What Does the Magnificat Say About Mary?

The word is that the rules on how top Billboard songs are counted have changed. Because of these rule changes, for the first time in its twenty-five-year life, Mariah Carey's song All I Want For Christmas Is You recently topped the Hot 100. This made it the first Christmas song since 1959 to hit the top of the Billboard charts. And that song was Alvin & The Chipmunks' Christmas-themed song, titled The Chipmunk Song.

Mariah Carey. The Chipmunks. OK. Allow me to introduce you to a much better Christmas song than any modern artist could compose.

In the early chapters of Luke, three songs were sung. Simeon sang the third after he held baby Jesus in his arms in the temple. Zechariah sang the second after his wife, Elizabeth, in her old age, bore a son they named John. And Mary sang the first after visiting Elizabeth, a relative, while both of them were pregnant.

Upon seeing Mary, a young girl to Elizabeth's advanced years, Elizabeth exclaimed:

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." (Luke 1:42–45)

And, in reply to this statement, Mary sang. We often call her song The Magnificat because in it, she magnifies the Lord. It is a powerful song, especially when one considers how young Mary was, how confused she could have been, and how alone she must have felt embarking on such a solitary voyage.

The song is beautiful, and there are many ways to admire it. In this three-part series, rather than pick the song apart line by line, in an attempt to set our minds on Jesus' birth this Christmas season, I want to ask three questions:

1. What does this song say about Mary? (Week 1)
2. What does this song say about God? (Week 2)
3. What does this song say about us? (Week 3)

46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name."

1. She Was humble

Mary began her song by saying her whole person would celebrate God for what He had done. Her soul and spirit would magnify and rejoice in the Lord (46-47). She did not, for a moment, feel she was the hero of this story. Instead, she believed God her Savior was the One worthy of celebration (47).

And she knew she was undeserving. She knew all about her humble estate and wondered in amazement at the fact from (then) on all generations (would) call (her) blessed (48). She summed it all up: He who is mighty has done great things for me (49).

These are the cries of a humble person. She was not an arrogant woman. She trusted God's wisdom but thought His selection was one of grace. She didn't assume she was an excellent choice. She didn't see herself that way. Instead, she marveled at God's grace in reaching into her life.

And, in a world filled with braggarts and false humility, isn't Mary's attitude refreshing? She certainly isn't boastful, but one also gets the impression she isn't merely acting humble. Instead, she really does divert the attention from herself and onto the Lord. She was a humble woman.

"One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor." (Proverbs 29:23)

This attribute of Mary's really sets up the latter portion of the song, where we will discover how God brings down the lofty, prideful person.

As I've said previously, humility is cultivated through honest interaction with God's word. In Scripture, we discover how far we are from God's glory, how depraved and sinful and dead we were in the spiritual sense, and how much we needed saving.

This is how Mary felt. She said, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (47). This sweet, young, innocent woman felt she needed saving. How beautiful!

God wants to do the same beautiful work in you today:

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere." (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Listen to her cry, O believer! Like beautiful incense, her humility fills the room. It is pleasant, and if you emulate her, you will be the fragrance of Christ to the world around you. You will broadcast the victory of Christ because you will carry an attitude that says it is all of grace.

In a sense, you could say it this way: With humility, Christians are the wonderful fragrance of Christ. Without humility, Christians stink.

So, the first thing we learn about Mary: she was humble.

She Loved Scripture

If you have spent a considerable amount of time in the Old Testament, you may have recognized Mary's love for the Bible throughout this song. Some have calculated at least fifteen different references to and direct quotations of the Scriptures in Mary's song. I think there were more. She borrowed heavily from the Psalms, but also Habakkuk, Genesis, Malachi, Isaiah, and Exodus.

But her favorite passage came from 1 Samuel 2. You see, in the first chapters of 1 Samuel, there was a young woman named Hannah. She was unable to become pregnant. This was troubling to her, for all the reasons infertile women experience today, but more because she lived in a culture that wrongly tied a woman's worth to her womb.

So Hannah cried out to God, and God gave her a baby boy. Samuel.

But the story is so much more than one of a woman unable to conceive, asking God to give her a child. No. It was much deeper than that. You see, at that time, God needed a prophet. No one alive in Israel fit the bill in those days. And, when Hannah prayed to God over the years, she said: Give me a son. But, after years of prayer, she finally said, "If you give me a son, I will give him to you." This was the type of surrender God waited for, and when Samuel was born, he became the prophet God needed.

And, in response to God's answer to her prayer, Hannah sang a song to God. Mary quoted heavily from that song.

Mary's fascination with Hannah's song makes perfect sense. Like Hannah, her son would not be hers alone. Samuel belonged to God's service. And Jesus belonged to the Father in heaven and to His ultimate service here on earth. From the very beginning, Mary would have to let God have His way in Jesus' life. He was given to Mary so Mary could give Him back to God. As Mary poured over Hannah's story in 1 Samuel, it strengthened Mary and built up her faith.

I say all this to point out how Mary was a woman who loved the Scripture. It comforted and guided her. It expressed her heart to God. It encouraged and enlightened her. She hid it in her heart, and at this moment, it burst forth in perfect song (Psalm 119:11).

One of the most exciting things in the world is to be used by God. And God often uses people who are familiar with His word. Mary was such a person.

Baby Jesus would turn into the boy Jesus who would turn into adolescent Jesus and finally full-grown man Jesus. The Bible makes it clear: He grew in wisdom and stature over the years (Luke 2:40). He was divine but also completely human. He learned. And Mary, filled with the Word, would teach little Jesus about the very Scripture which He wrote, and which testified of Him.

I think part of the reason God chose her for this task was her love for the Word.

Recently, Christina and I helped work a bake sale for some dance classes our daughters are involved in. Not only did we work the register, but Christina had baked some pumpkin chocolate chip bread for the sale. There was one middle school-aged boy who kept on coming back for piece after piece of the bread. He had no idea Christina was its baker, but he made her day each time he returned for more.

And God made this book. He loves when His people return to it day after day for guidance, encouragement, help, and to see Him more clearly.

I recently read a book called Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin. It is a masterpiece work that delivers thoughtful answers to many modern objections to Christianity. But her story was one of a person who just kept on growing in their understanding of the Word. As her understanding grew, so did her usefulness, and I, for one, am thankful for her dedication.

Know the Word. Grow in it. Stay in it. Your life becomes more useful to God and others as you do.

She Was a Willing Instrument

Finally, to our question about what the song teaches us of Mary, I would like to point out her willingness. She was eager, ready to serve God as Jesus' mother.

She said, "From now on all generations will call me blessed" (48). In other words, she thought the task God gave her was a blessing.

She also said, "For He who is mighty has done great things for me" (49). In other words, she was thankful to God she'd been chosen for such a beautiful responsibility.

But let's think about her mission for a moment. It was one filled with pain and hardship. In the shame-honor culture she lived in, becoming pregnant out of wedlock was frowned upon. And during her whole life, people would have never believed in the virgin birth.

In fact, it wasn't until thirty-three years later, in a small gathering of only 120 early believers, Mary's claim would've been vindicated. Only then did that small band of the church comprehend Jesus' identity. And, as the years ticked by, the rumor mill churned in regards to Mary.

But she also had to endure the pain of watching her beloved Son die on the cross. She was there that day. I cannot imagine the heartache she experienced.

Still, she did all this with a willing spirit. She emulated Isaiah, a prophet who, on the day God asked for a volunteer, said, "Here I am! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8).

This begs the question: how willing are you to be used by God? Too often, we have conditions. But God is worthy of condition-free surrender.

My mind races to a friend of mine who pastors in a very rough neighborhood in Newark. His family lives on the church's property. It is, in many ways, an extremely uncomfortable life. But he could not bring himself to place conditions on God's calling on his life. And he wouldn't change a thing. He has experienced God's grace in that role and place.

So, what an amazing young woman. She was humble. She knew the Word of God. And she was a willing instrument in His hands. We should all look up to her.

Next week, we will consider what her song says about God.