Highly Favored

© Copyright James Yardley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Luke 1:28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

       Have you ever wonder what did Mary do in order to be able to be the mother of the savior?   The angel's announcement of Jesus' birth answers that question.  He told Mary "You are highly favored. God is with you." If you notice, the angel never told her because you've followed every law then you will be Jesus' mother. No, the angel told her: "It is because of God's favor that you will conceive. It is because of his power in you that you will be fruitful."

 Luke 1:29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 

Before Jesus died on the cross, everyone had to obey God's law in order to be blessed. There was no "free-lunch" at that time. Sin had entered the world through Adam and everyone had to pay to earn blessings. The old testament mentality is: "If you do good you get good, and if you do bad you get bad." There was no understanding of the word "grace" or "unmerited favor."  That is the reason why when the angel told Mary "You are highly favored" she was greatly troubled and wondered what kind of greeting was that? In other words, Mary was wondering:  "What do you mean by favor?" She thought:  "I've made mistakes, I've not perfectly followed every moses' law. I've done nothing right for an angel to greet me with this words." The angel explains to her again that God wants to bless her not based on her actions but based on His favor.

Luke 1:31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

When the angel told her about the miracle of conceiving Jesus,  Mary looked at her self, thought of her flaws, her age, her civil status and wonder how will this be? The angel didn't gave her more laws to follow, he didn't gave her a lesson in the 10 commandments. He didn't gave her a link to a parenting website either. The angel said: Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. It was by the work of God and his Spirit! In other words, God was saying: "My work will make yours unnoticeable"

Mary received God's favor when she said:  "I am the lord's servant May your word to me be fulfilled."  She was humbled to receive God's favor. She wanted her life to be a testimony of it. Maybe she said: "Even though I am not perfect, I want my life to be used as a testimony of grace!" Maybe you are like Mary and you look at your flaws, your performance as Christian, parent, spouse and you wonder how can it be that my marriage will thrive? How can it be that my children will be set free?   Let us answer those questions as Mary did.  We can say: "Even though I do not deserve to be blessed by my actions, and even though I have failed, may your word of grace to me be fulfilled. "

  Today, God's word is a greeting of unmerited favor to us. Jesus is telling us that we do not need to pay for our mistakes. We do not need to perform to be blessed.  Jesus died on the cross so we can find unmerited favor. Our sins were punished in the body of our Lord Jesus.   The Lord is telling us today: "Because of what my son did at the cross you are highly favored to raise your child or to have success in your marriage. My power will overshadow you!"


 If Mary was called highly favored when Jesus had not yet died for our sins , how much more favor have we found today?! We are much more jolly favored ones!