2021.12.19
The Proper Response to Emmanuel
Luke 1:46-55

Often God’s call and His will for one’s life comes with uncomfortable consequences: Mary was going to give birth to Jesus (very God of very God), but things would be different in her village for her.

How would she explain to an unbelieving village? Undoubtedly, the shame of those who doubted her testimony held no authority for her. God was about to do something that had never been done. And He had set the stage in an amazing way: there had been no prophet for 400 years of note, she would give birth to The Prophet. There had been no sovereign king for 400 years, she would give birth to The Eternal King.

46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

• How could Mary think any different? How could she respond differently? Speaking to an angel was one thing, but it was not the thing at all. Israel had waited on a The Messiah, The Christ, The Anointed One for 1500 years. To know how wonderful she felt, that she, yes, would deliver Messiah into the world! She would give birth to the Deliverer. The One who would sit on the thrown of David forever. Constant emotion would have been looking for expression in her mind and heart.
• But it is clear from the verb tenses that Mary was in a state of magnify the Lord.
• Definition of “Indicative mood”: Is a simple statement of fact. If an action really occurs or has occurred or will occur, it will be rendered in the indicative mood.
• “My souls magnifies the Lord.” She was in a state of magnification.
• Mary began her Magnificat (mag-nif-a-cat) with the magnification of the Lord which is to declare greatly, to highly esteem and praise and celebrate the Lord.
• Spurgeon wrote, “The root of false theology is belittling God; and the essence of true divinity is greatening God, magnifying him, and enlarging our conceptions of his majesty and his glory to the utmost degree.”
• O how quickly do we forget to magnify the Lord. We say, another Christmas, yes yes, instead of YES, YES: another time for us to remember that God loved us so much that we would come to this place and demonstrate this love in the clearest, most unquestionable way possible through his birth (Emmanuel: God!.., with us!), life, death and resurrection.

APPL:
One of the most productive things one may participate in is to contemplate the heaviness of God. It bring true enlightenment to a soul, renewed energy to the mind, and love in the heart. To rightly think of Jesus always leads one to magnify Him. To think about Jesus rightly during purposeful periods of solitude, during corporate worship, and while doing the tasks of the day, lead one to magnify the Father, Son, Holy Spirit in one’s heart and with one’s voice. His magnification in our lives shall root out anxieties, worries, the distractions, depression, the cares of the world. All other things in life become so very small when the Lord become large—yes magnified—in our thoughts and therefore our words.

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

• “Who was Mary?,” she must have thought. A humble teenage girl from honest means. Another one, going about her daily life only to experience God coming into her life in a powerful way. In a way that would rival anyone in the Bible.
• The proud in spirit are given much attention, but “the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) It is the humble of heart that God give “strong support.” What kind of other support could God give?
• John the Baptist, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’

APPL:
The way to the top is to the bottom. And it takes every ounce of commitment to do it.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.

• Her spirit was filled with rejoicing to God by the sure promise that she was chosen for arguably one of the most honored things that could happen to a woman: she would give birth to God! What a supernatural honor; what a blessing; what a miracle!

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

• Mary’s heart quickly moved from what God was doing in her life to what message and power and will and desire God had for the nations. What were those desire and will? To show mercy to human from one generation to the next. Generation after generation after generation after generation. God’s heart was and has always been bent toward those that fear Him. What a God!

• The fear of the Lord ►the path to God ► ✝ (Psalm 25:14)

• God of creation has already taught people enough about Himself for a person to respond positively to Him.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

• Mary begins her specific declarations, esteems and praises by expressing what His great arm power accomplished: she brags that God has scattered the heart thoughts of the proud: nothing pleases or satisfies their longings, purposes, missions.

52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;

• The verb tenses are telling of Mary’s understand of Jesus’ significance: God had already brought down the mighty. There thrones of haughtiness, influence, and political power being no match for Jesus. A child that would soon be in the world yes, but He is Creator; He is The King.
• In this pregnancy God flipped the world upside-down. God had already exalted those in humble estates, commoners like herself.

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

• The rich were sent away empty. Accepting their possessions as success, they had embraced the counterfeit of true riches. God filled the truly needy with food and good things from His possessions. Jesus has filled His children with His Bread, with Himself. It is in this meal that we possess all things. We have need of nothing. You and I are filled with good things. We have been filled with God in Christ and are blessings only started there. Good things will continue to flood our lives for eternity.
• God has won the battle for the “underdog:” Mary was an unwed mother, seemingly homeless, was forced to look for shelter while traveling to meet an unreasonable travel demand for a pregnant mother so that heavy taxation demands of an occupational government could be levied. She gave birth in Asia, in its far western corner. That Son became a refugee in Africa after being chased out by a murderous, powerful, client king of the world’s only superpower. (Yancy)
• Why did Christ not choose the rich, the kings, the nobles, and princesses to build His kingdom? Instead he takes the poor and gives them the insight into His eternal love. He takes the foolish and teaches them them of his kingdom.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

• Ironically, Mary looked back 2000 years or so when she pointed to Abraham.
• Help because of God’s mercy is what Mary said the Father Abraham and his offspring received.
• But is if one were to examine for a earthly perspective:
  • Around 1800 BC started Israel’s 400 years of slavery.
  • Divided Israel.
  • Northern tribes defeated at Assyria
  • The Babylonians defeated the southern tribes of Judea & Benjamin.
  • Meads and Persia
  • Greek Rule under Alexander the Great, et al.
  • Roman Rule
• Mary knew that the front facing events of her world did not accurately define what God was doing in the lives of His people. Mary was ruled by the Romans, but that did factor well into her worldview. The Jewish people of faith were a culture within a culture, spiritually independent from from the world.
• The events we see in our world are no make to GOD WITH US.
• The world will have its day here, but this is all it get’s.
• The victory is won: God sent His son in the remembrance of his mercy GOD WITH US has helped his servant Israel, and He has helped His Church.
• “Forever.” His mercy endures forever.

Bibliography

Spurgeon, Charles. “A Harp of Ten Strings.” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 37, August 30, 1891, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/a-harp-of-ten-strings/#flipbook/.

Yancy, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995 38, 39.