Mary's Song

What does mercy, helping the poor and feeding the hungry have to do with celebrating the birth of Jesus? Let’s discuss Mary’s Song in Luke 1:39-55.

Luke includes three songs written like Psalms, Mary’s Song, Zechariah’s Song, and Simeon’s Song.

Spirit-Filled

“Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:39-41 NKJV)

Biblical descriptions of being spirit-filled vary. Elizabeth prophesied in her own language (Luke 1:39-56), Bezalel received craftsmanship skills (Exodus 31:3; 35:31), John was filled in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), Zechariah prophesied (Luke 1:67-68), Jesus was led into the wilderness (Luke 4:1), others spoke in known tongues (Acts 2:4), received wisdom (Acts 6:3-5), saw visions (Acts 7:55), were healed (Acts 9:17-20), did missionary feats (Acts 11:24), experienced insight (Acts 13:9-10) and joy (Acts 13:52). Non-Christian religions experience tongues. It’s not always evidence of being spirit-filled.

Blessed are You

“Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’” (Luke 1:42-43 NKJV)

Mary’s long journey to Elizabeth in the hill country was dangerous for a bride-to-be. Once there, John the Baptist filled with the Holy Spirit before birth leaped in his mother’s womb, and Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit prophesied. Elizabeth the older of them, humbly addressing Mary in deferential terms.

Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah the high priest, doubted Gabriel and was speechless until his son, John the Baptist was born. Mary believed Gabriel about Christ’s birth. She said, let it be according to your word. She believed and was blessed. The message of Christmas includes mercy, humility and feeding the hungry.

Magnificat

“For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.’” (Luke 1:44-48 NKJV)

Although Luke says nothing about Mary speaking this by the Holy Spirit, almost everything she said was from the Scriptures. It is heartfelt public praise to “the Lord”, a common Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word for God, YHWH. In this context, soul and spirit mean the same thing.

Mary’s outrageous faith dares to believe that the poor will be saved, a message of hope in continuing oppression by the world’s powerful. Riches are empty but humility brings us good things. Our Savior born in a stable to poor people continually reminds us that God turns things upside down.

Great Things

“For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” (Luke 1:49-51 NKJV)

The immaculate deception presumes Mary was born without sin. The truth is God did great things through an ordinary human being. Only one human being has ever been described in the Bible as sinless (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5), Jesus.

Exalted the Lowly

“He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 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 seed forever.” (Luke 1:52-55 NKJV)

There is a hunger that physical food cannot satisfy, but Jesus can. There is a wealth that Christmas commercialism cannot satisfy, but God can. Let’s go against the culture and teach our children the excitement of giving, not just getting. Let’s not teach our children to become spiritually empty materialists.

Jesus was not born among the wealthy and powerful but in humble circumstances. Mary was not a celebrity, but a modest peasant girl. Mary’s ode praises God for his acts of mercy, lifting up the humble and filling the hungry with good things. This is a real theme of Christmas.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Readings

Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:47-55; Hebrews 10:5-10