Dec. 7. 2008
Background Scripture: Luke 1:26-38, 46-55
Devotional Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

One of the pitfalls into which we may stumble is the habit of transforming significant witnesses to Christ into what we want them to be, rather than seeing them as what the scriptures present them to be.

This is particularly true of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As painted in pictures, sculpted in statuary and proclaimed in prose and poetry, Mary is depicted as a woman so filled with the spirit of God that she soars far above mere human beings – an accurate depiction, but not the complete image of Mary.

That is why Luke is so important to us: It helps us see Mary in another light that is all too often neglected. In this passage we call “The Magnificat,” the tender, righteous virgin appears as Mary the ecstatic revolutionary prophet and we cannot, must not, hear her without recognizing what a piercing challenge she presents to her world and to ours.

Magnifying the Lord

Although the words of “The Magnificat” are uniquely Mary’s own, there is a tone in them that is reminiscent of the fiery proclamations of another seemingly insignificant woman: Hannah, the saintly mother of the “miracle” child who, 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus, became Samuel the Prophet of God.

In 1 Samuel 2:1-10, the humble Hannah ecstatically announces: “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord” (2:1). Mary begins much the same: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk. 1:46,47).
There is nothing all that revolutionary in either of those exclamations, but Hannah goes on to exult: “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength … The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts … He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap … He shall guard the feet of his faithful ones; but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness” (1 Sam. 2:4,7-9).

The humble woman, who by God’s grace bears a son in her old age, is suddenly a revolutionary. What God will do runs exactly contrary to popular values and opinion. She sees her society as God sees it and those who heard her must have shuddered.
So it is with Mary. Inspired by God’s messenger, Mary is lifted out of herself and sees the kingdom of God that Hannah glimpsed, and it is certainly not the world as it is: “… he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Lk. 2:51-53).

A world upside-down

Luke doesn’t tell us who, besides Elizabeth, heard these words of Mary, but if there were others – neighbors, friends, passersby – we may be certain that some of them were greatly incensed. Most of us do not like what revolutionaries say to us. We do not like to see our world turned upside-down.

We don’t want anyone to tell us that there is something wrong about our way of life, our society, our nation and our world. We want God to bless, but not judge us. And that means we really don’t want God.

In the Magnificat (named for the first word of the passage in Latin), the greatly blessed and humble Mary was lifted up in an ecstatic experience in which she revealed the mystery of what God was going to do in and with her: The birth of her child, Jesus, would bring both great blessing to His people and radical judgment.
What Mary was for a moment, a revolutionary voice for God, Jesus would be throughout his life and ministry.

With the marvelous blessings that Jesus brought, there would also be God’s judgment upon the proud and haughty oppressors of the lowly, because that is how the Lord is magnified.

He ignores the mighty and the proud and speaks through seemingly insignificant, though receptive and lowly people, such as Hannah and Mary – and Jesus.
 
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.