Mary did you know?

The Famous Christmas Song “Mary Did You Know” was a topic of discussion between a friend and me the other day. The song over the years has caused me to ponder a number of thoughts. But the one that I want to think through today is focused on what Mary Did Know! In the gospel of Luke, we find Mary’s Song of praise that was sung or spoken at the house of her cousin Elizabeth. In this song we know exactly what was on Mary’s heart and mind!

 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹ for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰ And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; ⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; ⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-55)

First and foremost, Mary knew that salvation comes through the Lord God. Her soul rejoiced at that knowledge and her words proclaimed that knowledge. She was humbled to realize that God had spoken to her through the Angel Gabriel and brought about a massive revelation of what was to come. The fulfillment of the prophets was now at hand and the Messiah was soon to be born! Throughout all of the Old Testament the prophecy of the Messiah was proclaimed over and over again. The Messiah the one that would come to bring restoration and salvation to Israel. Mary knew of those promises and prophecies and hearing the words of the Angel and just now the celebration of Elizabeth brought a rejoicing of the promised hope that was now present with inside her! Secondly, Mary knew the mighty power of His mercy! In verses 50 through 53, Mary describes and tells of the Mercy and strength of the Messiah. Throughout the generations God has shown Mercy to those that worshipped Him with fear and adoration. This fear is not that of scaredness but of holy respect. God throughout generations had caused the proud to be scattered and even exiled because of their lack of holy fear and adoration. Israel throughout the years had not been faithful and many had walked away from the commands of God. But the remanent had always been faithful! He protected and fed those who hungered for Him and He humbled and broke those that dishonored Him. Mary knew of this and knowing that of her own desires and heart, she saw the blessings of God and let those blessings feed her soul! Thirdly, the offspring of Abraham was to bless the nations. Back in the book of Genesis, God told Abraham that not only would he be the father of one nation, but that He would be the father of many nations. But the one nation (Israel) would bless the other nations. That offspring was now here! Mary trusted in the Word of God and the promises of God. Mary probably didn’t understand or grasp the fullness of what this meant but she clearly had some understanding and that understanding brought her heart to a place of worship! In closing, Mary did not know all that would take place in the life of Jesus. She probably didn’t fully understand what was to come with the Messiah. But what she did know was much more important than the things we often think about. She knew God was speaking again to His people after much silence and that brought about a joy that radiated throughout her soul. And what should bring us to a point of rejoicing is that God uses us as part of the redemptive plan! Mary a faithful young woman played a major role in redemptive history. Matter of fact as you read the Old Testament, you see many women just like Mary used over and over again! It should bring us to celebration that God in His infinite wisdom and joy uses both men and women in redemptive history! God created men and women not as advisories but as co-workers and image bearers of God in the beautiful story of redemption! The story of redemption is written in the Bible and the great news is that you and I get to now participate in the story of Kingdom work! Just as God used Mary, Elizabeth, and many others, He will use us for the work of the Kingdom! Just as Mary opened her mouth with proclamation, we must do the same today! It is the same song of hope and salvation to those who are need of redemption. So, this Christmas season, sing a loud the gospel and the promise and hope of Christ! Because you and I know the end of the story much more than Mary did!