Happy New Year everyone.
I will start 2022 off by wrapping up my thoughts on Luke 1:46-55. Here is my translation of the end of Mary's song, verses 51-55:
51 He has performed powerful acts with his arm;
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts in their hearts.
52 He has removed powerful people from thrones,
And he has lifted up the humble.
53 Those who are hungry, he has filled with good things,
While those who are wealthy, he has sent away with nothing.
54 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
Remembering to be merciful.
55 Just as has spoken to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Let me remind you of what was discussed in Part 2, of God's incredible kratos, or strength. Mary shows us how increbibly strong her God is. Mary's paradoxical look at the world continues in verse 53. Not only are the powerful and the lowly moving in different directions, those who are hungry are contrasted with those who are wealthy. They, too, are moving in different directions. This time, the hungry are full and the full become hungry.
What does this mean? Surely God’s plan is not a revolving door of fullness and hunger. God is not simply swapping the rich with the poor. Rather, God is giving us a new way to think about what rich and poor means. Consider what Mary is saying and compare it to what Jesus says, as recorded by Luke in Luke 6:20-21, then 24-25:
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you are hungry now,
For you will be filled.”
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
25 Woe to you who are full now,
For you will be hungry.” (TNIV)
Jesus is saying something very similar to what his mother said. The poor may remain poor by earthly standards, but theirs is the kingdom of God, which is far better than any kingdom of Earth. Those who are hungry, may continue to feel the pangs of hunger, but they will be filled with better things than food. God’s best blessings are not physical, they are spiritual. Which is better, money or love? Good food or inner peace? This is where Mary is going with this. She probably never lived above the poverty level, yet she recognizes her blessings and is grateful. She had so much more than the wealthy of her time, because she feared God with a reverent fear, and He blessed her for it.
Mary has presented a world that is upside down, where the poor and hungry are filled and the wealthy become poor and hungry. Tying my three posts together, here are lessons Mary teaches us:
1) God’s nature. Mary sees God as the ultimate power. He is greater than those who seem powerful in the moment, because his power is absolute and eternal, and he can do whatever he wants. But not only is Mary’s God powerful, but he is a God that is aware of and concerned about her needs, and he meets them. He is also a merciful God, offering mercy to her and to Israel.
2) The rewards of humility. God stands against pride and rewards humility. With Jesus’ arrival coming soon, the humble, the poor and outcasts become first. They are the ones receiving salvation, whereas the proud and arrogant become last. They receive judgment. From Mary we learn that the rewards of humility far outway the rewards of pride. Truthfully, pride mostly brings consequences.
3) What is really important. What is really important is being within God’s mercy. God’s mercy is better than money. The rich and the arrogant do not fare well in the picture painted by Mary, or the one presented by Jesus in Luke 6. God’s mercy will ultimately meet the needs of those who seek his mercy. The way to do that is to give up pride, take on humility and live in reverent fear of God. So it is far better to be poor, hungry and humble, than to be wealthy, full and filled with pride. It is indeed upside down.
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment