Gabriel Come Nazareth

Ordinary day for ordinary house for one very small village. One young woman dey do her work. And then one voice talk: I greet you, you wey God favour well well. Di Lord dey with you.

Six months don pass since di angel Gabriel appear to Zechariah inside di temple for Jerusalem, di biggest building for di whole land. Now God send Gabriel go one place wey different well well. E go north, go Galilee, go one town wey dem dey call Nazareth. Na farming village for di hills, so small and so unimportant say di Old Testament no ever mention am. Years after, somebody go ask, any good tin fit comot from Nazareth? For there, God send Gabriel to one young woman, one virgin, wey don engage to marry one man wey im name na Joseph, wey come from King David line. And di young woman name na Mary.

Gabriel enter where she dey and talk, I greet you, you wey God favour well well. Di Lord dey with you. God don bless you pass all women. Luke tell us say di words wey e talk trouble Mary well well. No be only di angel imself, but di greeting. She dey wonder wetin kind greeting be dis. Why God messenger go talk to her like dis? She still young, she come from simple family, for one village wey nobody remember. She no be priest for temple. She no dey pray for son. Highly favoured no mean say Mary don work for something. E mean say God don choose to show her im grace.

So di angel talk gently, as e talk to Zechariah. No fear, Mary, because you don find favour with God. Then e give her di news. You go get belle, and you go born son, and you go call im name Jesus. Jesus na di Greek form of di Hebrew name Joshua, wey mean di Lord dey save. Mary no get chance to choose her son name. God don already choose am, and di name dey tell di whole world wetin e come do.

And Gabriel never finish. E tell Mary who her son go be. E go be great, and dem go call am di Son of di Most High. And di Lord God go give am di throne of im papa David. E go rule over di house of Jacob forever, and im kingdom no go ever end. Mary go don understand wetin dose words mean. God don promise King David, one thousand years before, say one of im sons go rule forever. Prophets don repeat di promise through di exile and through di return. Families don wait for am from one generation to another. Now one angel dey tell one young woman for Nazareth say di King wey God promise go be her own son.

Luke talk say Mary don dey betrothed to Joseph. For Jewish life dat time, betrothal big pass engagement of today. E be agreement wey bind dem. Di two of dem don commit to each other by law, and to end am need something like divorce, na why Matthew talk say Joseph think to put Mary away quietly. Normally, di bride go still dey live with her own family for some time, often about one year, before di wedding, when she go move enter her husband house.

You go find Gabriel greeting for Luke chapter one, verse twenty-six reach thirty-three. God biggest promise no land for palace or for temple, but for one village wey nobody expect, to one young woman wey nobody don hear about. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin e dey tell you about God, say e choose Nazareth, and Mary, for di most important news for history?