Annunciation: The annunciation brings to mind Old Testament stories like that of Sarah and Abraham (Gn 18:10) and of Manoah and his wife (Jgs 13). Luke may have these stories in mind because he has the angel tell Mary of the pregnancy of the older Elizabeth, picking up the theme of barren women conceiving, because “nothing is impossible with God.” Mary will conceive while having “no relations with a man.”
The annunciation to Mary and the annunciation to Zechariah form a diptych, that is, parallel panels presenting two stories side by side in order to show similarities and contrasts. The basic steps are present in both: the appearance of the angel, fear on the part of the human being, the message, the objection, and the sign. The fact that it is the same angel Gabriel who appears in both annunciations shows the unity of God’s salvific plan. But the contents of the angel’s message clearly show that Jesus is greater than John. Moreover, Mary fares better than Zechariah. He is rendered momentarily dumb because of his doubt, while Mary accepts the word of the angel in humility and faith.