Sermon Tone Analysis

TITLE:     God-blessed!

\\ \\ SERMON IN A SENTENCE:     If we will be obedient to God's call, God will \\ bless us and make us a blessing.

\\ \\ SCRIPTURE:    Luke 1:29-45 (46-55) \\ \\ EXEGESIS: \\ \\ CHAPTER 1:  A DIPTYCH \\ \\ Farris characterizes this chapter as a diptych (a pair of hinged panels revealing two related pictures) with the birth of John the Baptist on one side and the birth of Jesus on the other.

Parallels between the two panels include the angelic announcement of the births (1:8-17, 26-33), the angel's "Do not be afraid" (1:13, 30), objections by Zechariah and Mary (1:18, 34), and the angel's response to the objections (1:19-20, 35-37).

\\ Major differences include the contrast between Zechariah's unbelief (1:18) and Mary's belief (1:38) -- as well as Jesus' superiority over John, as demonstrated by the fact that "a birth to aged parents is unusual; a birth to a virgin is impossible" (Farris, 290-291).

\\ \\ Luke 1:36 identifies Elizabeth as Mary' kinswoman or relative (Greek: sungenis), but we don't know their exact relationship.

We usually think of John as Jesus' cousin, but that is based on 1:36, so our knowledge of their relationship is also inexact.

Given the age difference between Elizabeth and Mary, it seems likely that Elizabeth is one generation older -- perhaps Mary's aunt.

\\ \\ These stories are shot through with OT allusions.

The annunciation to Zechariah, his unbelief, and the subsequent birth of John closely resemble the annunciation to Abraham (Gen.

18:1-10), Sarah's laughter (Gen.

18:11-15), and the birth of Isaac (Gen.

21:1-7).

The birth of John to barren Elizabeth resembles the birth of Samuel to barren Hannah (1 Sam.

1).

Mary's song (vv.

46-55) is modeled on Hannah's song (1 Sam.

2:1-10).

There are also numerous allusions to the Psalms.

\\ \\ \\ VERSES  39-45:   BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN \\ \\ 39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in \\ my womb leaped for joy.

45And blessed (Greek: makaria) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

\\ \\ "In those days, Mary set out" (v.

39).

Mary is the heroine of this story, but it is she who journeys to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth --perhaps because Elizabeth's pregnancy preceded Mary's by six months and she would be great with child -- perhaps as a gesture of honor by the younger woman to her elder.

The most unusual feature of this visit is \\ that a pregnant woman, particularly an unmarried pregnant woman, would ordinarily be cloistered and would not travel.

\\ \\ "The two women, not only kin but drawn by a common experience, meet in an unnamed village in the Judean hills.

The one is old and her son will close an age; the other is young and her son will usher in the new" (Craddock, Interpretation, 29).

\\ \\ "the child leaped in her womb" (v.

41).

Still in the womb, John is filled with by the Holy Spirit (1:15), and begins his work of preparing the way of the Lord (1:17, 76; 3:4).

\\ \\ "Blessed are you among women" (v.

42).

All four Gospels establish Jesus' superiority over John.

In the Synoptics, John announces Jesus' superiority at Jesus' baptism (Matt 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16-17).

In the Gospel of John, the announcement is part of the Prologue (1:6-9).

Luke is the only one to tell this story of Mary's visit to Elizabeth, \\ which establishes Jesus' superiority even while the babies are in the womb.

The Holy Spirit fills both John (1:15) and Elizabeth (1:41), and inspires their testimony about Jesus.

\\ \\ It is surprising that Elizabeth expresses honor at Mary's visit.

She is an elderly woman in a culture that honors older people.

Mary is young, probably a teenager, so she is the one from whom we would expect deference.

Also, Mary became pregnant while unmarried, and it is possible that she is not yet married at the time of this visit.

The typical visit \\ of an unmarried pregnant girl to a relative would be for the purpose of reducing the visibility of a shameful pregnancy -- although there is no hint of that in this Gospel.

It is Elizabeth, following in the tradition of ancient Sarah, who appears to deserve honor.

Mary has done nothing to deserve honor, except that she "believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord" (v.

45) -- but that is enough!

\\ \\ "and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (v.

42).

These were Moses' words to the Israelites -- the blessing, in that case, being contingent on their obedience to God (Deut.

28:4).

Mary is being obedient (1:38), and her blessing, like her baby, grows out of that obedience.

"Elizabeth does not wish or offer blessing, but recognizes (Mary's) blessedness" (Nolland).

\\ \\ "the mother of my Lord" (v.

43).

The baby is the source of Mary's blessedness.

She is to be the mother of the Lord.

" 'Lord' is a title first of all for God (as already in Luke 1:6, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17, 25).

Of Jesus, it is used most properly as a resurrection title (see Acts 1:21; 2:34-36; 4:26, 33; 8:16, etc).

But Luke, even more than Matthew, uses it for Jesus not only as a greeting but also as a title (see Luke 2:11; 7:13; 10:1; 11:39; 12:42; 17:6; 18:6; 19:8, 31; especially 24:34)" (Johnson, 41).

\\ \\ "For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy."  (v.

44).

Later, John will humble himself before Jesus just as Elizabeth humbles herself now before Mary (Matt.

3:14).

\\ "And blessed (Greek: makaria) is she who believed" (v.

45).

Mary's belief brings her blessing.

The Greek word used for blessed is the same word that is used in the Beatitudes (6:20-22) -- a word which implies a blessing based on a right relationship with God.

Mary believed, in contrast to Zechariah, who did not believe and was thus struck mute "until the day these things occur" (1:20).

During her pregnancy, Elizabeth has been living with a man who, because of his unbelief, has been unable to speak.

Now she receives Mary, who did believe, and is thus able to sing a joyful song.

\\ \\ The angel has appeared both to Zechariah and Mary, announcing to each the birth of a baby.

"The second wonder.exceeds the first.

John will be born to an aged childless couple, but Jesus will be born to a virgin..  John will be a prophet, but Jesus will be God's son" (Tannehill, 52).

In the Magnificat (vv.

46-55), Mary acknowledges the reversal.

God has indeed "lifted up the lowly" -- beginning with Mary (v.

52).

\\ \\ While it is an honor for Mary to be chosen as the mother of the Lord, the honor is not unalloyed.

"That very blessedness was to be a sword to  pierce her heart....  God does not choose a person for ease and comfort and selfish joy but for a great task that will take all that head and heart and hand can bring to it" (Barclay, 8).

The woman who will cradle \\ her newborn in a feeding trough will also see her son die on a cross.

\\ \\ \\ VERSES  46-55:   MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD \\ \\ 46And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,  47and my spirit rejoices in God my  Savior,  48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;  53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,  55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

\\ \\ Mary's song is known as the Magnificat because of the first word in the Latin translation of this verse.

The parallels to Hannah's song (1 Sam.

2:1-10) are quite strong.

Hannah's song began, "My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God."

She spoke of reversals:  "The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength" and "He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor."

In her ending verses, she celebrated the fact that the Lord "will guard the feet of his faithful ones.and

exalt the power of his anointed."

Mary's song follows much the same outline.

\\ \\ The parallels would be stronger yet if it were Elizabeth who sang Mary's song.

Both Hannah and Elizabeth were barren, and prayed for their wombs to be opened.

Both took great joy in their pregnancies and the subsequent births of the children.

Some scholars have suggested that Mary's song is really Elizabeth's song, but there is little to justify that opinion.

In the best manuscripts, v. 46 identifies the speaker as Mary, and v. 48 \\ describes Mary better than Elizabeth.

\\ \\ Elizabeth is an old woman (1:7), and some scholars believe that Hannah was also old.

I do not find that in the scriptures.

The only evidence that she was old is the comment, "So it went on year by year" (1 Sam.

1:7).

However, this is offset by the fact that she is not called an old woman and by the fact that "she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters" after Samuel's birth (1 Sam 2:21).

\\ \\ It is worth noting that Zechariah, after recovering his voice at the birth of his son, will be filled with the Holy Spirit and will sing his own song (1:68-79) -- a song that parallels Hannah's and Mary's songs.

Mary is granted the privilege of the first song, however, because she believed, and Zechariah did not.

It will be only after the promise is fulfilled \\ that Zechariah will sin g -- only when he can see by sight rather than by faith.

\\ \\ In the first part of her song, Mary celebrates the blessing that she received from "God my Savior" (v.

47).

A Savior is important only to a person who needs saving.

While we all need salvation, the lowly and hungry (vv.

52-53) best understand their need of a Savior.

The more comfortable we are, the less needy we feel.