Jesus

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. – Luke 1.31-33

‘You Mary, are going to have a Son, and you will call Him Jesus.’

There is no way Mary could have comprehended this statement. Her son would ‘be great and called the Son of the Highest and he would sit on the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob, and the kingdom He established would never end.’

Another gospel says that the angel defines the name be what the son would do – ‘He will save His people from their sins.’

From the time of the first announcement to Zechariah it was obvious something huge was about to happen to the world. Mary may not have known it at the time, but the angel was telling her that she was going to give birth to the long awaited Messiah.

He would be called. Mary may have had a hint, but could not have grasped all that meant. He would save His people from their sins. Most Jews would think of Messiah as their deliverer from the oppression of Rome. They could not have really comprehended that He was going to provide salvation for a much more serious oppressor. He was to deliver from the oppression of sin.

Rome was temporary, like any other oppressive power. But sin lasts forever. Jesus didn’t just deliver the people of His day, He still delivers today. Thank God for Mary and her part in God’s plan.