Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever."
Known of as ‘The Magnificat of Mary,’ this portion of scripture is the profession of a new believer. As professions of new believers go, this one is classic – maybe even the classic.
There is something profound that happens to a life when New Life is found within. Of course, we know the story. Mary has conceived of the Holy Spirit, and is with child. She has gone to visit her near-relative Elizabeth, who is also miraculously pregnant, (in her old age,) and there has been a glorious exchange between the babies in the respective wombs, with John the Baptist leaping for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, in the presence of Christ in Mary’s womb. A phenomenal occasion.
The Spirit fills Elizabeth, and she speaks wonderful prophecy over the life of Mary.
Mary, obviously filled with the Holy Spirit as well, follows suit, praising the Lord for all He has gone. How glorious the praise of one filled with new life! We don’t know a lot about Mary’s life, but we do know this: she loves the Lord! Mary is blessed among women as THE one to bear God’s only Begotten Son. As THE one to be responsible for His upbringing. As THE one to be the mother of The Messiah.
As the bearer of New Life, Mary understood completely this had nothing to do with her. This is all an act of God’s grace being poured out upon a humble, observant servant. As she considers all of this, and the enormity of the condition she finds herself, there is one thing certain: soon everyone will know. She knows this is not something that can be hidden – or even should be hidden. This is an amazing miraculous act of The Father. Mary’s declaration is a revelation of her understanding.
When Christ is inside you it cannot be hidden. You may try oversized baggy clothes, you may even try to stay away from people, but eventually everyone will recognize the presence of The New Life within. Mary understands.
- Pastor Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment