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December, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Born o f a VIRGIN
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B y a l b e r t h u g h e s * Toronto. Ontario. Canada
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W e have before us, in the first two chapters o f Luke’s Gospel, a story o f great delicacy and delight, an jeer. This is indeed a holy place that we are entering, and with real heart reverence let us now draw near. The story is mysterious, matchless, magnificent, majestic; it is stu pendous, splendid, superlative, seraphic. Matthew sets before us the bare facts o f this holy occurrence, while Luke, the artist, paints for us a delicate and delightful scene, and for two thousand years men have been gazing upon it in wonder and worship. Thtj Messenger fronts on ._ j High Heaven has stupendous tidings to give to men on the earth. One o f the highest o f God’s holy messengers for this special service will be used—Gabriel is his name. The name means “ Man o f God.” Gabriel describes himself as the one who stands “ in the presence o f God” (Lk. 1:19). It is impossible at this distance to realize the full won der o f this holy visitation. We have to recall who Gabriel was, who Mary was, and what were the whole circum revelation this is of the great fact that, in the darkest days, God has His purpose, and that, to the poorest of His people He will present Himself and portray His plans. A H eavenly S ecret Gabriel has a great secret. Originating in heaven, it is to be brought to earth and to become the blessing for the whole human family. The great secret was first known only to heaven. It had its birth there, not on earth. Like everything else o f permanent value, it came from above. This great secret was announced by angels. God had some one ready to bring to earth His disclosure o f this mystery, and no ordinary angel would do. It must be Gabriel, who has been trusted and has been found faithful in other great service in the past. Other angels will tell the shepherds about the significant event, but only Gabriel can inform Mary. The divine secret is explained by the angel. A woman will bear a Son; that Son will have no human father; that Son will be the fulfillment of prophecy; that Son will be divine, God manifested in the flesh; that Son will be “ God with us.” The wonderful secret was passed on to Joseph. He was the husband-to-be o f the virgin. His fiancee told him the precious secret, and the man was afraid. Matthew tells us that Joseph was “ a righteous man,” and the secret which Mary disclosed to him affected greatly his righteous- * Pastor, High Park Baptist Church, and Home Director, Sudan Interior Mission. stances o f this won drous scene. Here is a heavenly being coming f r o m on high to the home of a Jewish peasan t girl to whisper to her soul a marvel ous secret. What a
ness. At this stage of the story, Joseph was put to sleep by God, and then the whole matter was explained to him.
account never to be approached in the attitude o f jest and
C onfiding the D ivine R evelation Later, this secret was retold to Elisabeth and Zacharias. They had a revelation of their own. The one who would be the fulfillment o f their secret would be the forerunner of this greater One. One can imagine these two expectant mothers in sacred conference together. Elisabeth had hid den herself in retirement, and with continuing gratitude she waited in glad anticipation. Hope which had long since perished for her had been revived. The mystic hour would soon come. Then arrived this younger woman with her sweet story. The two women, were face to face, and the striking thing happened. The unborn forerunner “leaped . . . f o r joy” in the presence o f his unborn Lord. To our materialistic minds, that spiritual consciousness seems strange. Yet when you gaze in any baby’s face, you know that the little one would like to tell you something if only you could understand. The eyes and mouth and hands and feet are leaping and attempting to speak eloquently was o f a natural order, but, like Isaac’s coming, it was possible only by divine intervention. The birth o f Jesus Christ transcended the natural and was supernatural. Thus we might look for almost any surprising incidents in con nection with the coming of these babes. Many years later, this secret was passed on to one other. The Scriptures do not tell us this point, but it is most natural to believe it was so. We know that Luke visited Jerusalem with Paul, according to Acts 2 1 :18, probably about a . d . 57. Mary was in all likelihood still alive, and to a doctor she would disclose the delicate details of that divine event. Luke was a careful collector o f all data, and it was most likely that he would endeavor to see Mary personally in order to obtain the fullest information. To him the story was told, and he has passed it on to us in beautiful detail, as only a doctor could possibly do. ‘Thtj 'JMother-to-'Btj Mary is her name; the Hebrew equivalent was Miriam. She appears at odd times in the Gospels, and yet o f her we know comparatively little. Luke in presenting the lineage reveals the fact that she is o f the royal house o f David. The characterization presented o f her is— “ the handmaid o f the Lord,” and she was “ endued with grace.” Without doubt she was the best woman that God could find, but even then she was only a woman, and needed a Saviour. The Roman Church has no warrant for its wrongful worship o f Mary. The apostles never in a single instance [Continued, on page 452] the story of the lit tle brain and heart. In our materialistic stupidity we do not understand . W e must remember also that these were no ordinary b a b i e s . The birth o f John
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