Day 124: Luke 1:34–35a

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” (v. 34).

Luke 1:27 tells us that when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she would bear the Son of God, she was a virgin “pledged to be married to a man named Joseph.” Actually, their betrothal compares more to our idea of marriage than engagement. The difference was the matter of physical intimacy, but the relationship was legally binding. Betrothal began with a contract drawn up by the parents or by a friend of the groom. Then at a meeting between the two families, in the presence of witnesses, the groom would present the bride with jewelry. The groom would announce his intentions to firmly observe the contract. Then he would sip from a cup of wine and offer the cup to the bride. If she sipped from the same cup, she was in effect entering covenant with him.

The next step was the payment of the mohar, or dowry, by the groom. This occurred at a ceremony, ordinarily involving a priest. Other traditions were also practiced, but these were the most basic and consistent. By the time a couple reached this step, their betrothal was binding, though a marriage ceremony and physical intimacy had not yet taken place. An actual divorce would be necessary to break the covenant. Furthermore, if the prospective groom died, the bride-to-be was considered a widow.

Betrothal traditionally occurred soon after the onset of adolescence, so it is probably accurate to imagine Mary around age thirteen at the time of the announcement. Remember, in that culture a thirteen or fourteen-year-old was commonly preparing for marriage.

Mary’s question, then, was a quite obvious one: She asked, “How will this be . . . since I am a virgin?” (v. 34).

Gabriel met Mary’s question with a beautifully expressive response. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” The Greek word for “come upon” is eperchomai, meaning “to . . . arrive, invade . . . resting upon and operating in a person.” Only one woman in all of humanity would be chosen to bear the Son of God, yet each one of us who are believers have been invaded by Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit (see Rom. 8:9). He has been invading the closets, the attic, and the basement of my life ever since I accepted Him. How I praise God for the most glorious invasion of privacy that ever graced a human life!