Mary in the Gospel of Luke: Part VI: The Annunciation

The Annunciation

Is  there anything of special significance in Gabriel’s words to Mary, The Lord is with you? In trying to decipher an expression of scripture, it is always important to check if the phrase is found elsewhere in the Word of God. Its usage in other bible sections  often sheds light on its fundamental meaning in the particular passage under examination.

It is striking how often the phrase The Lord is with you or its equivalent (e.g., The Lord was with him, I am with you) is scattered throughout the books of the bible! For example, in Genesis 26, God says to Isaac, “I am with you” (v. 24) and shortly afterwards Abimelech tells Isaac: “We have seen plainly that the Lord is with you” (v. 28). Nathan the prophet tells King David: “Do whatever you have in mind for the Lord is with you”. Additionally, 1 Samuel 16:18 speaks of David as wise in speech and handsome and the Lord is with him.

In the New Testament, in addition to Gabriel’s words to Mary, the expression is found in an equivalent form in Paul’s conclusion to his second letter to the Christians of Thessalonika; “the Lord be with you all” (3:16). And in 2 Tim 4:22: The Lord be with your spirit.

A Prayer for God’s Mighty Presence or a Statement of God’s Presence

The scriptural expression The Lord is with you is used primarily either as a prayer for God’s mighty presence (e.g. 2 Th 3:16), or as a statement of God’s presence (e.g. 1 Sam 16:18). Rarely – only twice in the Old Testament – is the phrase used as a greeting; May the Lord be with you is the salutation of Boaz to the reapers in the field (Ruth 2:4). And an angel announces to Gideon; The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor (Judges 6:12). The context leads us to believe that on Boaz’ lips the expression is a wish, a prayer; however, it is a statement of fact when used by the angel in addressing Gideon.

In the annunciation narrative, the phrase is clearly a greeting: The angel entered and said to her, “Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with You”. Moreover, the context emphatically suggests that it be understood not as a wish, a prayer; rather, it is a statement of a fact: The Lord is with Mary. The only Old Testament occurrence of the phrase The Lord is with you which appears to tally perfectly with the address of the angel Gabriel to Mary is, therefore, the greeting of the angel to Gideon.

What conclusions can be drawn from this? Are we permitted to say that since the angel is saluting Gideon in a situation where the future of the people of God is at stake, THEREFORE, that identical situation must be the context of Gabriel’s greeting to Mary? Luke would, then, be telling us not only that the Lord is with Mary, but also that the future of the people of God is at stake in the message of the angel to Our Lady.

The Message is Momentous

It would be impossible to say with certainty that this is Luke’s intention. The extensive Old Testament usage – even as a statement of fact – of The Lord is with you (and its equivalents) has made the expression quite bland. We know that the message to Gideon is momentous. Not because of the phrase The Lord is with you,  but from the context itself which speaks of a decisive battle with the enemies of Israel.

We know that the message to Mary is momentous. Not because of the expression The Lord is with you but from the context itself which speaks of the decisive victory of the incarnation. It is surely legitimate to note the similarity between the serious context of the announcement to Gideon and of the announcement to Mary. However, we cannot deduce the momentous significance of the angel Gabriel’s message from the sole fact that The Lord is with you is also used in an angelic salutation to Gideon.

The Greeting Absorbs a Deeper Meaning

The significance of Gabriel’s statement that the Lord is with Mary should not be exaggerated. However, placed in the entire context of the annunciation narrative, the greeting absorbs a deeper meaning from the other elements of the message of the angel.

That Gabriel is saluting Mary in a momentous situation is without doubt; that the future of the people of God – of all creation – is at stake in this dialogue between God and Mary is evident; that the Lord God the Son is literally with Our Lady through the overshadowing Spirit and her faith consent is clear. However, these conclusions flow not from the common-place expression The Lord is with you. They flow from the message of the angel and Mary’s faith-response.

The liturgy so often employs the greeting – as a wish, a prayer – that the Lord be with the people of God. The Lord be with you prays the celebrant; and also with you responds the congregation. This repeated liturgical dialogue can be a reminder of the declarative greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary; The Lord is with you. It is the prayer of the Church that Jesus the Lord lives within us ever more intensely. And the annunciation use of this expression makes us understand that for this prayer to be truly effective, we must open our hearts to the Lord. Just as Mary did to the greeting of the angel. We too must repeat with her: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.

(To Be Continued)