OneMinuteGospel

Mercy from Generation to Generation

from Mary, the mother of Jesus

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me.

"He shows mercy from generation to generation

    to all who fear him.

His mighty arm has done tremendous things!

  He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

He has brought down princes from their thrones

  and exalted the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

  and sent the rich away with empty hands.

He has helped his servant Israel

  and remembered to be merciful.

For he made this promise to our ancestors,

  to Abraham and his children forever.”

128 words; Luke 1:46-55 NLT

I contend that Mary and/or her family members were among the eyewitnesses Luke interviewed before composing his “orderly account” of Jesus’s life (Luke 1:2-3 NIV). The first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel reflect Mary’s point of view, while Matthew’s Gospel puts Joseph center stage of the birth narrative.

Mary’s song is historically called the Magnificat from the first word in the Latin translation. You will find parallels here to Hannah’s song, who praised God for her miracle child (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

The first part of Mary’s song is personal, praising God for what he has done for her. She isn’t specific about that, but the angel Gabriel and her cousin Elizabeth have already let us know what God has done. She is a “lowly servant girl” who will forever be called blessed for being, as Elizabeth says, “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).

Then Mary begins her OMG. Through her son the Messiah, our merciful and mighty God shows favor through all generations to “all who fear him,” to the humble and hungry.

In contrast, God brings judgment upon “the proud and haughty,” princes (not known for being humble) and the rich (who are never hungry and are rarely generous with those who are). This reversal is common in Luke’s Gospel where the oppressed and outcast are, in God’s kingdom, lifted up.

No wonder Timothy is instructed to tell rich Christians “…to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others” (1 Timothy 6:18 NLT).

If the gospel we proclaim does not sound like good news to the poor, forgotten, abandoned, hungry, and oppressed, then it’s not truly the gospel—or at least not all of it.

Next post: Tuesday, December 26, “The Word Became Flesh” from John, a friend of Jesus

Please comment below. Thanks.

-st