Beautiful – Inside and Out!

​From the days of Isaiah’s proclamation that "a virgin would conceive and bring forth a son", and that son would be the Jewish deliverer; every Jewish maiden longed to be in the running. Yet, it was many, many years later that an angel appeared to a maiden and proclaimed:

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. Luke 1:26-28 (MSG)

It is so interesting that the writer Luke spoke of one miracle before describing the next. Elizabeth, Zachariah’s wife had gone many years without conceiving. It was assumed there would be no children for them. Yet, an angel had appeared to Zachariah and told him:

Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

 But the angel reassured him, "Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God. Luke 1:12 – 14 (MSG)

Because Zachariah did not believe, he was unable to speak from the time of the pronouncement to the time of John’s birth.

Here we find an angel telling Mary that was "beautiful with God’s beauty. Beautiful inside and out!" What was her response when told she was the "one" who would bear the Christ child:

And Mary said,

Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say. Luke 1:38 (MSG)

Two angels, two miraculous announcements  – one of which was readily received. Yet, in HIs mercy God granted them both. Oh the wonder of the grace of God.

Maria