An angel came to Mary and told her that she was chosen by the Lord to carry and give birth to his holy Son. This prologue provides a glimmer of hope and excitement.
Isaiah 9:6 says, “for unto us a Child is born to us a Son is given.” Israel was still about 700 years away from the birth of Christ. Biblical prophecy about the birth of Jesus becomes more specific in Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” ( Isaiah 7:14). God foreshadowed the coming of a Savior to rescue Israel from their enemies.
Such promises would have prompted the original audience to wonder “what does the Lord mean by that?”
The “he” here is Jesus, who was described centuries before the story of his birth.
