With God, Nothing is Impossible: Matthew 1, Luke 1

Zacharius. An old, childless priest.

Mary. A young virgin.

Both are visited by the angel Gabriel.

Both are told about the miraculous circumstances in their lives.

And both asked a question.

Zacharius asked, "Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is well stricken in years."

Mary asked, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"

In essence, they asked the same question—"How is this possible?"

And yet, their results are vastly different. 

One is struck dumb, the other is given an answer. 

What was the difference?

Faith. 

Zacharias is told he will be struck dumb because he "believes not [Gabriel's] words."

And when Mary is told "with God, nothing shall be impossible," she responds "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy words."

I've taken a lot away from these two stories, but most importantly I've learned:  

Asking questions is important. But how we ask the question is also important. 

When we ask in faith, prepared to act in faith, miracles happen. 

Mary isn't the only women in Christ's lineage to understand this truth. Four women are mentioned in Christ's lineage. All four came from less than ideal circumstances. 

Tamar, whose husband died and her father-in-law left her high and dry.

Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho.

Ruth, whose husband died.

Bathsheba, who was essentially raped and then the rapist proceeded to murder her husband. 

                               

 
                               
  

Each of them chose to not defined by their circumstance, but by their bold choices, that lead them to becoming a part of Christ's lineage. 

• Tamar creates a cunning plan to get her father-in-law to follow the law. (Gen. 38)
• In our day, sleeping with your father-in-law sounds completely scandalous; however, according to the levirate, Middle Assyrian law, when Tamar's husband died, Judah was supposed to give her to his second son (which he did). When that second son died, he had two options: wait until his youngest son was old enough to marry her or take the husband responsibilities onto himself. Judah did neither, nor did he allow Tamar to remarry, forcing her into a strange limbo. Tamar found a way to force Judah to obey the law, giving her and her children a place in the family, her posterity secured, Christ's line preserved.

• Rahab invited Joshua's spies into her home. (Josh. 2:1)
• This was considered such a monumental act of faith that her name and actions were mentioned in Hebrews 11, essentially the Bible's faith highlight reel, along with other big shots such as Abraham, Moses, and Noah. By inviting the spies into her home and hiding them, Rahab acted in faith and secured her posterity.

• Bathsheba stopped a coup and maneuvered her son as King. (2 Sam. 11-12)
• An important note: Bathsheba was not bathing on the roof when David saw her. She was bathing in her house, cleansing herself after her period to follow the law of Moses when David saw her from his roof. According to law, even if Bathsheba had wanted to, she could not refuse the king’s command to lie with him, regardless of her married status. Nathan the prophet proclaimed Bathsheba’s innocence when he compared her to "a little ewe lamb." After being raped, having her husband murdered, and marrying her husband’s murderer, Bathsheba had all the rights to feel like a pawn and act as such. However, knowing that if she didn't take action, both she and her son would most certainly be killed (source ), Bathsheba brilliantly maneuvered to ensure that her son was king, securing her posterity.

• Ruth did not go back to the life she previously knew, faithfully following Naomi and Naomi's God. (Ruth 1:16)
• After both of her sons passed away, Naomi tried to convince her daughter-in-law—Ruth—to leave her and return to her home in Moab. Naomi had no other sons to marry her to. She was too old to have another child, and her own husband was deceased. According to the levirate, Naomi felt there was nothing she could do for her widowed daughter-in-law. If Ruth stayed with her, she would risk missing her chance for another marriage and a secure future. Ruth, despite Naomi's reasoning, remained with Naomi, proclaiming Naomi's God her own God. Then, Ruth acted in faith, and similar to Tamar, puts herself in a situation that would allow Boaz (Naomi's relative) to follow levirate. Ruth's actions that night secured her and posterity.

This genealogy not only confirms Christ's Davidic royal lineage, it also confirms Christ comes from a line of strong, brave women who acted boldly in faith to secure their posterity when no one else could. Without each of them making the choice they did, Christ would not have been born. They each asked, similar to Mary, in hard and sometimes dire situations, "how is this possible" and then, they took action with faith, all of which eventually brought the Savior of mankind into the world. 

Each of these, in their strenuous circumstances, became witnesses of God's power. 

And we can both witness that power and become witnesses of that power as well. 

Because, as Gabriel said, with God, nothing is impossible.