Advent - Day 13

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 is 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.” (Luke 1:46-55 ESV).

The angel had told Zechariah in verse 15 that John the Baptist would be filled with the Spirit even from his mother's womb. That is, the Spirit of God would exercise a unique control on this man from the time he is in his mother's womb until he completes his ministry as a grown man. Then Luke gives evidence of this. As Mary approaches, carrying the Son of God in her womb, little John gives Elizabeth a good kick in the diaphragm. Then Luke says that Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and cries out: "Mary, my child is leaping for joy. The Holy Spirit has helped him before he can even speak to bear witness to the Lord in your womb." (Luke 1:42). That's all the confirmation Mary needs. She sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God. He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. And where is God? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women, one old and barren, one young and virginal. And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song, a song that has come to be known as the Magnificat. We will spend a few days in this marvelous psalm as Mary extols the greatness of God; however, there is another point that is essential for us to understand. Mary and Elizabeth are wonderful heroines in Luke's account. He loves the faith of these women. The thing that impresses him most, it appears, and the thing he wants to impress on Theophilus, his noble reader, is the lowliness and cheerful humility of Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth says: "And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?" (Luke 1:43). And Mary says: "The Lord has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden." (Luke 1:48). The truth is that the only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary. These are those who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God. Until we can grasp even the smallest bit of the grace of God in this magnificent act of selflessness on our behalf, we cannot be blessed with any other thing of God. Paul remembers this well: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6 ESV). What a gift! When we were at our worst, God was at His best! Celebrate that magnificence!