December 1: Discovery Questions (based on Luke 1:26-38)
1. What do you think it would be like to be in the presence of the angel Gabriel? How do you think Mary knew this was actually an angel with God’s message?
Ask two people to read aloud Luke 1:26-38, one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to briefly summarize the passage.
2. Gabriel told Mary she was “highly favored” and that the “Lord is with” her (1:28), but Mary was “greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be” (1:29).
- Why do you think Mary would be troubled by the angel’s words and greeting?
- Do you think the appearance of the angel may have caused Mary to suspect that God had a task for her to complete? Explain.
3. Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid because she had “found favor with God” (1:30).
- What do you think the angel meant when he said Mary had “found favor with God”? How do you think Mary “found favor with God”?
- How do you think we find favor with God today?
4. After announcing that Mary would have a child, he described the importance of the child that would be born (1:32-33).
- How do you think Mary understood the angel’s statements about the child she would be having?
- Do you think Mary recalled the angel’s remarks about Jesus years later when he was being crucified? What do you think Mary thought about the angel’s words at the crucifixion?
5. When Mary questioned the possibility of giving birth as a virgin (1:34), the angel told her that a barren relative, Elizabeth, was now pregnant (1:36). Luke 1:39-41 tells us that Mary left Nazareth to visit Elizabeth.
- Why did the angel tell Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy? Was it important for Mary to know that Elizabeth was pregnant?
- Why did Mary rush off into the “hill country of Judea” to visit Elizabeth?
6. Read Luke 1:38. What does Mary’s response to the angel tell us about Mary? How should the example of Mary’s response be reflected within us?
7. Some people have denied the virgin birth of Jesus as recorded in Scripture. What is the importance of the virgin birth to Christianity?
- What does the virgin birth tell us about Jesus?
- Would it matter if Jesus were not born of a virgin?
8. Based on our study and discussion, complete the sentence: “I will . . .”
For Next Week: Read and reflect on Luke 2:41-50; 8:22-25. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts and the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
This month’s lesson segment concludes our study through the entire Bible. In January we will begin formatting the past six years of The Lookout lesson material (topically and as individual books of the Bible) in an updated lesson series, “1717 Studies: Your Word Is Truth.” The first in the new series, a study of Galatians, is available now for you to download and use at no cost. We hope you’ll join us in our effort to make the Word of God accessible, understandable, and appliable to groups and individuals.
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