Luke 1:46-56
“A Magnificent Reflection” – In Two Parts
We’re getting closer to the birth narrative of our Savior. Luke is teasing out details of the fundamental fact about Christmas:
Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh.
In other words, as John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” In other, other words, we’re talking about the incarnation. Jesus Christ is God come to us in human flesh. The incarnate Word of God.
The incarnation, as John Piper reminds us, is the most fundamental fact about Christmas. It starts with God. It comes from God. Luke tells us, “An angel was sent from God.”
Make no mistake. Christmas has no Biblical meaning without God. Clearly,
Christmas has an American meaning without God. In fact, all over the world, Christmas has meaning without God. Non-believers celebrate Christmas. Psalm 2 asks, “Why do the heathen rage?” Our question is, “Why do heathens celebrate Christmas?” Christmas has no historical or Biblical meaning without God.
Christmas is about the Creator of the universe moving Himself into the universe He made. Remember, God is not part of the universe. That’s what we mean when we talk about His transcendence. God is beyond the universe, not limited by space or time. Yet God chose, in the person of His Son, to move into the universe He made. What is even more remarkable is God chose to move into the universe populated by people in open rebellion against the goodness and beauty of that which He created. God chose to enter into the universe in order to save those who are in active rebellion against Him. As Paul said in 1 Timorthy 1:15:
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
So Christmas is about something God initiated. Here’s something you might want to write down:
GOD BROKE INTO THE UNIVERSE BY DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE.
And that is the truth we find in Mary’s Magnificat.
Let’s now look at Luke 1:46-56:
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Some of you remember the encounter that set this beautiful hymn in motion. Mary went to visit Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped for joy.
The best way to sum up this encounter, which leads to Mary’s Magnificat, is something else you might want to write down:
PROMISE AND FULFILLMENT
What God promised through the prophets and the promise delivered
through an angel of the Lord to both Elizabeth and Mary is now fulfilled. The baby leaping in Elizabeth’s womb is the joyful fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior. In fact, as we’ll now discover, Mary is the first to hint that Jesus’ birth will bring salvation.
Here’s how well Mary understands the promise.
In verse 46 she says, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” That is an echo of Psalm 34:2, “My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.” Then, in verse 47, Mary says, “And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” That echoes Isaiah 45:21, “Declare and present your case; letthem take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.” And then, in verse 48 she says, “For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” We hear 1 Samuel 1:11 in that, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” In verse 49 Mary says, “For he who is mighty has done great things for me.” Here's how Psalm 126:3 echoes that, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” She finishes verse 49 with, “And holy is his name,” which is a direct reference from Psalm 111:9, “He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!”
What do we know from these few short verses of Mary’s Magnificat? We know she knew God’s Word. She Biblically understood the claim God had placed upon her life. Out of this, here’s something important to remember:
Mary does not identify herself as being the object of adoration…God is the object of her adoration.
Here are some important gleanings from Mary’s Magnificat.
First, it is intense. When verse 46 says, “My soul magnifies the Lord,” the Greek word is megalunei. What do know about any Greek word with the prefix, “mega”? “Mega” means huge or large or magnified. Mary is expanding her praise to God. It is all about the intensity of her praise.
Then, in verse 47, we read the word rejoices. Like megalunei, it is another
hyperbolic word. There’s a lovely thing about the Greek word translated “rejoices.” The word is egalliasen. It is a compound word. From agan, or “much, very,” and hallomai, or “jump, leap.” Hallomai means, at its root, “to spring up or bubble up.” And you’d be exactly right to picture effervescent waters. You could also say, “jumping for joy.”
Have you ever been so happy you couldn’t contain it? We’ve all had moments of jumping for joy. In Mary’s case, her heart cannot contain the truths about God. She worships with intensity.
How about us? Are our hearts and minds connecting with great truths about God? When we leave this sanctuary on Sunday morning, having declared that God is good all the time…when we face hardship or trouble or disappointment, does that affirmation carry us through? Does it mean something real and tangible in those dark times of life? If we, like Mary, are rejoicing in God our Savior, it will. Music lifts us and encourages us and engages us in great truths of the Bible. To paraphrase Alistair Begg, these aren’t inspirational talks or therapeutic endeavors. We’re not attending a concert. We are encountering the massive truths of what God has done for
us in Jesus Christ. Like Mary, we want to worship with intensity. Amen?
Now, don’t misunderstand. Worship doesn’t only engage our hearts and minds here on Sunday morning. Worship is expressed daily. We especially resonate with the Psalmist when we praise God for the beauty and wonder of His creation. It’s not that God is part of creation or is found in creation or anything like that. It’s simply that the beauty and wonder of God’s creation reflects His grace and awesome power. It seems weird, but the older I get, the more time I spend enjoying what’s all around us. It’s not that I see God in creation. It’s that I rejoice in the God of creation.
Last month I read a blurb about a certain kind of Japanese beetle that has an amazing defense mechanism against getting eaten. God has given this little guy an amazing gift. It has nothing to do with what happens before getting eaten. If a frog makes the mistake of eating him, the beetle moves like greased lightening through the frog’s digestive system. He dodges all the digestive properties of the frog before taking the rear exit, fully alive and intact. Amazing little dude created by God to do that.
I read that and the first thing I thought of was Psalm 8:
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants,you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.”
It could be anything for whatever reason, but what draws your heart and mind to praising God? As you go about your week, how are you magnifying the Lord? How are you rejoicing in God your Savior? It doesn’t have to be as profound as my little beetle friend. It doesn’t even have to be related to nature at all. It could be anything, really. From the kindness of strangers to a song on the radio. How are you overwhelmed with joy? Mary was. All because of the vastness of God’s grace and mercy seen in the gift of Jesus Christ.
We’re going to end here. We’ll pick up Part Two next week. Until then:
SOLI DEO GLORIA…
To the Glory of God Alone
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