Chapter

Luke 1:35

ESV And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God.
NIV The angel answered, "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.
NASB The angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.
CSB The angel replied to her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
NLT The angel replied, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
KJV And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
NKJV And the angel answered and said to her, “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

What does Luke 1:35 mean?

When Gabriel told Zechariah, an aging priest, that he and his wife would conceive, the priest reacted with doubt (Luke 1:13, 18). He was unsure if the angel's message was true. In response, Gabriel temporarily struck the man mute (Luke 1:19–20). Six months later, Gabriel has delivered an even more amazing message, this time to a young woman named Mary (Luke 1:26–28). The priest's son would be an important herald of the Messiah (Luke 1:16–17). Mary, however, will give birth to the actual Son of God, Jesus: the Messiah Himself (Luke 1:31–33).

Mary's response is like Zechariah's in that it comes in the form of a question. Unlike Zechariah, she does not doubt "if" Gabriel's words are true. Instead, she wonders "how" they will be fulfilled (Luke 1:35). And so, Gabriel reacts with more information, rather than a rebuke.

When Adam sinned (Genesis 3:9–12), he brought a "sin nature" to humanity, which was passed down to all of Adam's children (Romans 5:12, 17–18). Jesus' conception by the Holy Spirit, rather than by a human father, accomplishes two purposes. It makes Jesus free from sin that all fathers pass to their children. It also fulfills prophecy that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). This means Jesus will quite literally be the "Son of God" (Luke 1:32; 22:70; John 3:16; Matthew 14:33). He will be born holy, lacking any sin at all, and remain that way forever (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

It would be easy to forget that Mary's unexpected pregnancy, during her betrothal to Joseph (Luke 1:26), would have created a social dilemma. Joseph, for his part, was inclined to break the planned wedding when he learned she was expecting a child not his own (Matthew 1:19–20). Even when Jesus is an adult, rumors about His birth will be used as insults by His enemies (John 8:19, 41). The news that she would conceive as an unmarried woman implied a burden of its own. And yet, Mary will respond with joyful obedience (Luke 1:38).
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