THE SONG OF MARY
Luke 1:39-56
Key Verse 1:46-48
“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of hi servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed’”
What are the events in life that make us want to sing? Can you remember a time when your heart was so filled with emotion that you just wanted to sing? Maybe it was the birth of your first child. Or maybe it was when you graduated from college. Or maybe it was when you passed your Chemistry test, got a new job, found $20 on the street! In many ways singing is a natural reaction to the good things that happen to us in life. Likewise, we rarely if ever feel like singing when our car breaks down, our grades aren’t good or our kids won’t listen to a word we say. Today as we look at this third part of chapter 1 of Luke let us study together the song of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As we do, let us witness an expression of joy that comes not because of human blessing but a song that comes from knowing the high favor and great mercy of God. As we prepare for this Christmas season and look forward to celebrating our Savior’s birth, let us learn from this humble virgin that the birth of Jesus is God’s great gift to all people and in all circumstances gives us reason to sing with spirit and joy.
I. Blessed are you (39-45)
Look at verse 39, 40. “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” The angel’s words to Mary in the preceding verses presented her with some difficult decisions.
As a woman pledged to be married, it would have been natural for Mary to want to immediately go see Joseph, her future husband. Certainly the birth of Jesus involves him as well. Having been engaged now for more than ten months I can admit (with apologies to my parents and family) that these days the first person I want to talk to about good news or bad is my fiancée. Whether it is to share in something interesting or to be encouraged when something goes wrong she is the first person I want to see.
But what if Joseph did not believe her. What do you mean an angel came to you at night? He told you what? According to Matthew’s gospel, Joseph planned to divorce Mary quietly. She could not go to anyone else because most observers would logically assume that Mary had cheated on Joseph, an offense punishable by death. The pressure on Mary to make a quick decision based on her emotions or circumstance would have been great. That’s not what she did.
In the preceding verse 38 Mary says to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. It appears that as soon as the angel left her Mary prepared to go and visit her relative Elizabeth who was living in the Judean countryside. Given her words in verse 38 and the haste in which she went to visit Elizabeth it can be inferred that Mary did so in obedience to God. Or we might say as an instant response to God’s leading on where to go. Mary was willing and ready to fully submit herself to God’s will and made a wise decision to seek counsel from a Godly woman. In the following verses that only Elizabeth through the Holy Spirit is able to fully understand Mary. Let us see why Mary’s decision to follow God’s leading was a blessed one.
Look at verse 42-45. “In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth proclaims the first beatitude in the gospel or a declaration of blessedness upon Mary. The word blessed is used three times in regards to Mary’s pregnancy. Elizabeth proclaims the special favor Mary has received from God. This blessing culminates in verse 45 “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Mary is an example of one with faith who believes in the promises of God. God’s word is true and He never forsakes us or forgets His promises to us. For this reason, we are eternally blessed when we put our faith in Him.
We can put our faith in God because when He speaks He always does what He says. He cannot lie and He never fails. In that way, I can guarantee that what the Lord says, it will be accomplished. Too often we put our faith in things that are far less reliable. Many people use the word faith loosely. At the racetrack you might hear people say “I have faith my horse is going to win.” Or I have faith I’m going to win the lottery. Others put their trust in money which has disappointed me many times or even in themselves right before they get sick or their body breaks down and fails them. Even things that say they are guaranteed are not really guaranteed. Just last week I sent a package through the US mail that was “guaranteed delivery.” Imagine my surprise when it was returned to my doorstep 2 days later.
Only God is faithful. That’s why Mary was able to trust His promises. When we remember the baby Jesus again this Christmas season we see that He is a sign of blessing and hope for all who believe in Him. This too is the promise of God. Let us be encouraged to put our faith in God alone. Let us be encouraged to share our faith with others. Let us pray that they might not throw away their lives trusting in the things of this world but to trust in the power of a baby born in a manger on Christmas day.
II. The Magnificat (46-56)
The Magnificat in Latin is translated glorifies or magnifies. This is the title and first line of the song of Mary. Just as the natural celebration after a Redskins touchdown is to sing “Hail to the Redskins” or after winning a gold medal is to sing the national anthem, Mary’s reaction to the amazing blessing of God upon her life is to sing. Her soul is so deeply moved that the only appropriate expression of joy is with song. This same feeling of exhilaration also comes to us when we remember that God loves us and has shown us favor. To understand more fully the reason for Mary’s singing, let us look carefully at the words of her song.
Look at verse 46-49. “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-holy is his name.” First, Mary acknowledges her humble state as God’s servant. For her, this might mean that she was from humble beginnings. She probably was not rich. There was nothing outwardly special about this young girl living in the small town of Nazareth. Her humble state isn’t the kind of thing you would put on a resume. Or something you would be especially proud of. But it is very important. It is important because we must acknowledge who we are before God. Then we can understand how much God has really done for us. One cannot know how far he has come without knowing where he comes from.
These days few if any people want to acknowledge weakness or that we need help. It probably is why men have such a hard time asking for directions or why we spend so much time trying to look our best in front of others. It is the ones who dress nicely and drive nice cars that we take notice of. Not so with God. He is mindful of the humble state of His servant. Ultimately, that humble state is our sin. Sin makes us unworthy and needy before God. As Christians, we can never forget that we were unable to choose God but rather in our humble state of sin He chose us. Praise God! Mary cannot help but be grateful for the favor shown to her because she knows she has done nothing to deserve it. No servant should be blessed from now on and through all generations. Even today her name is synonymous with Jesus the Savior of the world. Songs have been written about her and women hope to be like her. In many ways, men should too. Her song is a song of rejoicing in God the Savior, who saved her from sin and death and blessed her so abundantly.
It is for this reason that we too should sing. When we come together for a time of praise before the service or when we sing hymns from our hymnal hopefully it is not because Paul Lim asked us to stand up or the presider gave us a page number to turn to. Rather, it is because God has been mindful of our humble state and has saved us from our sin. We did not receive the punishment we deserve but instead received the “free, unmerited love of God…that while we were sinners and enemies we have been treated as sons and heirs.” Fro while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The birth of baby Jesus and ultimately His death on the cross is good news of great joy that will save all people who believe in him. May our joy be evident to all as we worship God, as we clap our hands in praise, or watch David Brogi when we sing “Onward Christian soldiers.” Praise God for being mindful of us!
Second, God is mighty and powerful and has done great things for Mary. He showed His power through the virgin birth and shows that the impossible is possible with God. How great it is that Mary will be the mother of Jesus. How great is it that all generations will call her blessed. How great it is that she has found favor with God. Unfortunately, these days we have cheapened the definition of great. The new Xbox 360 or an ipod nano is great! A 99-pound woman eating 167 chicken wings to win an eating contest is great! Did you see the Maryland game? Awesome! These things are not great. Entertaining. But not great. God is awesome. And what He has done for us is great. His greatness begins with creation and extends to the birth of Jesus. John 3:16 says that God gave His one and only Son to die for us. That is truly great. When we take a look at our life we can see that God has done great things for each of us. Through saving us He has given us a new life filled with mission and purpose.
We can see God doing the seemingly impossible right here in our ministry. This year both Steve and Isaac Koh finished their Ph.D studies. We have been praying for them to graduate for a long time…so long that it almost seemed impossible. Joshua Kim is going to graduate this semester. I never really thought that was possible. But all things are possible with God. Their graduations are great because God has been there with them and now will do great things through them. God will use them to bless others through their life of mission. Omy Rodriguez made a vow this year to be a Bible teacher. But after ten months there was no Bible student. Just as it seemed time was running out God opened the heart of her roommate to study the Bible. How great is that! She did not quite sing but she did have a big smile on her face.
God has also done great things in my life. For the past three years I have lived in China as a missionary. But if you would have asked people about me going to China as a missionary, people would have said “Who? Abraham Lee? Ha! Impossible!” I struggled a lot to live the life of a shepherd because I was everything as a duty and obligation. And that made things burdensome. I did little in the way of sharing my faith with others and would have been branded as the least qualified to go as a missionary. However, when I was in China, I understood very clearly the grace of God upon my life. I understood that I was truly blessed. Serving my students and teaching them gave me great joy and happiness. The work of God was not an obligation but a blessing. A blessing I did not deserve. I realized how fortunate I was. One of the most common questions I received from students was “Why do you seem so happy all the time?” Actually, emotionally or physically I wasn’t happy all the time. Especially when I would get sick. But I do believe I was very thankful that God had blessed me to be there in China and when I look back on my three years in China I see it as a great time given to me by God. I was truly happy in serving others. Let us all take inventory of our life and see the amazing things God has done for each of us. Let us be encouraged to know that God continues to do great things for us today and will do even more in the future.
Look at verse 50-53. “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Mary was able to see beyond herself and see that the birth of Jesus would have significance throughout history. Her big picture view included all generations including us today. She praised God for who He is and for His justice and mercy. When we look at the course of God’s history we see that His principles are contradictory to what might seem logical. Rulers should be lifted up and gain riches while the weak are oppressed and poor. The rich are the ones who accumulate wealth while the hungry stand helpless and homeless. But not in God’s history. Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who are persecuted because of righteousness and those who are insulted on behalf of Christ.
Last time I checked none of us here lives in a palace or a mansion. None of you are kings or queens. None of you are wealthy enough to appear in the Fortune 500. But that does not mean we do not have reason to rejoice. For God has lifted up the humble. It is why Mary was willing to submit herself fully to God. It is why we too should submit ourselves fully to serving God. The shepherd life, the life of a disciple is the blessed life. The disciples who followed Jesus lacked everything in terms of material blessing. But were rich in the knowledge and understanding of Jesus and ultimately in the kingdom of heaven.
When we live in obedience to God and serve the word of God this is our expression of thanks to God for what He has done. It is our life song. When I’ve seen Elijah Park on campus talking to college kids or studying the Bible with a student or even praying there is a certain rhythm and joy to his life that sounds like music, an expression of rejoicing that says “God, thank you for choosing me.” We must also understand that we are an important part of God’s history, an extension of His mercy from generation to generation. Who else will pass on the love of Jesus to future generations? The gospel was passed down to me from my parents and I hope to pass it on to my children and their children after them. This is the work of the gospel. Don’t let the song stop with you! But pass it on that all generations on Earth may be blessed.
It’s true that no one will lift you up for being a shepherd or ask you for your autograph because you're a disciple of Jesus. But that’s okay because you are doing something so much more important. And in the end forget the praise of others, forget being lifted up by others. Because ultimately God himself will lift you up and fill you with good things. Even now He is filling you up and storing up treasure for you in heaven. This is the blessing of God for those who fear him and humble themselves before him.
Look at verse 54, 55. “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” God never forgot Israel, His chosen people. Even when they wandered away and rejected Him. Let us be reminded that God remembers us, too. May He restore the joy that may have been lost in the struggle of everyday life. We are the Lord’s servants. May the joy of the Lord be evident when we sing, when we dance and in every discourse we have others. Let us not forget what God has done for us. Through this passage I pray we might restore our life song and joy in Jesus. He is the good news of great joy for all the people. So let us rejoice. Let’s read the key verse.