The Magnificat Luke 1: 46-55

"When The Time Has Fully Come"

<The Magnificat >

Luke 1:46-55

Introduction

            The unborn child jumped for joy in the darkness of Elizabeth's womb as he responded to the presence of the unborn Christ in Mary.

            The happy leap he made was prophetic of his life's mission in heralding Jesus as God's Son and Messiah -

            Elizabeth who as also filled with the Holy S[irit showed her prophetic cry in celebrating the divine person in Mary's womb.

            Mary then begins to sing the song of the incarnation – There would be other's that would follow: The Benedictus by Zachariah, the hosts of heaven would sing Gloria In Altissimus, & Simeon, the Nunc Dimitis

            Mary's song is the first & greatest – The Magnificat -

Many critics, because of the greatness of this song, have said the the song couldn't have brrn sung by Mary because it's too theological, too packed with Old Testament allusions, too poetic, too finished.

            Look, she is only an illiterate country girl, a very young teenager, having no formal studies she never went to a seminary.

            The theory is that Luke borrowed from existing canticles that praised the saving actions of God.

            There's more suppositions but we don't have the time to cover them all and besides for the purpose of today's message they're not all that important.

            The Magnificat is a beautifully woven tapestry of Scripture. Critics are correct about one thing – it is sublimely theological!

            Every young Israelite knew by heart the song of Hannah & Deborah & David, and sang them. Many would have brooded over the story of Hannah's conception of Samuel – She probably formed her song in the forms of those familiar to her.

            Keep in mind that Mary was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Her experience was like the prophets of old, she was carrying the Son of the Most High -

            Peter in his second letter, in 1: 20-21  we read, “know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

            Her mind was full of the Scripture & phraseology from what she heard ay home & synagogue – So, when the Holy Spirit came upon her, He took what she had & wove it into this hallowed tapestry.

            Mary starts her song – she gives an unforgettable expression to the elevation of her soul.

            God can't be made any bigger but He can be enlarged in our hearts, in our lives – as Mary puts it, our soul and spirits.

            God can't be made any bigger but He can be enlarged in out hearts, our lives – As many put it, our soul make

            We enlarge God in our soul's in our souls when we contemplate, meditate some aspect of His greatness.

            How about when we contemplate the wonders of His creation - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Forby Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. Heis before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is alsohead of the body, the church; and He is the beginning the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

(Colossians 1: 15-18)

            After the announcement by Gabriel & her subsequent visit to Elizabeth, had begun to think bigger & grander thoughts then before. What He was doing in her womb, what more would He do in the universe.

            When Christ comes into our lives, His life courses through us – we naturally begin to think greater things of our God.

            Not only only do we magnify, enlarge, the Lord in our minds & our lips but also with the passion of our whole being.

            Mary speaks in Hebrew poetic parallelism saying, her soul magnifies the Lord & my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

            Its a powerful emotional combination in saying “My total self, all that I am, magnifies & praises the Lord.”

            Two lines from the lyrics of John Legend's song, “All of Me” could be fitting; 'Cause all of me loves all of you' -

            This is significant, when Jesus began His ministry he sais as recorded in John 4: 23-24 – But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

            Worshiping in spirit; Jesus means the inner spirit, the inner person – God seeks those who will worship, engaging their entire human spirits.

            The woman in Bethany comes to mind as a supreme example of this as we find in Mark14:3 - there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. Her entire human spirit, her total self, 'all of her, was given over to the passionate worship of the Lord Jesus Chrsit.

            Just go back a 1,000 years- King David danced before the Lord totally absorbed in worship of the Lord, (2 Samuel 6:16), and in Psal108: 1 - My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.

            Magnify the Lord with our entire spirit & soul – That's what the Lord desires in our live. - Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all your soul, and with all of your might.”

            This also is what God desires in our corporate worship. Congregational worship makes possible an intensity of magnification that won't occur as in individual worship. Music lovers at a symphony or at a Christian concert is more intense & appreciative than of a single listener at home.

            Corporate worship provides a context where holy passion is joyously elevated & God's word comes with unque power to the hearts of all there.

            Martin Luther wrote that in his home there is no vigor, warmth but when he's in church with the multitude gathered, there's a fire in his heart and it breaks through.

Mary's personal reasons (Vv 48-5-)

            For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave, (v48a) - The first reason would be an allusion to Hannah, in 1 Samuel 1:11) – weeping bitterly she said to the Lord if You will indeed look to the affliction of Your maidservant – Affliction is also translated as 'humble state' which is what Luke uses.

            Mary in heart was like Hannah, both who humbly cast themselves upon God as the only one who can help. Up close we see the principle that Christ comes to those who realize their need, those who know they can't save themselves..l

            The humble, marginalized Mary, a nobody from a non-place.

            Aurelius Augustine, known better as Saint Augustine who  is considered the greatest theologian by many, said that, “For those who would learn God's ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, & humility is the third.”

            Humility is a necessary common thread in the Nativity accounts & in much of Scripture, for Christ comes to the lowly. He He doesn't come to major department stores during Christmas, nor ride in limos with the rich & famous; He was born to an ordinary young woman in a peasant nothing obscure village in an obscure part of Israel.

            Is all this negative to look at all of this this way? No! It's divinely positive – the grace of humility, divine favor that comes to those who acknowledge that spiritual need is available to all of us. Especially to those who are “. . . broken hearted . . . & crushed in spirit”\. All that are aware of their humb le state may have this gift of God.

Her Blessedness (v 48b)

            . . . behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. Here we got a statement by her that all future generations will pronounce beatitudes over her name.

            Did you know that Mary is the most popular name in the Western world? It has been blessed more than any other name.

            But listen, if Jesus truly is in us, our inner being, we too will blessed far beyond earth's history: In Matthew 25:33-34, and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; and in Revelation 20:6a, Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

            How about a little more? We will bear a resemblance to Jesus – 1 John 3:2, Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

            Our resemblance isn't going to be genetic, but spiritual, a “spiritual DNA” - His character, his purity, his heart. This is the ultimate blessedness and just as it was fitting for May to praise God for her future fame, we too should magnify our Savior for our eternal blessedness and eternal fame with God.

A Divine Celebration (Vv 49-50)

            “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name. “And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him. Mary sings of three Divine perfections of God. His power, His holiness, and His Mercy.

            Mary experienced God's power at conception when the power of the most hgh overshadowed her. She carried the One identified in Isaiah 9:6 by the second Messianic title as Mighty God (El Gibbor), mighty hero God. Jesus would engage in mighty heroics & eventually, resurrection power. Mary's confession of God as “He who is mighty” is in anticipation of the Gospel principle that what is impossible for man, is possible for God.

            God does the impossible, He moves hearts of stone and replaces them with hearts that are living, He raises the dead. That is why we must say with Paul - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

            She was the first to know that the Son she bore would be holy; Gabriel instructed her on this carefully, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God , (V35)).

            She praises God by saying “Holy is His name”, God's holiness more than any other attribute describes His essence. The angles sing, Holy, Holy, Holy! Mary has a fresh, invigorating revelation of the Divine Being.

           

            So should we when we experience Christ is us. Regenration ignites our understanding of God's holiness. The Spirit informs us of His purity & holy splendor, & our hearts bow before Him in adoration.

            Mary sees that God's mercy will extend to all generations, (V50), God's mercy will transcend time. English cleric & poet, John Donne who lived from 1572 to 1631 said of God's mercy – God's mercy hath no relation to time, no limitation in time. . . . Whom God loves He loves to the end; and not only to their end, to their death, but to His end; and He end is, that He might love them still.

            Mary sings of three divine perfections – poer, holiness, & mercy – yet it is mercy that brings them to bear on God's own.

Closing thoughts

            Why did Mary maginfy the Lord?  One, He came to her in her “humble estate. God met her in her helplessness & weakness. This is how God comes to us. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. 5:3); The Lord is near to the brokenhearted & saves the crushed in spirit, (Psalm 34:18).

            For this we magnify the Lord.

            Second, Mary magnified the Lord because “all generations will call her blessed” (V48). Believers have this destiny & beatitude as well. Rev. 20:6, Blessed & holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Here also we magnify the Lord.

            And last, Mary magnified the Lord because she experienced His perfections; His power, holiness, & mercy as she experienced Christ within – These also are ours when Christ is in us.

            Listen all, God is looking for, He is seeking hearts like Mary, children who magnify Him, who enlarge Him in their souls & on their lips with the passion of their entire beings.

            As God told Israel to say, The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. (Deut. 6:4-6).

            So Mary sings, My soul magnifies the Lord, & my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

            Let us all have the same heart. In this time of year when the world, whether they realize it or not, celebrate the incarnation of God, who came to save any & all who will come to him, rejoice for salvation has come. All of you that down, weary, brokenhearted, alone, no matter how horrible you think are or what you have done, God so loved the world He created that He gave His only one-of-a-kind-unique Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

            Hail! the heaven-born Prince of peace!

Hail! the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, Risen with healing in his wings Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the son of earth, Born to give them second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!"