For Nothing is Impossible with God

Luke 1: 26-38 (December 21, 2008)

1) The Text
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

2) The Context
This passage from Luke is referred to in Christian tradition as the Annunciation—the announcement to Mary that she would give birth Jesus, the Christ child. This text is preceded by the story of the angel’s announcement to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a son, despite her old age. Following the Annunciation, Mary visits Elizabeth—a meeting of two people with impossible life-situations. The flow of these narratives creates a growing tension of the impossible becoming possible.

The critical word in this passage is “impossible” (v. 37), which means to be “unable.” This word comes from placing a negative prefix on the word “possible,” changing something from being able to unable. As we dig deeper into the root of the word “possible,” we discover the root is a Greek word for “power.” The basic meaning of impossible is “to not have the power necessary for the situation or task.” Impossible means to be without power. Impossible means there is no power or ability to accomplish the task.

Contrasted with the word “impossible” is the name of God, “Most High,” in verses 32 and 35. The only other place this name is found in the New Testament is in Luke 8:28, the story of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man. “When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!’” “Most High” connotes power.

3) Interpretation
This is a story of impossibilities. Consider the impossibilities Mary faced in this story: She is a virgin and pregnant. Mary must avoid being stoned to death when the neighbors hear the news. Impossible! Joseph has to follow through on the marriage after he discovers Mary is pregnant. Impossible!

We find ourselves with the same troubled mind as Mary, wondering over the impossible (v. 29). We even ask the same question Mary asked, “How will this be?” (v. 34). To us it seems impossible! The real question for people today is “How can the impossible become possible?”
The angel brings news of two impending births. Zechariah is told he is to be a father -- a message that is unexpected but not undesirable, for Zechariah and Elizabeth are old and childless in a society that puts a high value on having children. Mary is told she is to be a mother -- news that is both unexpected and undesirable. No pious, engaged young woman would want to learn that she is to become pregnant outside of marriage. Both Mary and Zechariah respond with questions.

Perhaps Zechariah had waited so anxiously, so hopefully, and with so many disappointments month after month in the long years of childlessness that he dared not accept the good news. He wanted intellectual assurance; he wanted to understand how the improbable conception would take place. Gabriel’s answer to his question is a rebuke: "Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words." Gabriel’s response makes it clear that Zechariah’s question is one of doubt -- doubt that places restrictions on what even God can do; doubt of God’s very messenger.

Mary also raises a question: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" Yet she is not rebuked. The difference is that Mary asks her question in faith, not in doubt. Mary does not set up her rationality as a standard for judging God -- How can I be sure? -- even though her curiosity expresses itself as a question -- How will this be? Mary’s question does not doubt the veracity of the announcement; she is prepared to accept it, with all its personal consequences. Her attitude of faith is expressed in her final word, "I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said." Faith for Mary takes the form of obedience.

To be faithful is not to be full of an emotion or a belief; it is to act steadfastly on the basis of a commitment or a relationship. Zechariah’s problem was not that he asked a question; it was that he was not really ready to obey. For it is not in rational explanations about God -- explanations that fit our systems of knowledge and our human categories of experience -- that we learn who God is and how to love God; it is in the response, "I am the Lord’s servant."

We will not be called to be obedient in the way Mary and Jesus were called. But our obedience will be called for, not only in major decisions -- what job to take, where to live and serve, whom to marry or not to marry -- but in dozens of daily opportunities to do what is clearly God’s will: to seek justice, to be merciful, to put others before ourselves. Each day provides the occasion to say, "I am the Lord’s servant. ‘We may ask, how will I maintain patience with my irritable supervisor? How will I care for the needs of this aging parent? How will I raise the funds for this project of mercy? How can I balance the demands of ministry and family? How can I find courage in the face of a terminal diagnosis? But God will accept the questions when our intention is to obey: then we hear the enabling response, "With God nothing is impossible.” Like Mary, may our questions -- even in our asking -- express our faith, and our determination to be obedient servants of the Lord.

4) Thought Exercise

What are the impossibilities in our world?

How can our faith make possible what seems impossible?