Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20081001.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part IV: The Validity Of Jesus' Incarnation Seen In His Mother's "Magnificat"
(Luke 1:46-56)
  1. Introduction
    1. We Gentile, non-eyewitnesses of Christ's earthly life are vulnerable to being swayed by critics to doubt Jesus' credentials as God and Messiah when they suggest Jesus was a regular man who either had false ambitions, or who had followers with lofty ambitions who falsely said He was messiah and God.
    2. Gentile, non-eyewitness Luke, in writing to another non-eyewitness Gentile, Theophilus, gave insight into the viewpoint of Jesus' earthly mother while He was still in her womb that supplies invaluable evidence that Jesus would not have gained false impressions of Himself from his home upbringing:
  2. The Validity Of Jesus' Incarnation Seen In His Mother's "Magnificat", Luke 1:46-56.
    1. The "Magnificat" that Mary spoke in Luke 1:46-56 was given spontaneously in an emotionally charged setting, supplying a candid glimpse of the heart and thinking of Jesus' earthly mother (as follows):
      1. Mary was the earthly and virgin mother of the yet-unborn Jesus who had been engaged to marry Joseph in Nazareth when she was given news by God's angel that she would bear the Messiah, Luke 1:26-32.
      2. Upon then hearing from the angel Gabriel that her relative Elisabeth was with child in her old age by God's working, Mary rushed to visit Elisabeth, Luke 1:36-40.
      3. As soon as Mary entered Elisabeth's home and greeted her, Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and briefly, loudly, supernaturally told how Mary would bear her Lord and Messiah, Luke 1:41-45.
      4. In this emotionally charged setting, Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke her "Magnificat", its title coming from the first word in the Latin translation, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Lk. 1:46-56.
    2. Well, the candid view of Mary's heart exposed in her spontaneous "Magnificat" in its charged setting shows nothing in Jesus' home would have led Him to be allowed to have a false elevated view of Himself:
      1. Mary's "Magnificat" contains at least "15 discernible quotations from the Old Testament . . . showing how much the Old Testament was known and loved in the home in which Jesus was reared," Ibid., ftn. to Luke 1:46-56. Theophilus, Luke's reader, who had a copy of the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, could verify this fact from his own study of the Scriptures, cf. Luke 1:3.
      2. Thus, Jesus was reared in a home committed to Biblical truth such as Exodus 20:2-5 and Deuteronomy 6:4 that would have been highly intolerant to His ever falsely elevating Himself as Messiah and God.
      3. Also, Mary's "Magnificat" exposes a very humble, balanced worldview she possessed that would not have allowed for any false ideas of grandeur in Jesus' view of Himself, either, Luke 1:46-56:
        1. Mary glorified the Lord, claiming she rejoiced in Him as her Savior, her Helper, Luke 1:46-47.
        2. She noted how God had mercifully considered her humble station in life so that all generations would call her blessed due to God's gracious elevation of her to bear the true Messiah, Lk. 1:48-49.
        3. Mary humbly identified herself with every other generation of godly believers that had experienced God's mercy in their behalf, and who had been rescued by God from oppressors (Luke 1:50-53).
        4. Mary finally put her pregnancy with Christ into the Biblical context of God's plan to bless the world through the Abrahamic Covenant, Luke 1:54-55. She did not view herself as more exalted than the rest of God's people of the ages, but graciously blessed as part of the eternal plan of Almighty God!
    3. After uttering her "Magnificat," instead of showing pride as mother of Israel's Messiah, Mary stayed with Elisabeth nearly three months, possibly until John's birth (Luke 1:56, 26), showing thoughtful support for Elisabeth in view of her joyful delivery of John as a fellow handmaid of the Lord!
Lesson: The humble, balanced, very Biblical orientation of Jesus' mother so clearly seen in her candid "Magnificat" shows Jesus' background did not foster false pretentions in Him to be what He was NOT, but that His TRUE identity as Messiah and God was CONFIRMED to be the TRUTH of GOD!

Application: (1) May we believe that Jesus is the true Messiah and God come in the flesh by way of the evidence of Mary's heart as exposed in her spontaneous "Magnificat" under the Holy Spirit's leading. (2) May all of us who disciple children give them what Mary gave Jesus -- a meek, balanced, intensely Biblical orientation that they too might have a correct view of themselves, of God, and of other people!