in making sinful man righteous and divine. Only in becoming divine, can men begin to live out Christ’s virtues, wisdom and power.

Many churchgoers having misunderstood the gospel, do not endeavour to live out Christ’s virtues, wisdom and power. The end of faith for them is not to become divine, but rather to escape the torment of hell. Grace for them is nothing more than an unconditional pass into heaven. Regrettably, the church is complicit and many continue to leave in the torment of darkness and sin. But the purpose of grace is to make man divine in the likeness of Christ, so that they may live abundantly.

For those who serve, who put the interest of others before themselves, God promotes with high favour.

What is the favour of God?

There are two perspectives to divine favour.

Favour to fulfill a certain need – Favour, synonymous with the word grace comes from the God of love who desires all to be saved. Favour or grace comes from the Greek word charis, which connotes blessing, and kindness. God’s ultimate display of favour is in the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ. In so doing, man’s heart may be regenerated towards righteousness and through perseverance obtain eternal glory. The evangelist wrote,

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17 (NASB)

Here, the grace of Jesus is contrasted with the Law of Moses. The Law punishes men for their transgressions. But it has no power to regenerate man’s heart from wickedness towards righteousness. On the other hand, divine grace frees men from a sinful lifestyle to possess the divine virtues, wisdom and authority of Jesus Christ. In essence, divine grace frees men to live like the Son of God.

Elsewhere in the bible, divine grace or favour is manifested in the following:

• Protection and safety (Genesis 6:8, Noah)
• Protection and promotion (Genesis 39:21, Joseph)
• Protection and liberation (Exodus 2:25, Israel in Egypt)
• Acts of salvation (Exodus 33:12, Moses)
• Wisdom for righteous repute and divine promotion (1 Samuel 2:26, Samuel)
• Restoration and prosperity (Psalm 67:1)
• Revival and salvation (Isaiah 33:2, Isaiah’s prayer for revival)
• Prosperity of the nation (Isaiah 62:4, Isaiah’s prophecy)
• Revelation and salvation (Daniel 9:17, Daniel’s prayer for revival)
• Wisdom for righteous repute and anointing (Luke 2:52, Jesus)
• Strength and faith to accomplish God’s calling (1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul)
• Regeneration for salvation (Ephesians 2:8)
• To imbue man with Christ’s attributes to obtain eternal glory and honour (1 Peter 5:10)

Favour as a state endowed by God – Favour is not just something to fulfill a certain need of the moment but a state. Thus, there is a high state of favour and a lesser state of favour. Mary, as Mother of Jesus is positioned very high up the ladder of divine favour. It is through Mary, that the Saviour came into the world. Jesus was recorded as rising up the ranks of divine favour.

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men. – Luke 2:52

Favour is a state, peculiar to an individual just as wisdom or stature is. The higher the favour, the more intense the flow of divine grace. It makes sense for believers to pursue God’s favour as a state as opposed to fulfilling a need of the moment. That said, it is God’s design that those higher up the ladder of favour serve those who are lower.

For those who serve, who put the interest of others before themselves, God promotes with high favour.

God in His wisdom and discernment has accorded each person a measure of favour to meet life’s every challenge. Paul said,

But to each one of us grace (favour) was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. – Ephesians 4:7

How does God decide what measure of favour to give to each person? Divine favour is not allotted uniformly to all people. But God grants favour according to the virtues and wisdom of each person. Those who are courageous, who love God single-mindedly and who are wise are positioned higher up the ladder of divine favour. Mary is a woman of remarkable spiritual perceptivity, being wholly dedicated to God’s service. Because she considered herself as the bondslave of the Lord, Mary was granted unprecedented honour and grace. Because Jesus’s disciples left all to follow Christ, they were given high favour. Hence, Jesus gave His disciples authority over evil spirits making them instruments of His salvation. Jesus insisted on washing the disciples’ feet so that they may wash the feet of the world (John 13:14). Jesus saw the crowd and asked His disciples to give them something to eat (Mark 6:37).

Having received a measure of divine favour, we are to be faithful to the divine mission. And as we are found faithful, more favour will be bestowed. For those who serve, who put the interest of others before themselves, God promotes with high favour. Jesus is blessed with the highest favour because He delivered Himself over as a sacrifice for humanity’s salvation. Therefore, believers who aspire to high favour must do all to put on Christ’s virtues. Many gave themselves to long prayers to obtain favour but to no avail.

Application

When you see faithful believers suffer, do you wonder if they are highly favoured? When you see evil people grow in fame and riches, do you wonder if God is blind? Is a life of comfort and riches sure evidence of divine favour? God uses the highly favoured to bring salvation to the world. Even though the righteous suffer, God promises eventual vindication. The psalmist wrote,

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:1-5 (NASV)

How can believers obtain divine favour? By doing the following:

• By the prayers of faithful believers. (Exodus 33:12, Isaiah 33:2, Daniel 9:17).
• By fearing God and living in truth and righteousness (Proverbs 3:4, 8:35, 12:2).
• By continually devoting oneself to the work of the gospel (Luke 2:52).

Dear Lord, as I humble myself, I sanctify my heart with your truth. Grant me grace so that I may live out the virtues of Christ in love and purity… to exercise divine wisdom to overcome the evil one… to exercise authority over the elements of the earth. Use me as a channel of divine grace to the poor and marginalised. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.