Luke 1:39-56
Notes
Transcript
Luke 1:39-56
Luke 1:39-56
v.39-45
v.39-45
39 In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah
40 where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed!
43 How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me.
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”
Leaping for Joy
Leaping for Joy
Mary had heard from Gabriel about Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
And it was almost as if Gabriel was telling Mary to travel down and verify this impossible thing.
So Mary being the obedient and faithful woman of God hurried to go and visit her relative.
She didn’t waste anytime to see what God was doing in the life of Elizabeth and Zechariah.
Now, This wouldn’t have been a short trip.
The trip would have been around 80 miles for Mary and would have taken between 3-4 days.
Nevertheless, Mary was excited to see the Lord’s work in Elizabeth’s life.
When Mary entered into the house and greeted Elizabeth something amazing happened.
John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb.
I remember when Corrie was pregnant with our kiddos and she would always talk about how weird it would feel when the babies would kick.
Or when they would roll over.
Could you imagine how it would feel to have a baby leap in your womb.
Especially b/c the word used here is used to describe the skipping or leaping of a sheep in the field.
This would have been a strange experience to say the least.
But what we see here is that even before his birth, John is doing what he is called to do.
Do you see that, it is b/c of his leaping in the womb of Elizabeth that she recognizes that the Lord of Glory is in Mary’s Womb.
John is pointing to and preparing the heart of Elizabeth for this magnificent revelation.
John is announcing the presence of the Messiah before a word can even be spoken.
And the reason that John can do this is b/c of the promise that Gabriel made to Zechariah earlier in the temple.
Luke 1:15 “...He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.”
John from conception is preparing the way of the Lord.
Why did John respond this way?
First, B/c John was Chosen to be a prophet of God, filled with the HS while still in his mother’s womb.
His calling was in place before he could even speak a word.
Second, John was overcome with Joy.
He was leaping with Joy at the promise of God being fulfilled.
Responding with Joy at the faithfulness of his creator.
This is a precursor to the Joy that those who recognize Jesus as messiah will feel.
When people rightly understand who Jesus is and what he came to do, then the proper response is resounding joy.
B/c Jesus is the fountain and source of all Joy.
Not only that, but after John responds to Jesus’ presence.
Something happens that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.
B/c of this detail, we can know that what she is about to say to Mary is straight from the mouth of God.
She is going to prophesy.
She is going to speak on God’s behalf.
Elizabeth is going to speak the mind of God to Mary.
Elizabeth is overcome with the reality that she has been blessed by the presence of both Mary and Jesus.
B/c of the revelation she recieved from the HS she recognizes who Jesus is.
Elizabeth starts by saying that Mary is blessed among women.
We spoke about this last week.
Here Mary was not blessed b/c of her faith.
She wasn’t blessed b/c of anything that she did.
She was blessed b/c of the greatness of the child she was carrying.
Mary isn’t called to be worshipped or affirmed here.
We aren’t called to pray or bless Mary, rather Mary is blessed b/c she was chosen by God to carry the Christ Child.
Though Elizabeth is excited that Mary has arrived, she is more excited and joyful b/c Mary carries with her the hope of Salvation.
Elizabeth is overcome with gratitude and humble amazement that she has a part to play in God’s Plan.
Luke 1:43 “43 How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Notice how she addresses Jesus.
She addresses him as Lord here in v.43.
This is a Christological Title.
Meaning that E. understands that the child in Mary’s womb is the promised Messiah.
The Savior that has come to save and redeem his people.
Understand that at this point in time Mary hasn’t even started to show.
There isn’t a baby bump.
There isn’t any indication that she is pregnant other than the fact that the HS has made this revelation known to both John and E.
So even before his birth, Jesus was recognized as the Messiah by this humble couple in the Judean hill country.
The last thing that E says to Mary before we get to Mary’s response is
Luke 1:45 “45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!””
Mary is held out to be a faithful follower of the Lord.
She has believed the words that God has said.
And with that belief comes a blessing.
Here, unlike earlier, we learn that her faith is a source of blessing.
So we know that Mary is blessed b/c of the the Child she is carrying.
And we know that she is blessed b/c of her faith in the promises of God.
Mary’s blessedness stands in contrast to Zechariah’s lack of faith.
This phrase that Eliz. spoke about Mary would immediately have caused bells to go off in the minds of some of the original readers.
And if we know our bible, then it should cause some to go off in our minds.
“Blessed is she who has believed” should immediately cause our minds to think back to what was said about Abraham in Genesis 15:6 “6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
It was belief in the Lord that caused righteousness for Abraham.
And it was belief in God that caused blessedness for Mary.
Belief here isn’t just an intellectual understanding about God, rather it is more like trust in action.
There is action or faith being placed in the Lord’s hands b/c he is trustworthy, therefore Mary is blessed.
Since the revelation Mary recieved from Gabriel, she stands out as an example for all who will believe what God has said.
Mary is willing to let God use her in whatever way he sees fit.
She is submitting to God’s calling regardless of the cost she may face.
Why?
B/c she believes the Lord is trustworthy.
Her ability to have faith is based on the character and revelation of who God is.
She knows the Lord keeps his promises.
She knows that if the Lord said it than it will come to pass.
She knows that the Lord is trustworthy.
And b/c of that the Lord has blessed her faithfulness.
She has been touched by God Almighty.
Mary’s reality is based not on her circumstances or her situations.
Her reality is based on the character and promise of God.
We can learn a lot from this teenage mother to be.
Mary knows who God is and what God has done.
She has seen the confirmation of God’s promise in the womb of Elizabeth and the witness of Gabriel.
So how does she move forward?
How can she endure what she is going to face, but trusting in the perfect creator of the universe.
By remembering the stories of Scripture.
By meditating on the truths that God has revealed.
Her anchor, her hope, and her purpose come from an understanding of who God is.
A major theme throughout the first 2 chapters of Luke is that God does what he says he will do.
There is a constant reminder through these birth narratives that God keeps his word.
And there is rich blessing for those who believe that truth.
And as we will see in a minute looking at Mary’s song, this is done by remembering that God always keeps his promise.
Before we look at the song she sings, I want us to know that this is the first of 4 songs or hymns that are in chapters 1-2 of Luke.
Mary’s Song often called the Magnificat actually mirrors and reflects Hannah’s Song in the 1 Sam 2.
That’s why we read it earlier in the service.
Mary’s Magnificat can be broken down into 2 sections.
v.46-50 is Mary’s reflection on God’s grace toward her.
And v.51-55 is Mary’s reflection on God’s work in history.
Let’s dive into the first part
46 And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy.
50 His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.
Magnify the Lord
Magnify the Lord
We’re not sure when Mary composed this hymn.
Maybe it was on the journey from her home to Elizabeth’s.
She had a few days and 80ish miles to think about and reflect on God’s Goodness and grace.
We do know that Mary would have known and heard the Songs of the OT and those would have been an inspiration for Mary.
And we know that Hannah’s Song played a particular role in Mary’s praise.
You may be curious about who Hannah is.
Hannah is the mother of the Last Judge of the OT, Samuel.
Hannah was barren, so she couldn’t have children.
But she continued to pray to the Lord for a child.
God heard her cry and opened her womb allowing her to conceive of Samuel.
Hannah responds to God’s grace with a song of praise and thanksgiving.
And every young Israelite would have knew Hannah’s song by heart b/c it was sung on certain feast days.
So this would have been on the forefront of Mary’s mind as she’s traveling.
Mary begins her song with the words:
“My soul magnifies the Lord”
The Greek literally translates to “My soul makes great the Lord.”
I want us to see the focus of Mary here.
It’s how great the Lord is.
Now obviously she can’t make him any bigger or greater, but her very being.
Everything within her wants to make much about the Lord.
This is should be the heart of every believer.
That we would want to magnify the Lord.
He is the creator, sustainer, and savior and is worthy of all praise.
But how do we magnify the Lord.
We continually think about the his greatness.
About how he has worked in our lives.
We constantly reflect on the beauty of the gospel message.
We make much of him at home, school, and work.
We live, act, and work as if he truly exists and interacts with the world.
We grow in our knowledge of him both theologically and biblically
Meditating on his Word and having it influence our life and actions.
We most magnify the Lord when we are living, learning, and growing according to his design.
Trusting in him even in the most difficult of circumstances.
And Like Mary we magnify the Lord when we rejoice in him as our savior.
Mary rejoices at the fact that God is her savior.
Even Mary needed a savior.
She wasn’t free from sin.
She was human just like all of us, Mary needed a savior.
As do we.
I think it’s silly when we don’t realize our need for salvation.
When we think we are good enough or that we work hard enough that the Lord needs to be gracious to us strictly based on our own merit.
So we need a reality check.
If anything that we could say, do, or be could provide us with salvation we wouldn’t need Jesus.
We wouldn’t need a savior.
But the reality is, we do need a savior.
We needed God the Son to put on flesh to live the perfect life and to die the sinners death so that we could be made right with God.
We need not think to highly of ourselves.
We need a savior.
And when we recognize that we need a savior, then we can, like Mary, rejoice that God has provided that savior for us.
The only way we can recognize that we need a savior.
To know the fact that we aren’t as good as we think we are is for us to have humility.
That’s what is on full display in the opening verses of Mary’s Song.
She utterly demonstrates the depths of her humility.
Her focus is on who God is.
While also recognizing that she is simply a humble servant.
God has looked down on her with favor b/c of his grace and not b/c of anything she has done.
Mary is overwhelmed with the reality that for generations to come people are going to call her blessed not b/c of what she’s done but b/c of the favor or grace that God has given to her.
Mary is grateful and humbled that God has chosen to use her in his story.
That she gets to play a part in the history of redemption.
The Story of salvation.
And honestly, we have many people who make too much of Mary.
There are denominations that appear to almost worship this woman.
And I believe that if Mary were able to speak to us today she would feel saddened.
B/c when people worship or venerate Mary they are taking their eyes off of the the real reason for joy.
The grace of God.
Surely Mary is a special if not the most important woman to ever live, but she is still a woman.
A vessel that was used by God to be Jesus’ Mother.
But it’s not Mary who deserves praise.
It’s the Lord.
He is the one who provides salvation.
He is the one who dispenses grace.
He is the one who pours out goodness on those who believe.
Mary’s humility is an example to all believers.
That no matter what God saved you from He is the focus and focal point of life.
God is the one who does good things.
Even here we see that Mary is glorifying the Lord bringing attention to him and his work.
She’s like a bright neon sign pointing out the goodness of God on her life.
And she can do that b/c she understands the importance of humility.
She understands her place in this world
She understands that apart from the grace and goodness of God none of this would be possible.
We need to approach our life and salvation with the same force of humility.
St. Augustine, considered by many to be the greatest theologian of the church, understood this implicitly and wrote: “For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, and humility is the third.”
Mary will be called blessed for many generations b/c of her example of humility and ultimately b/c o the child she is carrying.
She gets to play a tremendous and beautiful role in God’s plan of salvation.
But she understands that it is only b/c of the mercy, grace, and goodness of God that this is possible.
In this hymn, I want us to notice 3 things that Mary says about the Lord that helps her to have the proper perspective on who he is.
These are 3 divine perfections that God alone possesses.
First, she speaks about his perfect divine power.
Calling him the Mighty one draws implications that he is the only one that can do the impossible.
He is superior in strength, power, and might.
Through his power he is able to accomplish everything that he sets out to do.
He can open closed wombs and cause a virgin to be pregnant.
He is the only one who could provide salvation, b/c he is the only one who can overcome sin and death.
Second, she says that his name is holy. That is the Lord’s Perfect Divine Holiness.
The Holiness of God is an attribute that he alone possesses.
Holiness describes God’s very essence.
God is pure, moral, and perfect.
One of a kind.
And b/c he is the holy one it is through him alone that holiness can be poured out on those who believe.
Lastly, Mary tells us that God is perfectly divinely merciful.
God grants mercy to all who will believe.
Notice that caveat.
His mercy is available, but it is only available to those who fear him.
All Generations can experience mercy, if they fear, trust, and obey the living God.
There is no limitation on God’s Mercy.
All who seek him, all who fear him, all who trust him will receive his mercy.
However, those who don’t fear him will face his wrath.
And to back up her song of praise to the Lord, she looks back on the stories and truths she would have learned in the synagogue.
She looks back to the things she knows about what God has done as the basis for the confidence she has in the Lord this day.
Mary knows that God’s kingdom.
The movement of salvation is moving toward what has been called the upside down kingdom.
In the next several verses, Mary is going to tell us that those who think they have power, those who lack humility, and those who don’t fear the Lord are in for a rude awakening when God finishes his work.
51 He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors.
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.
Looking Back, Seeing Forward
Looking Back, Seeing Forward
Looking at these verses we notice that the verbs are all in the past tense.
“He has performed … he has scattered … He has brought down … has lifted up … He has filled … but has sent … He has helped.”
Mary is looking forward to what God will do as if it is already done.
She knows that if God has declared it then it is as good as done.
Not only that, but God has already done these things on smaller scales when it comes to the scope of human history.
So Mary, though she wouldn’t use these words, is banking on the immutability or unchanging nature of God.
She knows what he has done, so she has confidence that he will continue to do them in the future.
She is looking forward to the mighty reversals that the Messiah she is carrying will initiate.
Knowing who God is means knowing what he has done.
So what do we read about God in this song.
First, the Lord has done a mighty deed with his arm and has scattered the proud b/c of the thoughts of their hearts.
The outstretched arm is speaking about the power and might of the Lord, tying it back to the name Mighty One.
Has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
As we spoke about earlier, God loves the humble.
However, the proud and arrogant are scattered by the mighty arm of the Lord.
Why? b/c you can’t be proud and fear God.
And those that don’t fear the Lord are his enemies.
This judgment recalls the Exodus event.
The Lord scattered and defeated Pharoah and his army b/c they were overcome with pride.
Pharoah didn’t want to bow the knee to the Lord so he was overcome and thwarted.
God exercised his power and judgment on the Egyptian people b/c their pride hindered them from humility.
Pharoah thought that he was the biggest, strongest, and most powerful person who Existed.
He believed that he was a god amongst men.
So the Lord revealed how little power Pharoah actually had.
Showing to Pharaoh that whatever earthly power and authority he may have had paled in comparison to God’s power and divine authority.
With those same outstretched arms Jesus would eventually overcome sin and death through his powerful sacrifice.
His arms would be stretched out on that cross enduring the pain and wrath of God on our behalf.
This is the might and power of God on display for the world to see.
Though Jesus will come back in all power and might conquering those who oppose him, he demonstrated his power through sacrifice.
So first God is and has overcome his enemies those who are fueled by pride and arrogance.
But God doesn’t stop there, he also lifts the heads of the oppressed.
The Lord isn’t just a warrior, he is also a servant fully of compassion and grace.
Mary tells us that he has exalted the lowly, satisfied the hungry with good things, and helped his servant.
Again this isn’t a blanket statement.
Not all who are oppressed, lowly, hungry and poor are helped by the Lord.
But those who fear him will receive his comfort, will partake in his grace.
There still needs to be a recongnition of God’s authority and power with those who are lowly.
He will not help those who are entitled or self righteous.
Even those who are least in the world can have haughty hearts and prideful souls.
So this isn’t about just the socioeconomic status of those mentioned here.
Not all wealthy and powerful are corrupt.
Not all poor and lowly are humble.
Really God is looking at the hearts of man.
Your heart reveals who you truly are.
Are you one who will praise the Lord when you have both much and little.
Or are you going to elevate yourself in all circumstances.
Are you going to humbly approach the Lord in gratitude.
Or are you going to expect the world to bow down and worship you?
Where do you stand today?
Do think that God owes you something or are you praising him for all the grace and blessings he has already poured out on you?
Looking to see what God has done really is the key for how you unlock humility.
Reflecting on the works of the Lord will open your eyes to see his grace and goodness everywhere.
That’s what Mary is doing here.
She even makes the trip all the way back to Abraham and the promises that God made to him.
Reflecting on God’s orchestrating of history that leads toward redemption.
Our satisfaction in the Lord doesn’t come from the things he gives us, but in the character he has shown us.
He is the ultimate gift.
His salvation is the pinnacle of all goodness.
And the only way that we can recognize this fully is through a humble heart.
Humility is the natural product of reflection about who God is. In the ancient world, relationship with God was not a casual affair, as if God were a friendly neighbor. Rather, it was seen as an honor, and it called for a deep sense of respect, much like a person might respond to hosting a famous dignitary
It is through humility and gratitude toward the Lord that we find true satisfaction.
So what do we need to take away from Mary’s Song?
First, let us live a life of humility.
Relying on the Lord and being thankful for his goodness in our lives.
Second, let’s take time to know the history of God’s work in redemption.
It’s great to know the gospel and the elementary things of Scripture.
But let’s dive in more to see the beauty of the story that God has told through his Word.
It is through a hunger and a thirst to know God’s work in the past that we can see what his work will be in the future.
It is through knowing his word that we can see his attributes most clearly and therefore worship him more truly.
Third, let’s take God at his word.
If he said it, he’s going to do it and that is evidenced by faithfulness we read about in the Scriptures.
Take sometime this week to reflect on the grand narrative of Scripture.
From the opening pages of Genesis to the closing words of Revelation, God has done a mighty thing in our world.
And don’t just look at the pages of scripture, but reflect on how God has worked in your life.
That’s a well rounded approach and even the approach that Mary took.
She saw what God was doing in her life and she anchored it in the history of God’s actions through the Ages.
May we do the same.
Let’s pray.