“The Perfect Conception”
Luke 1:26-56
“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” – Luke 1:35
It was granted to Mary, the one “highly favored,” and the Spirit came upon her with power and conceived the “Son of God.” It is the record of Scripture, and after interviewing Mary, Luke recorded this supernatural work. Mary, a young woman, would conceive by the Spirit of God and give birth to “that Holy One.”
And who is that Holy One? Well, John 1:1 and 1:14 provide insight. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “That Holy One” is “the Word,” Jesus, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead.
And John went recorded that “Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory” [John 1:14]. Jesus, fully God from eternity past, veiled His glory at a moment in history and revealed Himself to disciples who “beheld His glory.” Holy God became tangible to sinful man through His Son Jesus Christ, who took on flesh and bones and was touched and heard and “beheld.”
Our passage this morning describes how this came to reality through a faithful woman who saved herself for this once in eternity moment. The Holy Spirit [the Third Person of the Triune Godhead] came upon her and she conceived “that Holy One who is to be born,” Jesus, “the Son of God.”
Isaiah prophesied this more than seven hundred years prior, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” [Isa 9:6, bold added].
When reading Luke 1:35 with John 1:1, 14, and Isa 9:6, you cannot overlook the doctrine of the Trinity. These passages clearly ascribe Deity to God the Father [“the Highest”], God the Son [“that Holy One”], and God “the Holy Spirit.”
And Mary was the one that the Father appointed to be the mother of Jesus the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon her.
While human [and fallible] she became the mother of God the Son [fully human] and infallible. Now, ponder that one for a bit! Difficult to wrap our minds around; but nonetheless it is what Scripture describes, and so we receive it by faith.
“The just shall live by faith.” [Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Heb 10:38]. And “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” [Heb 11:6] When Scripture challenges our intellect, faith is usually the key that unlocks understanding. Don’t always be so quick to jump on the “seeing is believing” bandwagon, because when it comes to the things of God, oftentimes it is in the believing [by faith] that we truly see.
