In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And 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 call his name Jesus. He 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 father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Luke 1:26-33
Really, who is the favored one here?
It is Mary most certainly. But are any of her virtues chronicled? No. Is there any note taken by Gabriel of her qualities or worthiness? None.
Do we find in this account of Scripture something of her reputation or background, some record or reason she should be favored? Does the angel admire a particular feature or aptitude she displays? On all counts, no.
Yet, the holy angel congratulates her and calls her "favored one." So she is. Highly favored; yet not one word is spoken about her personal character or charm. Nowhere is it even slightly hinted that she has a winsome personality or possesses remarkable moral fiber or beauty. Whatever personality traits or individual aspects make up her persona, they are never mentioned at all.
There is no reason to believe Mary was anything but a sweet, honorable young virgin woman. Her responses reveal herself to be reverent, and her words are deeply respectful. But it is astonishing how "unremarkable" or "a-remarkable" Mary is, because the angel offers not a single remark to her credit except The Greeting.
The Greeting is pure grace. Nothing more is needed. It is not based in this woman's worthiness; it comes from God who would be conceived a man in her.
Mary is pronounced favored for Christ's sake. This greeting is her credit; the Word alone is the honor given.
Here, in the Greeting is the precise word which bears the hope of the world, the root of which is charis, "grace," the unmerited favor bestowed by God.
Here is a greeting fit for a queen, yet it is entirely undeserved. God confers a special gift upon Mary even though nothing whatever is said about her pedigree, achievements, class, or character to give reason for such a salutation. The entire reason is foreign to her, as foreign as virginity is to conception.
No wonder Mary was deeply puzzled and unsettled. "O favored one" is not an ordinary salute, and it was the greeting, not the bearer of it, which startled her. She was "troubled at the saying," not from doubt but from wonder. It was not the angel that bewildered her but having herself assigned such a wondrous greeting for which she had no qualifications.
Yet, this is the very heart and meaning of Christendom. Grace is not something in us, but Christ given to us.
Gabriel didn't go to Mary and recount a list of her credentials or read from her personnel file about citations she'd earned or her performance history. He didn't come to interview her or investigate whether she was gracious.
He came purely to announce a gift which the Holy Spirit would deliver. Mary would be, through God's grace and design, the mother of His Son according to the flesh. She would carry in her womb a truly human boy-child who would at the same time be eternal God. He would be at once the human heir of David's throne and eternal monarch of a kingdom without end. He would be the Savior of the world.
Mary is extraordinarily blessed because the favor is entirely given and on no account deserved. This is why she sought to discern what sort of greeting this could be. It could not be based on her importance since none is cited. But when Gabriel announced the Good News of the Christ, Mary knew and believed it was entirely of God's doing.
R.C.H. Lenski rightly observes, "Mary is a vessel to receive, not a fountain to dispense."
She is favored, not for being laudable or striking but because our magnificent God is the perfect Giver of the absolute Gift. He gave Mary her son and her Savior. By grace through faith we have also been given Mary's son as our Savior too.
Nothing is spoken of Mary's attributes, but the angel Gabriel speaks fluently of the Child who would be born to her.
The Child would be named Jesus, a name quite in contrast to the complimentary address given Mary. She is called "favored" while his name, Jesus, which means Savior, must necessarily involve disfavor, disgrace, dishonor, and shame. His name prefigures and promises his crucifixion.
His humility and suffering will be chronicled from Bethlehem's cradle to Calvary's cross. The angels will note His qualities and worth. History will record his achievement and the Gospel will tell the reason he would be broken so that we would be healed. The angel said, "He will be great." Just how great Mary herself would see as her own son would offer His life upon the cross for her sins and ours.
The sacrifice of His life would justify the angel's greeting, "O favored one. The Lord is with you," a greeting, by the way, not confined to Mary. The Lord says the same for you and me in the Gospel of John, 1:16, "From his fullness we have all received charis upon charis, grace upon grace."
