And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:28-34
Mary’s question is not one of doubt, like Zacharias’ doubt in verse 18. This is a young woman, a virgin, trying understand how she was going to get pregnant.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14
Certainly Mary knew the prophesy.
Certainly all the Jews were talking about the prophesy because they would have figured out, based on Daniel 9:24-27, that the Messiah would soon be born.
Certainly all the young women were talking about who would be the chosen virgin and wondering how a virgin would conceive.
Mary doesn’t understanding how this is going to happen, so she asks. This passage gives me peace that it’s okay to ask God how He’s going to accomplish His promises.
The Lord wants to have a conversation with us. He wants us to ask—because He loves us.
In Christ,
