Gospel Art Picture Kit
Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26–38; Mosiah 3:8; Alma 7:10
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. Luke 1:30–31
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Long before Jesus’ birth, prophets had foretold that the Only Begotten Son of the Father would be born to a virgin named Mary (see Isaiah 7:14; Mosiah 3:8; Alma 7:10). Mary was chosen and foreordained for this important mission before she came to earth. As the Savior’s mother, Mary would provide the Son of God with a body of flesh and blood, and she and her husband, Joseph, would raise Him, teach Him, and help Him prepare for His great mission.
Heavenly Father appointed the angel Gabriel to appear to Mary in Nazareth with the message of what He was asking her to do (see Luke 1:26). “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28).
Gabriel’s greeting left Mary troubled and uncertain as to the meaning of the heavenly visitation. Gabriel, understanding her feelings, told Mary to “fear not” and continued to explain the miraculous event that would take place. (See Luke 1:29–33.)
Mary still had questions and uncertainty about her mission. “How shall this be?” she asked when she heard that she would give birth to the “Son of the Highest.” (See Luke 1:31–34.) Gabriel told her that she would be overshadowed by the power of God, and the child would be the Son of Heavenly Father, “for with God nothing shall be impossible” (see Luke 1:35, 37). Her questions answered, Mary recognized the great blessing the Lord was giving her and replied in faithfulness and obedience, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).
Summary
One day the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, a righteous young woman who lived in Nazareth. He told Mary that she had been chosen by Heavenly Father to be the mother of Jesus, who would be the only earthly son of Heavenly Father. Mary knew that no other daughter of God had ever been so blessed. She told the angel she was happy to obey Heavenly Father and be the mother of Jesus.
Artist, John Scott
© 1997 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA
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