The truths of this passage are with us all year. The angel announced to Mary what would take place. The hopes of all mankind were about to materialize in a strange way. The angel went into detail about what would happen and what it all meant to the earth. The phrase shall be is used 12 times, mostly linked with the noun he. In my way of defining it, shall be means something hasn’t happened yet, but it most certainly will. Whatever a sentence with shall be contains will happen.
Luke 1: 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He 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: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Mary was still a virgin; she had not conceived yet. In spite of the devil, in spite of the circumstances, in spite of the improbability, this would happen. When God says it shall be then it shall. The second coming has not happened, but it will.
Shall be was deliberately chosen as the phrase to relay the events. They were preplanned, foreordained from the foundation of the world. God’s plan continued on in spite of the failures of Mary’s ancestors. Even David’s failings didn’t stop it. The devil has plans for us, but God has greater plans which not even the devil can get in the way of.
Jesus was yet to be conceived let alone be born. Gabriel said this shall be. Mary could have stopped it, but she said behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it unto me according to thy word. She surrendered herself to God’s plan. If the promises of God don’t seem to be working for you, don’t blame God. Failure is on our part, not God’s. When we’re not willing to submit to God’s plan, things will fail. He has a plan for us just like he did Mary. The scriptures were clear than Jesus would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem. This was above the people’s understanding, but it shall be. Mary’s part hinged on her submission to the plan. Are you willing like Mary was?
Gabriel told Mary her son would be great. He would be the most important person the world had ever seen. The name of Jesus is known east to west. Missionaries preach and teach the good news all over the world. There is no way to measure the beginning or ending, the depth or height of the Son of God. By what Jesus accomplished in the work of the cross, coming out of the tomb, and going back to heaven, he put salvation in the hands of everyone who believes. We can’t trust anyone higher. There is none higher. He is the Son of the Highest, part of the triune God. He is higher than anything that can be stacked against us. We can overcome.
Jesus ruled in heaven at the right hand of the Father. He came here and established a throne everywhere he went from the manger to a cottage in Nazareth, to a ship on the Sea of Galilee. There will never be a place too low or one too high that Jesus hasn’t been there. We can boldly go to the throne of God and find help. Gabriel told Mary her son’s name would be Jesus—Savior. The entire need of life rests in our need for a Savior. We have one! He was a child, an adolescent and middle aged. He’s from time everlasting. He’s already been wherever we go before we ever get there. He said before Abraham I Am. He shall be all this and more—what we need, when we need it.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. This all adds up to one undeniable fact. With God nothing shall be impossible. The Savior is and shall be. There is work yet to be done. All things will be brought to an end. God’s children will be taken home. Never fear. It shall be because of who he is. We don’t know about tomorrow, but we do know who holds tomorrow. It shall be!
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 