The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28
When you think of being highly favored what comes to mind? Do you picture ease, prosperity, and perfect relationships? I do.
The angel called Mary highly favored of God twice in one meeting. Yet her life was full of daunting challenges, losses, and misunderstandings.
When Mary came back from a three-month visit with her cousin, she told her fiancé she was pregnant—and God was the father. Joseph didn’t believe her. He looked for a way to divorce her. (It took divorce or death to end a New Testament Jewish engagement.)
Confusing Events
If an angel called you highly favored, if God had picked you to carry His child, wouldn’t you think He would have told Joseph before this tense misunderstanding? After all, Joseph was the designated head of the house. This event involved him in a major way.
Since God set the bar on sexual purity, why would He let others believe Mary was sexually loose?Continue Reading