Magnificat: Advent with Luke
Luke 1: 46 - 55
The Magnificat is a part of the Scripture that is frequently composed into musical settings. While we may read it as Mary’s personal praise (“My soul magnifies the Lord…”), it is actually also a communal praise. The waiting for the coming of the Lord is not just Mary’s alone, but also that of the whole of Israel. Mary represents the whole people of God in praising and magnifying Him. Therefore, for instance, in Johann Sebastian Bach’s musical setting of the Magnificat, the opening piece is not a soprano solo but a chorus.
The popular meaning of the word ‘magnify’ may suggest that God is small and that we try to make Him greater. While this is understandable in the human perspective, we know that God does not become greater or more glorious when we praise Him. The beauty here lies in how, when we praise God, we are able to see Him in a greater light, not that He becomes greater. So, if at times we feel that God is small in our lives, it may be because we are lacking in our praise of Him.
Why does Mary praise the Lord? Why does her spirit rejoice in God her Savior? In verse 48, it is written, “Because he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” Luke emphasizes that God is near to those who are of humble estate and lowly. This does not mean that God discriminates against those in high positions, but often they cannot see the greatness of God. What they see is their own greatness. Instead, those who can see the greatness of God are often servants in lowly positions. If we read the story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ is also in such humble estate. Mary, who is used by God here, is also an ordinary person. And yet, she who is ordinary, small, and lowly, is called blessed.
That is the beauty of Christianity: those who are blessed are those who are used in the work of God, even though they are lowly ordinary persons. Thus, we have no excuses. We may be only lowly ordinary persons, but God can still bless and use us. We should have faith in the Lord. Although Mary is lowly and small, God, who is mighty, has done great things for her. He is mighty in using Mary despite her lowliness, and He brings salvation not only to her but also to all Israel by giving the baby Jesus. The focus is on what the Lord has done for us, not what we have done for Him. Sometimes, our praises might seem directed toward God but actually highlight our own achievements. This won’t be the case if, instead of talking about what we have done for God, we talk about what God has done for us.
The Greek tense used here is the aorist, which is typically translated into English as past or perfect tense (e.g. “has done great things”, “has shown strength”, “has scattered the proud”). So we read as if these things have already been done, whereas, in fact, they are yet to happen. This reflects God’s perspective, where His work is already certain and complete, hence the use of the aorist tense. God is not bound by time; He created time and exists outside of it. There is no past, present, or future for Him. However, we are within time, and for us, these things will happen in the future. If we have faith in the Lord, we know that there is nothing uncertain for him, and thus it would be foolish for us not to take part in His work. We need to seek His mercy so that we do not think as if we are helping God, and instead recognize that we are invited to participate in fulfilling His work.
In this passage, we also encounter a unique theme in the Gospel of Luke, that is the reversal motif (e.g. verse 51-53). When the kingdom of God comes, it creates a sharp contrast with the kingdom of the world. Woe to us if we are drawn to the narrative of the kingdom of the world. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world are always in strong opposition. Some relate Mary’s praise to Hannah’s song in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, barrenness is often used to display the glory of God, as in the stories of Hannah or Sarah. From the perspective of the kingdom of the world, these barren women are considered as lowly and useless because they cannot produce offspring. Yet, from God’s perspective, He uses such women to display His might. There is no record in the Gospel that Mary was barren. But just as it is impossible for barren women to conceive, it was also impossible for her, who had not had a husband yet, to conceive. Yet God made it possible for her to conceive the baby who is the Savior.
God “exalted those of humble estate” and “has filled the hungry with good things”. Hopefully, we are among these groups of people because, in the story of Christmas, certain groups are not included, such as the rich, whom “he has sent away empty,” and the mighty kings, like Herod, whom “he has brought down … from their thrones.” In today’s world, there may not be many kings left. However, there are still many who strive to maintain high positions and take pride in their status in society. Yet, as we read in the Magnificat, God will bring down such people. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t hold high positions; if God leads us there, we should be fruitful there. However, when we are in such positions, we shouldn’t cling to them, as the kingdom of the world does, because these things don’t really matter in the kingdom of God. What truly matters is that we take part in God’s work and maintain our simplicity and humility.
In the Bible and the Gospel of Luke, we see examples of rich people blessed by God, such as Zacchaeus, who, unlike what is mentioned in the Magnificat, is not sent away empty. We can refer to the beatitudes and woes pronounced by Jesus in Luke 6:20-26 for explanation. The woe is not directed at all rich people without exception but states, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” Not everyone who is rich finds their comfort and consolation in their wealth, as seen with Zacchaeus. This can be contrasted with the stories of the rich young ruler or the rich man in the parable of Lazarus, who indeed put their comfort in their riches.
It is important for us to understand this reversal motif correctly. It is not about the riches or high positions themselves, but about the attitude of our hearts, whether we place our pride in these. There may even be poor people who are equally prideful. Indeed, many rich people perish because it requires the grace of God for the wealthy to avoid placing their comfort in their riches. By His grace, whether we are rich or poor, in high or low positions, we must not let these circumstances define our standing in the kingdom of God. There may be people who are highly successful and admired by many, but they are ultimately not pleasing to the Lord. Conversely, there may be people who are simple and lowly, yet faithful in doing God’s work, and they are regarded as great by Him in the kingdom of God. Let us, therefore, see through God’s lens rather than through that of the kingdom of the world.
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are always at war with each other. However, as we meditated on in Isaiah, this war is not fought with violence or swords. Instead, God establishes His kingdom with love, humility, and even vulnerability. He gave us baby Jesus, not warlords or superheroes. The power of God is revealed through a weak and vulnerable baby. His might and glory are shown in the manger. As verse 52 highlights, this is what it means for God to exalt those of humble estate. The question is, which group do we belong to? Are we among those of humble estate who will be exalted, or the mighty who will be brought down? Are we the hungry who will be filled, or the full and rich who will be sent away empty?
In verse 54, it is written, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.” If we meditate upon this, it might seem strange. A servant is typically the one who helps and serves. Yet here we see the Lord helping and serving His servant. This is the story of the condescension of God. He ‘condescends’, (not the popular pejorative term ‘patronizing’ but the theological term), meaning that He comes down and assumes human nature. He comes down to His people, His servant Israel, who are supposed to serve Him, and He helps them in remembrance of His mercy.
Sometimes, in our ministry, despite our efforts to remain faithful, we may grow discouraged and consider giving up. Similarly, during Advent, we may long for spiritual revival and wonder if it will ever come. We may forget the promises of God, but He never forgets to fulfill His promises, because our God is a God who remembers. Here, the promise of the coming of the Messiah has been waited for hundreds and thousands of years, for generations from Abraham up to this moment where it was fulfilled. As we meditate on Advent, which is often associated with the second coming of Jesus, we must not give up waiting for this. We should continue to wait with hope, trusting that revivals from God may occur between now and His return. Let us not be swept away by the wave of secularism and become ‘realistic’. Instead, let us ask for the fire from God in our lives and for His grace to help us keep it lit. May God bless us all. (T.F.L.)