Characters at the Cradle: Mary, An Introduction to Gabriel, Mary, and Joseph
Release Date: 11/24/2025
Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, About What?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick We are looking at the characters at the cradle, the people who found their lives intersecting with the life of Jesus, with divine precision. Each person carried a unique role and responsibility and stewarded his or her place in history with great purpose. Zechariah was one of those characters. In spite of his initial unbelief, which left him deaf and mute for a season, he allowed his time in silence to shape him and refine him for what was to come with the birth of John. Once Zechariah’s speech was restored, he was filled with the Spirit and began to prophesy. About what,...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, Speech Restored
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we cover Zechariah’s prophecy found in Luke 1:67-79. This passage is powerful and full of revelation and insight. If you remember where we have been, Zechariah’s words come on the heels of Elizabeth’s prophetic exclamation in verse 42, Mary’s song of praise in verses 46-56, and the birth of John in verses 57-66. Zechariah is coming off his nine months of silence. Because he expressed words of doubt and unbelief when the angel Gabriel had told him that he would finally have a son named John, Zechariah was rendered mute and deaf. By the time John arrived,...
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Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, Awe and Wonder
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick “And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, ‘What then will this child be?’ For the hand of the Lord was with him.” Luke 1:65-66. When Zechariah’s voice returned, he started blessing God for all that had happened to him and Elizabeth. He was incredibly grateful for the birth of his child. The text goes on to tell us that all the neighbors were filled with fear. The “fear” talked about here is not dread or being afraid. On the...
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Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, Words of Worship
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick When Zechariah wrote down, “His name is John,” for all to see and read, he obeyed in specificity all the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do. At that moment, something significant happened. Let’s take a look. “And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God” (Luke 1:64). Immediately. What a powerful word! Not gradual, not slowly… immediately! Zechariah’s act of obedience led to his immediate breakthrough. At that moment, he was able to speak again. And the words that poured forth blessed the one true God. This might...
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Characters at the Cradle: John The Baptist, His Name is John
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The ultimate name of the Christmas story is born into a cradle. His name is Jesus. But there are many characters at the cradle who play significant roles in highlighting the Savior of the world. One, in particular, is the forerunner to the message of Jesus. His name is John. Luke 1:61-63 continues the story of John’s circumcision. Even though everyone thought this special baby would be named after his father, Gabriel instructed Zechariah to name him John. Because Zechariah was still mute, Elizabeth had just spoken up to tell everyone the name. No one who gathered for this...
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Characters at the Cradle: John The Baptist, What’s His Name?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick What’s in a name? There is power in a name. Meaning in a name. Purpose in a name. In Scripture, names often point to someone’s God-ordained purpose. Today, you will learn why John’s name was significant. After John was born, Zechariah and Elizabeth took him to be circumcised on the eighth day, as was the Jewish custom. This was also the time when the father would pronounce the name of the child. Often in biblical times, the child would be named after the father. This actually still happens a lot in today’s culture as well. So for John’s circumcision, everyone...
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Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, The Birth
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we are going to look at another character at the cradle. Join me as we explore the birth of John the Baptist, found in Luke 1:57-66. We will start today by looking at verses 57 and 58. Elizabeth’s time to give birth has finally arrived! After her five months of hiddenness and Zechariah’s nine months of silence, the divine time for John to enter the world had arrived! Think about all that must have happened to Elizabeth over those nine months. Somehow, Zechariah figured out a way to tell her about Gabriel’s visit to him in the temple. The shock, the unbelief,...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary’s Magnificat, Let There be Praise
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Let there be praise! While Mary’s Magnificat ends with verse 55, Luke 1:56 tells us what Mary did after she completed this psalm of praise. I often find that the practical action steps that follow a spiritual encounter are equally as important, if not more, than the encounter itself. It is important to put action behind our experiences. Mary did just that. The Bible says that Mary remained with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned to her home. What do you think happened in those three months? I can think of 3 things that I think happened. First, I think Mary...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary’s Magnificat, God Loves Israel
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46-56 depicts a profound display of praise and adoration from Mary toward God. In the Latin Vulgate translation, “magnificat” means “magnifies.” These verses are designed to purely magnify the Lord God. In verses 54 and 55, Mary said, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” These verses mark a shift in Mary from praise for what God had done for her personally to praise for what this child would do for Israel. Mary knew that this gift of a...
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Characters at the Cradle: Mary’s Magnificat, The Greatness of God
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The greatness of God is one of the profound mysteries of the Christian faith. His glory, his majesty, his dominion, his power. Our God is mighty! But in his greatness and might, he chose to come down to earth, taking on the form of a servant, to live the perfect life none of us could live, die the death we deserved, and restore anyone who responds to his salvation by grace through faith back into relationship with the Father. In Luke 1:50-53, Mary expounded upon what the birth of Jesus would mean for those who are weak or feel insignificant, for those who are hungry and...
info_outlineby David Chadwick
This week, we will continue to look at some more characters whose lives had profound intersections with the cradle of Jesus. Over the past two weeks, we studied Zechariah and Elizabeth.
This week, we study Mary, the mother of Jesus. But in order to understand Mary, we have to understand Gabriel and Joseph as well.
After Gabriel visited Zechariah with the amazing news that his wife would give birth to a baby named John (the Baptist), God gave him a second assignment. He told him to go visit a young virgin girl named Mary in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. She was betrothed to a man named Joseph who was from the house of David. In those days, the betrothal time was a set apart year-long period during which a couple could get to know one another before marriage.
In order to fully understand the significance of Mary and Joseph, you must know these two important biblical truths. First, Mary was a virgin. She had to be a virgin in order to fulfill the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy. The Christ child had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin woman in order to bypass the way that Adam’s sin was transmitted through humanity ever since the Fall in Genesis 3. Secondly, Joseph had to be in the household of David in order to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage (Jeremiah 23:5).
Joseph, too, is an important part of the story. Gabriel appears to him in Matthew’s gospel to assure him that Mary is impregnated by the Holy Spirit. He obeyed and must have been a great father.
Gabriel, the same angel that appeared to Zechariah, also appeared to Mary saying, “Greetings, O favored one.” He announced the coming Messiah, telling Mary she would have a son named Jesus, which means Savior, for he will save the world of its sins. Jesus would be the Son of the Most High God. He would reign over Israel and God’s Kingdom.
Mary was a Godly woman, likely a young teenager, who was specifically chosen by God to carry out a very important mission. She was not perfect, as Catholics assume, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But I do think she should be honored more than many Protestants tend to honor her.
Much like Zechariah, Mary was troubled, startled, and overwhelmed. Mary wondered, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” This question is profound, and I will help answer it tomorrow. Stay tuned.