In this lesson, students learn about their Savior come from heaven to be their brother. He was born and grew up as one of us.
Devotion
Galatians 4:4
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons.
This Bible passage talks about the circumstances when God sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior. He tells us that everything was just right. So even though WE don't know the exact day, or even the year that Jesus was born, God had planned before He even created the world that THIS would be the time.
For example, Adam and Eve thought that the Savior was their first-born son Cain, whose name means "I have begotten the LORD." But history shows us that Cain was not our Savior. Every believer from then until the time that God told Mary she would be the mother of our Savior, was waiting patiently for Him. Of course, Cain couldn't have been the Savior for another reason. He was just a man, where Jesus is a human because Mary was His mother. He is also God because the Holy Spirit, not Joseph was His Father.
People can't understand how such a miracle could take place. Even Mary asked, "How can this be?" But the truth is quite simple for while we consider it a miracle, God just used His power to make it happen.
In today's lesson, we will study that Jesus is truly a man. But we will also want to remember as verse five says that He came to buy us back from our sins so that we who should be dead have been made alive to be siblings with Jesus and adopted children of God.
The Annunciation by Murillo, 1655–1660, Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
Adoration of the Shepherds by Dutch painter Matthias Stomer, 1632
The lesson
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”
29 But she was greatly troubled by the statement and was wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God. 31 Listen, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Listen, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age even though she was called barren, and this is her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible for God.”
38 Then Mary said, “See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.