The Sunday School Lesson
Called to Be a Vessel

LUKE 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Ga'bri-el was sent from God unto a city of Gal'i-lee, named Naz'a-reth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Jo'seph, of the house of Da'vid; and the virgin's name was Ma'ry.

28 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.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Ma'ry: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JE'- SUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father Da'vid:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Ja'cob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Ma'ry unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Ho'ly 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.

36 And, behold, thy cousin E-lis'abeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Ma'ry said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

HEART OF THE LESSON

Our lesson this week explores the whole concept of being called to be a vessel that God can use for His glory. Mary, the simple peasant girl from Nazareth in Galilee, the mother of Jesus, is a supreme example of this.

1. The chosen vessel (Luke 1:26-28). This happened when Elisabeth, the wife of the priest Zacharias, was six months pregnant. We learned of her in last week's lesson. At about the same time, her relative Mary received an unexpected visit from the Angel Gabriel. Angelic visits occurred occasionally in the days of the Bible. They usually brought divine announcements. Mary was engaged to a local carpenter named Joseph. Joseph was a descendant of King David.

Angels are messengers of God, and messengers can bring good news or bad news. The angel told Mary that she was highly favored by God and greeted her by telling her that the Lord was with her. Mary was not expecting an angel; so this message surprised her.

2. The announcement (Luke 1:29-33). Mary was confused about the angelic visit. She wondered about what was coming. The angel then told her not to be concerned. She was the recipient of God's favor and blessing. The angel told Mary that she would soon be pregnant and give birth to a son whose name would be Jesus.

The angel went on to say that Mary's son would be great and that God would place Him on the throne of David, His forefather. He would also reign over Israel forever and ever.

Here we see how Mary was being prepared to be a vessel that God would use for this most holy purpose.

3. Doubt and assurance (Luke 1:34-37). When Mary was called to be a vessel for God, she asked for clarification. She did not understand how she could become pregnant. Mary told the angel that she could not be pregnant, for she was a virgin. The angel replied that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that she would be filled with His power. Her baby would be the incarnate Son of the Almighty. Mary was chosen to be the bearer of Deity.

The angel had more good news. Her older relative Elisabeth, who had been considered barren, was pregnant in her old age. She was then six months into her pregnancy. The angel concluded his announcement by saying that nothing is impossible with God. Mary was chosen to experience God's power.

4. Total submission (Luke 1:38). How did Mary respond to this surprising announcement? Luke wrote that she responded with total submission to God. Mary identified herself as God's servant in total humility. She was in awe of this great announcement and the responsibility that was being given to her. She went on to say that she would do whatever God asked of her. Mary set us a great example of total submission to the will of God. She committed herself to be a vessel that God could use in whatever way He chose.

Having given the announcement, the angel departed from her. Our lesson this week shows us how Mary was chosen to be a vessel that God could use in any way He wanted. Mary humbled herself before God and was totally submitted to God's will.

QUESTIONS

1. How did Luke connect the announcement of Jesus' birth with that of John's birth?

2. Where was Nazareth? What was that part of the land like?

3. Why was it essential that Mary's child be truly human?

4. What was Mary's question for Gabriel? How did it differ from that of Zacharias?

5. What lessons can we learn from mary's submission?

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)