My dear readers,

Have You Responded to Christ’s Birth?

Luke 1:46-56: “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.”

No believer is more unique on earth than the virgin Mary, the woman God chose in His infinite grace and mercy to bring forth the birth of Jesus Christ. She was the fulfilment of Genesis 3:15! The seed of the woman who would bruise the head of the serpent and, in the process, have his heel bruised in return is a reference to Christ’s death by crucifixion and resurrection! To be saved from her sins by Christ, and called and chosen to be the virgin to bring forth God’s Son to become the Son of Man, so that with us (mankind) is God, i.e. Emmanuel, is indeed a very high honour! Her praise reflects her heart and how she felt toward her God, who had chosen her from the billions of women who existed!

Luke 1:46-56 reflects Mary’s perspective of Christmas.

She Magnified the Lord – To “magnify” someone literally means to make someone great. Mary wanted to make the Lord great in every aspect of her life. A sinner before salvation and in total depravity will magnify self. There is no stopping this manifestation of the pride of life that controls and consumes him. He deludedly thinks that it is the right thing to do. However, the moment a sinner becomes a child of God in Christ and experiences the goodness and grace of God, he is delivered from his delusion. The only great Person in his life whom he desires to magnify now is the Lord. He knows that the Lord must continue to increase, and he must decrease. Mary demonstrated God's amazing grace in her life by her open confession.

She Rejoiced in God – Her spirit is filled with joy in God whom she called her Saviour. She knew that though God chose her to be the one through whom Jesus received His humanity, it did not make her His mother, like our mothers are to us. We did not exist before we were conceived in the womb. This was not the case for Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God, the second Person of the Godhead. He always existed as part of the eternal Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ began His humanity from the time of Mary’s conception when the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (cf. Luke 1:35). Mary needed to believe in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour like every sinner, even though God chose her to give birth to Jesus in her virginity.

NOTE: Mary had children after Jesus was born. After her marriage to Joseph, there was no consummation of the marriage until Jesus was born. Joseph, also of the lineage of King David, through the line of Solomon, was a God-fearing man. He obeyed God and understood Mary was the chosen virgin to give birth to Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:24-25: “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” She conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus as the virgin Mary. Christ was born of the virgin Mary! Mary and Joseph had four sons after Jesus was born. Matthew 13:55 says, “Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?”

God had done Great Things to her – To say that God has done great things is not the same as to say God has done great things to me! Many say that God has done great things in creation, in the bible especially through His miracles, and in the lives of many of God's saints. But if God has not done great things to you, then you are not a child of God. The greatest thing God did for Mary was to save her from her sin. After her salvation, she was called by God to fulfil her calling in life to be the virgin chosen by God to bring forth the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world. Thank God Mary submitted willingly and cheerfully, knowing the consequences that might follow, including the rumour that she might have committed fornication since she was with child before marriage and the rejection of her betrothal to Joseph. She knew that God was holy as He has made her holy in Christ.

The Mercy of God on her – Mary understood that it was based entirely on God's mercy that she was saved and chosen to be the virgin to bring forth Jesus as the Saviour of the world. The mercy of God toward her was not new. This was the same mercy God bestowed on all His children and servants from time past. It will remain the same mercy that will work throughout man’s history. What sinful man deserves from God is His holy justice and righteous condemnation for the many sins committed against Him. But His mercy has been His way of dealing with sinful man throughout history. For the world, His mercy allows it to exist and remain, for God could have destroyed the earth centuries ago. Instead, God allows man to remain so that more can be saved in Christ. But God's children understand His mercy like Mary did. They remain grateful and humble as they serve and witness for Him unconditionally and sacrificially. God helped Israel to remember His mercy as God fulfilled the oldest and first prophecy given to man (cf. Gen 3:15) in Mary. Mary understood this.

God’s Sovereignty is Known – In times of adversity and calamity, God’s sovereignty is the most reassuring doctrine to give God’s peace and to keep it in our hearts. Man is not in control of the earth and the affairs of man. God alone is! Nothing happens without His permission. To the rich and powerful, He puts them up and brings them down according to His timeline. He feeds the hungry and humbles the rich and powerful at will. He was the One who called Mary and gave her the privilege to bear the child Jesus who was to become the Son of Man and to save the world from sin!

All believers must respond to Christ like Mary in praise and worship. Christ has saved us from our sins and called us to serve the Lord according to His sovereign will, just as Christ saved and called Mary.