Mary’s Worship

FRIDAY

Today we come to Mary’s worship in what has been called the Magnificat.

Luke 1:46–55 46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary's humility and theological perspective, represented in her song, reveal some of the most admirable aspects of Mary's faith. She is a humble, faithful witness. The basis of the entire song is in the first two lines. "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior." The combination of "soul" and "spirit" means that her entire being is given over in praise and glory to God. The word translated "glorify" carries the connotation of "magnify, make large, make great.” So in her words, her soul is directed towards making God look awesome! In this, her spirit finds joy in God, her Savior.

What a beautiful, profound statement of worship. Our entire being is to be devoted to making God look awesome. We are to be a mirror reflecting glory. We are to reflect the glory of God to a dark, anxious, sad world. In glorifying God our spirit finds its joy. We are also to reflect the glory given to us by others onto God. Recognizing that our very life is a gift from God.

Again, the term salvation carries a broader connotation then just eternal, spiritual salvation as we tend to use it today. The term could refer to salvation from an enemy, death, trouble, etc. as we saw in Zechariah’s prophecy. What follows in Mary's poem is evidence of its broader usage as well—elevating the humble, filling the hungry, helping Israel. The Hebrew word—the language Mary would have likely spoken this in—for salvation is "jeshua" (Jesus in English). By the angel dictating the child's name to be Jesus, this salvation of God takes on an even bigger meaning. It finds its fullest fulfillment in Jesus who will do so many of the things Mary mentions in this song: heal the blind and the lepers, humble rulers like Herod and Pilate, elevate the humble, fill the hungry, and bring a spiritual salvation and kingdom far beyond anything seen before. The whole song of Mary demonstrates a profound understanding of what God has promised in the past to Israel, coupled with a prophetic look ahead into Jesus' life and ministry.

The main theme of this poem is Mary's humility rooted in a proper understanding of God's sovereignty. As we’ve been seeing in this campaign, these are necessary components of worship. She recognizes that it is God who has done all of these things for her and on behalf of his people. It is only by his mercy that he has done these things. He has been mindful of Mary and her humble state. He has fulfilled his promises to Israel. He has helped his servant. He has remembered his mercy and his covenant promises. He has performed mighty deeds. He has scattered the proud in their innermost thoughts. This is a beautifully poetic way of saying that God frustrates the plans of the arrogant to get what they desire. The arrogant pursue their plans without thought of God’s will and righteousness. God in his sovereign power often scatters those plans and actually uses their plans to bring about his will. He has brought down rulers and elevated the humble. He fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty. Mary acknowledges that this is all God's doing therefore her response is to rejoice and glorify the LORD. This too is to be our perspective and response.

Mary says that his mercy extends to those who fear him (v. 50). This is not a carte blanche statement that all the poor are recipients of God’s mercy. We see God’s compassion and concern for the poor often in Luke’s gospel, but this can be stretched too far in both directions.

1. We can make this into a social gospel and suggest that God only chooses the poor because they are poor. This places no room for the biblical emphasis on faith.
2. We can over-spiritualize these statements to say that it is only referring to the poor in spirit. This leaves no room for the biblical emphasis of God’s special place in his heart for the poor.

Both are likely in view in Jesus’ teaching. It is the materially poor who most often despair of life.

So the text is not saying that the poor are always recipients of God’s divine favor, as not all those who are poor fear God. The text is also not saying that the wealthy are never recipients of God’s divine favor, as many who are wealthy fear God. It is simply emphasizing God’s character as displayed in history—he often elevates the humble and brings down the proud. So for us, the application is humility, yet again. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6) And “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (Prov. 3:34; Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5)

“The exemplary character of Mary grows out of her understanding of God’s character. God owes her nothing; she owes God everything. All the good things that come from his hand are acts of grace.” - Darrell L. Bock, Luke, Lk 1:46–49.

Reflection

Pray this prayer of Mary to God, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” May all of our lives be given over to the glory of God and in doing so find our true source of joy.

Audio