26 But in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent of God to a city of Galilee, of which [the] name [was] Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name [was] Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name [was] Mary. 28 And the angel came in to her, and said, Hail, [thou] favoured one! the Lord [is] with thee: [blessed art thou amongst women]. 29 But she, [seeing] [the angel], was troubled at his word, and reasoned in her mind what this salutation might be. 30 And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God; 31 and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called Son of [the] Highest; and [the] Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father; 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for the ages, and of his kingdom there shall not be an end. 34 But Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a man? 35 And the angel answering said to her, [The] Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and power of [the] Highest overshadow thee, wherefore the holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, thy kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her that was called barren: 37 for nothing shall be impossible with God. 38 And Mary said, Behold the bondmaid of [the] Lord; be it to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary, rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth. 41 And it came to pass, as Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with [the] Holy Spirit, 42 and cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed [art] thou amongst women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the babe leaped with joy in my womb. 45 And blessed [is] she that has believed, for there shall be a fulfilment of the things spoken to her from [the] Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he has looked upon the low estate of his bondmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One has done to me great things, and holy [is] his name; 50 and his mercy [is] to generations and generations to them that fear him. 51 He has wrought strength with his arm; he has scattered haughty [ones] in the thought of their heart. 52 He has put down rulers from thrones, and exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich empty. 54 He has helped Israel his servant, in order to remember mercy, 55 (as he spoke to our fathers,) to Abraham and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 1:26-56
Commentary on Luke 1:26-38
(Read Luke 1:26-38)
We have here an account of the mother of our Lord; though we are not to pray to her, yet we ought to praise God for her. Christ must be born miraculously. The angel's address means only, Hail, thou that art the especially chosen and favoured of the Most High, to attain the honour Jewish mothers have so long desired. This wondrous salutation and appearance troubled Mary. The angel then assured her that she had found favour with God, and would become the mother of a son whose name she should call Jesus, the Son of the Highest, one in a nature and perfection with the Lord God. JESUS! the name that refreshes the fainting spirits of humbled sinners; sweet to speak and sweet to hear, Jesus, a Saviour! We know not his riches and our own poverty, therefore we run not to him; we perceive not that we are lost and perishing, therefore a Saviour is a word of little relish. Were we convinced of the huge mass of guilt that lies upon us, and the wrath that hangs over us for it, ready to fall upon us, it would be our continual thought, Is the Saviour mine? And that we might find him so, we should trample on all that hinders our way to him. Mary's reply to the angel was the language of faith and humble admiration, and she asked no sign for the confirming her faith. Without controversy, great was the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16. Christ's human nature must be produced so, as it was fit that should be which was to be taken into union with the Divine nature. And we must, as Mary here, guide our desires by the word of God. In all conflicts, let us remember that with God nothing is impossible; and as we read and hear his promises, let us turn them into prayers, Behold the willing servant of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word.
Commentary on Luke 1:39-56
(Read Luke 1:39-56)
It is very good for those who have the work of grace begun in their souls, to communicate one to another. On Mary's arrival, Elisabeth was conscious of the approach of her who was to be the mother of the great Redeemer. At the same time she was filled with the Holy Ghost, and under his influence declared that Mary and her expected child were most blessed and happy, as peculiarly honoured of and dear to the Most High God. Mary, animated by Elisabeth's address, and being also under the influence of the Holy Ghost, broke out into joy, admiration, and gratitude. She knew herself to be a sinner who needed a Saviour, and that she could no otherwise rejoice in God than as interested in his salvation through the promised Messiah. Those who see their need of Christ, and are desirous of righteousness and life in him, he fills with good things, with the best things; and they are abundantly satisfied with the blessings he gives. He will satisfy the desires of the poor in spirit who long for spiritual blessings, while the self-sufficient shall be sent empty away.