Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33)
The angel instructed Many to give her baby the name "Jesus." Joseph received the same instructions in Matthew's gospel: But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
These verses announce a King, yet they also set the stage for a suffering Savior. In the promise of the crown, the shadow of the cross is already found.
Gabriel proclaimed that Jesus would reign forever, fulfilling God’s covenant promises to David. This child would not merely restore a political kingdom but establish an eternal one. The language is unmistakably royal: throne, reign, kingdom without end. From the very beginning, the identity of Jesus is clear - He is King.
How would Jesus ascend to His throne? The crown would be reached by way of the cross. The same Messiah announced with angelic glory will later be rejected, mocked, scourged, and crucified. The throne promised in Luke 1 is inseparable from the suffering described later in the Gospel. Jesus does not bypass pain to gain power; He embraces suffering to accomplish redemption.
This is the great paradox of the Christian faith: the crown comes through the cross. Christ reigns because He first obeyed, humbled Himself, and laid down His life. His kingship is not built on domination but on sacrifice. At Calvary, the world saw weakness; heaven saw victory. The inscription above His head read “King of the Jews.” It was meant as ridicule, but in God’s providence, it declared the truth.
For believers, this truth shapes both our hope and our discipleship. We rejoice in the certainty that Christ’s kingdom will never end. No earthly power can rival His reign, and no suffering can undo His purposes. At the same time, we learn that following this King means embracing a cross-shaped life. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).
The angel announced a throne, but the Gospel reveals the road to it. The cross was not a detour from Christ’s kingship; it was the means by which the crown was secured. And because He reigns forever, all who trust in Him can endure present trials with confidence, knowing that suffering is not the end. Jesus has exchanged the cross for a crown.