He Who Is Mighty

Luke 1:39-56 - Riley Boggs

The redemptive story we see in the Bible is the basis for every other good story in the world. Everyone just borrows from it, whether they know it or not. Almost all movies start with a brief picture of something good, then a problem is presented, and the whole movie is that problem being worked out. Until finally, the problem is fixed, and we get another picture of that good time again. Even in the silly movies, this is true. We see a scene of a happy family at the dinner table, there’s an alien invasion, the dad fights alien, the family dog somehow saves the day, all the aliens are dead, and then we’re back at the dinner table.

The reason that basically all movies and books do this is because the Biblical story is the greatest story of all. Not only that, but every single person in the world is a part of the story. So we’re attracted to these stories like this, and stories that aren’t like this are a bit off-putting. Here’s what I mean. We went and saw the new Jurassic Park movie the other day. And at the end of the movie, there are a group people who escape this massive dinosaur on a small boat. Now, is that a spoiler to the movie? In one sense, yes. But in another sense, no. Why? Because we all know that the movie would never end where the dinosaurs just killed everyone and the movie is over.

Again, why? Because ingrained in all of us is the redemptive story of the Bible. We want there to be things like joy, life, justice, redemption, and so on. Those are the things we long for, and we want to see them played out in the movies we watch and the books we read. And stories without these things, stories where the dinosaurs just eat everyone and it’s over, feel incomplete. We have, built within in, a longing for the things that God Himself has placed in the redemption story we are all a part of. 

In our passage this morning, we see these very things put before us. We see joy and we see life. We see promises kept, justice served, and expectation for redemption. This passage is a good story that plays a pivotal role in the greatest story of all. Let’s walk through it together this morning and ask that the Lord would help us to see what it is He wants us to see in this passage.

Two weeks ago we looked at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. You’ll remember that the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah and told him that they would conceive a child, despite Elizabeth being barren and their older age. And, just like the Lord promised, Elizabeth did indeed become pregnant. Then last week, the same angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary. And the angel told her that she would become pregnant as well, but not in the way she would expect. The angel tells her that the Holy Spirit is going to come upon her and cause her to be pregnant, despite the fact that she is a virgin. And as we know from our text this morning, the Lord fulfills this promise as well.

Now, Mary and Elizabeth are relatives, likely cousins. And so when the angel tells Mary that Elizabeth is pregnant and in her 6th month, it seems that Mary quickly went to see her. We know this first because in verse 39 the text says that Mary went with haste into the hill country, where Zechariah and Elizabeth live. But also we know that she must have went immediately because Elizabeth was 6 months along, verse 56 tells us that Mary stayed with her for about 3 months, and yet Elizabeth still doesn’t give birth until after Mary leaves. In other words, Mary was excited, maybe nervous, about all that she was just told. And she wants to go see her relative who has also just experienced something miraculous.

And that’s what we read this morning. An excited Mary rushing to her cousin, Elizabeth. Now let me pause there and say that I think we can forget who knows what in this situation. But at this point, Mary knows Elizabeth is pregnant, but Elizabeth does not know that she knows. Not only that, but Elizabeth doesn’t know that Mary is also pregnant. And so while we might imagine this greeting where Mary gets to Elizabeth’s house, rushes in the door, they hug one another, stand back and look at one another, and something like “Can you believe it?” That’s not actually what happens. It’s very likely that Elizabeth had no idea that Mary was even coming.

Imagine yourself to be Zechariah or Elizabeth in this situation. You’re sitting there and you hear a knock at the door. Zechariah just points at the door and signals to Elizabeth to go see who it is, because he still can’t talk. She goes to the door, opens it, and it’s her cousin Mary. She thinks, “I wonder why she is here. But man I am glad to see her; I can’t wait to tell her all that’s happened.” Mary takes a step in and says, “Elizabeth, it’s so good to see you!” And immediately, Elizabeth understood exactly what is happening.

John leaps in her womb, the Holy Spirit fills her, and she is miraculously imparted understanding. Every expectation anyone might have had about this meeting is exceeded. A remarkable thing has just happened. Elizabeth, by the power of the Holy Spirit, begins to exclaim beautiful truths about all that is happening. And then, right after that, Mary burst out in a song.

Such a beautiful story, with so much for us to glean. There are 3 things that I want to pull out from this text for us to see this morning. The first is simply an observation about the interaction as a whole.

1.) Joy accompanies the Lord

You shouldn’t be able to read this story and not feel the joy in it. It is such a joyful event. And, it’s not a joyful event just because these two cousins are telling one another that they are pregnant, though that alone would be a very sweet time. No, this is a joyful event because the Lord is here. The one that everyone has been waiting for is here. The one is going to bring redemption, salvation, and justice, is in Mary’s womb. And who is the first one to know this? None other than the one who is on Elizabeth’s womb. 

Earlier, when the angel tells Zechariah that they are going to have a son, whose name will be John, the angel tells him several important things about him. One of them was that John was going to be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. In all of the New Testament, this is the only person who this is said to have happened to. And when you heard that, you might have thought, “What is the significance of that?” Well now, we see it. When Mary greets Elizabeth, John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb. And it’s not just that John kicked at the right time and Elizabeth is making something out of mere coincidence. No, Elizabeth knows exactly why John leaped. The Spirit tells her, verse 44, that “when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” John, even in the womb, knows that the Lord is near, and jumps for joy.

As I was thinking through this passage, it struck me at just how fitting it is that a baby in the womb would be the first one to jump with joy that the Savior is here. Children are joyful little humans. They haven’t been worn down by trials and worries yet. They learn about Jesus and sprint around your living room singing about him. Maybe, we ought to take some cues from them.

But it’s not just John who has joy here. Elizabeth has joy as well. Why? Because once the Spirit fills her and she understands, she also realizes who she is near. She says in verse 43, “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” In other words, how blessed am I that not just “the Lord”, but “my Lord”, has been brought near to me. Again, joy accompanies the Lord.

As people who have been saved by the grace of God, we should be joyful people. We know the Lord, and because there is joy in the Lord, there should be joy found in us. Christians shouldn’t be mopey. I don’t mean that Christians should be sad, grieved, and even at times drug into times of what we call depression. But, as a whole, our lives should be marked by joy. Not because the things of this world are always joyful, but because we know the Lord, and He brings us joy. Knowing Jesus, knowing your eternity, ought to have a day-to-day impact on your ability to have joy. 

I think this is part of what sets apart good counselors from bad counselors. Bad counselors always want to find the silver lining of a situation and dismiss how hard something actually. You tell them about your struggles, and they say, “Well, at least this didn’t happen. And hey, look at the bright side…” That might help for about 5 seconds and then you realize, I feel the exact same. I don’t care about the silver lining right now.

A good counselor, on the other hand, listens to what you say. And then, instead of dismissing or minimizing the pain or struggle, they lead you God’s Word. They lead you to the source of life, to remind you of the joy that is found in the Lord, and to put before you the hope we have for eternity. They tell you that, yes, the pain feels overwhelming, and no it’s not going to just go away. But, there is hope and there is joy in the Lord and in His Word.

Actually, I think that is one of the reasons there is so much joy in this interaction. God’s Word is being found to be true over and over again. Everything is happening just like the Lord has told them it would. Elizabeth acknowledges this in verse 45 when she says, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” In other words, there is joy because Mary trusted what the Lord told her. Joy accompanies this Lord, so we should be a joyful people. Don’t be mopey. 

Alright, the second thing I want you to see can be seen in Mary’s song. This is what we call “The Magnificat”, which is the Latin word that means, “magnify”. And in this song, we see some amazing things. First of all, it is clear that Mary knows the Scriptures well. In this off-the-cuff song, there are 15 Old Testament quotations and allusions. And in several ways, her song resembles Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, which we heard read during our middle Scripture reading. And throughout this song, Mary refers to several different things that God has done. She says, “He has…” 8 different times in these verses. The question is, what is she singing about? What Old Testament Scriptures is she thinking on? What things that God has done is coming to her mind?

Rather than going through each and every one, I think we would do better to see the two themes that can be clearly seen throughout her song. That’s how I’d like to spend the rest of our time this morning. The first theme is this.

 2.) God lifts up the humble

I think everyone in this room would agree with point Biblically. We would all say, “Yes, God has said that He will lift the humble.” But, I think, most of us have a hard time truly living like it’s true. I remember a time in college where I realized that this was true of myself. I knew that to call to be like Christ was a call to be humble. And I knew, at least in my mind, that being humble was worth it in the end because God would lift me up. He would exalt me, like He did with His Son, who was humility personified. I knew all of this, but I struggled to live like it at times.

Actually, this whole conundrum of me knowing this truth and not living like it showed itself during an intramural game. At the school I went to there were 3 fraternities who were, in my eyes, the embodiment of pride, especially during intramural games. Me and some of my friends who were not a part of the fraternities formed an intramural sand volleyball team, and we had made it all the way to championship game, where we would play the best team out of all the fraternities. I remember being so frustrated at how arrogant they were, and wanting to beat them so badly. And, surprisingly, we did. We won the whole thing, we beat the bad guys, or so I thought. See in my mind I had it all played out, we would beat them, they would yell insults at us, refuse to shake our hands, and we would act like it’s no big deal. 

Do you know what actually happened? They were incredibly nice. They came over, shook our hands, and congratulated us. And because I had built up this big thing in my mind, and then it didn’t happen, almost all the joy I thought I would have from winning was taken. See the issue was that I thought I had to raise myself up, that I had to exalt myself. I was content with being humble, as long as I thought that it would actually help me exalt myself. I would be the underdog who was humble, who beat the favorites who were not humble, and I would be exalted above them. I didn’t need God to exalt me; I could do it myself.

I think if we’re honest, many of us can fall into this same trap. We’ll be humble, until we think “Okay, now is the time where a little pride might do me good. This whole humble thing isn’t working out the way that I thought it would.” But if we look in this text, it is God who exalts the humble, in His own timing, in His own way. He hasn’t called us to momentary humility when it might benefit us. He has called us to lifelong humility, no matter the context. 

And in order for us to do that, we have to trust that the Lord is going to do what He has done and what He has said that He will do. What does Mary say He has done here in this text? He has exalted those of humble estate. He shows mercy on those who fear Him. He has fed those who are hungry. God blesses those who are the lowest. Those who realize that apart of the work of God in them, they are nothing. There isn’t anything about them that has warranted the grace of God on them. That is who God uses, that is who He is exalts, the one who is humble.

Mary knows this for 2 reasons. First, because the Old Testament shows this to be true. Secondly, because it just happened to her. She recognizes that there is nothing about who she is or what she has done, that makes her deserve of carrying the Lord in her womb. It is purely the grace of God on her. She knows this and so she sings about it. She praises God about it, saying, “He who is mighty has done greats thing for me, and holy is his name.” 

There is nothing wrong with walking in humility, succeeding past the prideful people, and celebrating because of it. If you go to your job, work hard, display humility, and get the job promotion over your arrogant coworker, you should go home and celebrate. The Lord has given you that, maybe as a direct result of your humility. But, when that doesn’t happen, that doesn’t mean you can stop walking in humility. There are going to be times where those who display everything except humility seem to succeed over and over again. And it seems that if you could just give up the whole humble thing for a day or two the tides might turn for you. And yet, you’ve been called to obedience. Obedience that says, in Ephesians 4, “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness…”

That’s your calling, no matter what. And though it might be difficult at times, the Bible tells us that not only is it the right thing, but it is the most joyful path. And the reason that it is the most joyful is because God exalts the humble, or in other words, the Lord uses those who are humble. Mary was chosen to carry the Lord in her womb, not because she well known and well-to-do. No, the Lord chose her because she walked in humble obedience. If you walk in this way, the Lord will use you too. And I promise you, there will be no greater joy than when you recognize that God Himself is using you for specific purpose. Walk in humility, ask that the Lord might use you, and trust that He will. Mary not only sings of how the Lord exalts the humble, but she also sings of how God brings down the proud, which is our final point. 

3.) God brings down the proud

There are several places we see this in Mary’s song. In verse 51 she says, “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. Verse 52, “he has brought down the might from their thrones…” Verse 53, “he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” 

At first reading, this might seem like an odd thing to you. Mary visits her cousin, they are both become pregnant in miraculous ways, and then she sings, “God has sent the rich away empty!” Well, I think that once we consider one of the reasons that Mary is praising the Lord. I haven’t brought this out just yet, I was waiting until now, so that this would hopefully all begin to come together. 

There is a theme throughout this song. Follow along with me here. The second half of verse 48, “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Then verse 50, “And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” And then verses 54-55, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Do you see what she is referring to here? She knows that the one who is in her womb is the Savior of the world. The one who is here to bring salvation, once and for all, to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies, to rule and reign forever and ever. She is praising the God that the one who Israel has been waiting for is here.

And part of praising God that salvation is coming, is praising God that He will bring down the proud. I mentioned a few weeks ago how this can be a bit lost on us in this our context. The vast majority of us haven’t seen our loved ones harmed, or even killed, because of they follow Christ. But, that is happening. And those believers who have seen this happen don’t have a hard time understanding this point. They see salvation and judgement over evildoers going hand-in-hand. They know that if God is going to deliver them and exalt them, He must bring those who oppress them down. Mary knows this and she knows that the one who is going to bring it all about is here, in her womb, and so she praises the Lord for it.

I thought about ending the sermon by asking a very typical preacher question. Asking something like, “So, which will it be? Will you walk in humility and pride?” But then I thought, who in here is going to think, “You know what, I’ll take the pride.” No, you all are too good for that. Instead, I want to ask you some more intrusive questions. What is it that you want the most? What are your goals? What have you built your life around? This one struck me the most… What are you oriented towards? In 10 years, living the life you are right now, will you look back and see a man or woman who has humbly followed Christ? Or will you look back and see someone who has spent all their time trying to chase the things of this world? In 10 years, living the life that you are now, will you have grown in Christ, or will you have regressed?

Those can be weighty questions, but they are the ones we need to ask ourselves. The God who saved us has called us to humility, trusting that we need not exalt ourselves because the Lord Himself will do so. And trusting that He will bring down proud in order to do so. The good news is that you are not alone. The Lord has given you the Spirit to enable you to do this, He has given you the church so that you might learn from others and be encouraged by one another, and He has promised forgiveness and grace every time you misstep. We serve such a wonderful God. Let us serve Him and praise Him with joy and humility. Amen.