74 Jesus forgives a woman who was caught in adultery.75 Jesus teaches in the Temple.76 Jesus sends another seventy-two disciples into the fields of ministry.77 A good Samaritan helping a Jew shows how to love others.78 Jesus heals a man who was born blind.79 The good shepherd cares for his sheep.80 Martha becomes frustrated with her sister’s behavior.
107 Two blind men want to see.108 Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume.109 People cheer as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.110 Some Greek men want to see Jesus.
4 A child is miraculously conceived.
Psalm 132:11; Isaiah 7:14; 9:7; Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38
Where do you think Mary was when Gabriel appeared (Luke 1:26–27)?
Author’s Thoughts
Angelic appearances often terrify people, but we have no indication that Gabriel began with saying, “Fear not.” Why might Mary not have been terrified at his appearance (Luke 1:26–28)?
Author’s Thoughts
What about Gabriel’s greeting could have been so troubling to Mary (Luke 1:29)?
Author’s Thoughts
What aspects of Gabriel’s message would have been impossible for Mary to understand (Luke 1:30–33)?
Author’s Thoughts
Why would Mary think God’s promise was for right then and not later, after she was married (Luke 1:34)?
Author’s Thoughts
Do you think Gabriel’s explanation was sufficient for Mary to understand how she would become pregnant (Luke 1:35)? Why?
Author’s Thoughts
Why would Mary not have already known that Elizabeth was pregnant (Luke 1:36)?
Author’s Thoughts
What is the benefit of knowing God has done a miracle in someone else’s life (Luke 1:36)?
Author’s Thoughts
How might Mary’s response to Gabriel be important in our relationship with the Lord (Luke 1:38; 22:42)?
Author’s Thoughts
How do you visualize the way Gabriel left (Luke 1:38)?
Author’s Thoughts
How do you think Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant (Matthew 1:19)?
Author’s Thoughts
When the angel appeared to Joseph, he received instruction on naming Jesus. What would he have said to Mary when he learned that she had been told the same thing (Matthew 1:20–21)?
Author’s Thoughts
How might the community have reacted if people realized that Mary was more pregnant than she should have been at six months after the wedding ceremony (Matthew 1:24–25)?
Author’s Thoughts
After hundreds of years passed without the fulfillment of God’s promise, what is the likelihood that the present generation would expect it to happen in their lifetime (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23)?
Author’s Thoughts
For more than two thousand years, Christians have known the promise of Jesus returning to Earth. Based on that history, should we expect his return in our lifetime (Acts 1:11)? Why?