Luke 1:39-56, “Seeking Greatness Through Humility”

Ken MacLeod

Prayer • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

Mary (mother of Jesus)

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How do people seek greatness in our world?

God is Great and Does Great

Mary’s song is sometimes titled, “Magnificat”, the Latin translation of the Greek word for “magnify” in verse 46, which has the same root as “great” in verse 49. It’s the word “mega”, greater, bigger. Mary wants to magnify - make a big deal of - the Lord God, her Savior, because He who is mighty has done mega things for her and holy is His name. Her soul is responding to God who is great, and does great. She is singing His praises

There are a lot of mega stars, great, magnificent people in our world. We sing their praises for doing great things. There are athletes, musicians, writers, people working for justice in dangerous places.

What makes someone great in our eyes?

There are other “great” people who are great in position only. They seek power. The position and power go to their head, and they use their power to seek wealth and feed their own pride. They are “megalomaniacs”. If they see other people at all, they see them as tools, objects to be used to enrich themselves. They look upon the humble as servants and strategize ways to keep them in their place. They make a big deal of themselves. And there’s no room left for God.

In Mary’s day, the megalomaniacs that were running the world were in power because they had a lot of money or had been born into nobility, and they fed their pride by using their power to be self-serving. There was Herod, the local king, who killed people to gain and maintain his greatness. He was known as Herod the Great. There was Caesar Augustus, which means “magnificent emperor”. These men maintained their greatness through fear of their power. They enriched themselves at the expense of the poor, the lowly, common people of their kingdoms. There was no fear of God in these men. Their plans did not include God. And they had big plans for their kingdoms.

They are exactly the kind of kings Psalm 2 spoke about,

Psalm 2:2–3 (ESV)

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

“Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

But Mary recognized that they were missing the rest of this psalm,

Psalm 2:4–6 (ESV)

He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

“As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

God has His own plans. And He will establish them. He doesn’t ask anyone for permission, He doesn’t seek counsel from the rulers of this world. And when they make plans that are opposed to His plans, He just laughs. But it’s not the kind of laugh that means, “aren’t you cute?” It’s the kind of laugh that means, “who do you think you are?” And then His wrath and fury are stirred against them.

Mary is one of the righteous remnant in Israel. Her trust is in the Lord, God her Savior. She’s a believer. Elizabeth says,

Luke 1:45 (ESV)

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Her song is the heart cry of a believer in God and in Messiah. God is great, and He does great things by sending Messiah, and her soul is stirred to sing His praises. While Herod and Caesar sit on their thrones ignoring the humble estate of their servants, the Lord God

Luke 1:48–49 (ESV)

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

Rulers of this world ignore the lower classes. The Lord sees her. Rulers of this world do great things for themselves. The Lord who is mighty has done great things for Mary. Rulers of this world are corrupt in their use of power. But holy is the name of the Lord.

Mary sees God as great, as powerful. But also as personal. He is “God my Savior.” He is mighty. He is holy. He is also for her. How do you view God? Is He all-powerful and holy, but distant and uncaring? Is He intimate and loving and willing to overlook our peccadilloes, our little sins? If we are ever going to know God at all, we will have to magnify Him as He is, Almighty and All-loving. Perfectly Holy and Perfectly merciful.

What was the great thing He had done for Mary? He had elevated her status. He had made her, His humble servant, the blessed mother of the Messiah, the Savior of His people. God, in Christ, was elevating the status of humble servant to participant in His plans to set His King, His Son, on Zion to make the nations his heritage and the ends of the earth his possession, to make him a refuge for the humble, the weak, and the poor.

Mary changes the object of her song in verse 50. From singing about herself as His servant of humble estate in the singular, she moves on to sing about “his servant Israel,” and “those of humble estate.” God is saving a whole nation and even more. Generations would call her blessed but

Luke 1:50 (ESV)

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

God is the Savior of all who fear Him, are humble, are hungry, who need help. Are you any of those? Is there anything in your spirit that wants to magnify God?

What makes Him great, and what great things has He done?

Mary sees God as great. doing great things. In what way was He demonstrating that?

God Redefines Greatness in Jesus Christ

Look at Mary’s song as she sings about what God is doing for everyone.

Luke 1:51–55 (ESV)

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

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 offspring forever.”

He is turning the world as we know it upside down. The proud will be confused. The strong in this world will learn what true strength is. The rich will be empty. Those who have nothing will be exalted and filled with good things. In what way is He doing these things? Through Jesus Christ. Mary’s song is all about what God is doing in sending Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the one who had all the power, riches, and position, and laid it all down in humility to serve through sacrifice. God has exalted Him.

Jesus is God’s overthrow of the values that rule this world. Pride has no place in the kingdom of God, the Almighty. Tyranny has no power over God’s love for the humble. Riches will not fill your soul like mercy will.

What are some examples of greatness in God’s kingdom that are contrary to the world’s conception of greatness?

Your spirit was made to magnify the Lord God. You will find it fulfilling to sing His praises. Enriching yourself, taking pride in yourself, promoting yourself will leave you empty.

Mary is awake to this reality. God is always at work in our world. He is granting mercy through Jesus Christ to those who fear Him. He is filled with wrath for those who do not. He is demonstrating strength through serving and saving through Jesus. He is giving the proud over to delusions in their thoughts, like if we crucify the Son, we can secure our own rule. He has already dethroned the rulers of this world and put them to open shame through the cross of Christ, which exalts those of humble estate, starting with Jesus, and by extension, all who repent and believe in Him. He is allowing the rich to experience the emptiness of riches. He is blessing those who hunger and thirst for righteousness with the indwelling Spirit of Christ.

In other words, if you want God to work great things in your life, learn humility. Humble yourself at the cross of Jesus Christ. Beg His mercy. If you have no need, if you make your own plans for your life and want to run things, if you pursue riches, believing that’s your fulfillment, God will work against you. He will scatter those thoughts of your heart. He loves you too much to be consumed with self. There won’t be room for Him. Are you hungry for the good things He has for you, like joy, blessing, mercy, and help in your humble estate? It’s time to renew your appetite.

Communion

Advent can be a time to reassess our own values. How am I measuring greatness? What plans am I making for my life, and how do they align with God’s plans for our world in Christ? If God has been frustrating my plans, maybe my pride is blinding me to His greatness. Return to the gospel. Is Jesus the Son of God King of my life? How did I prioritize His kingdom this year, and how will I in the coming year?

Questions for Discussion

What is something you’re looking forward to this Christmas? What’s something you’re not?

In what ways do people seek greatness in our world? How did Jesus demonstrate greatness?

What do we learn about God from Mary’s song? In what ways has God demonstrated His greatness?

Why does God work through those of humble estate?

Mary sings in Luke 1:51, “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.” In what way has God done this?

What were the good things Mary experienced from God? What are the good things God fills you with?

What has Jesus done to fulfill Mary’s song? How can we share the gospel using this passage?