“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant.
For behold, from now on all generations
will call me blessed; for He who is mighty
has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.
And His mercy is for those who fear Him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
He has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
in remembrance of His mercy,
as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham
and to his offspring forever.”
~Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)
Mary's Magnificat reminds us of how great, mighty and merciful our God is (vv. 49-50). And in spite of His greatness, Jesus chose to leave His throne where He was perfectly loved, obeyed and honored, and entered into His own creation.
The Lord Jesus...the Lord of lords, the King of kings chose for His earthly parents—poor, unknown, unpopular souls: Joseph and Mary.
The Lord Jesus...the Lord of lords, the King of kings chose for His first earthly place to lay His royal head—a filthy, smelly and lonesome feed trough.
The Lord Jesus...the Lord of lords, the King of kings chose to come to earth...the first time, in anonymity. But made Himself known to those who fear the Almighty (v.50): Joseph, Mary and the lowly shepherds.
The Lord Jesus...the Lord of lords, the King of kings owned nothing of earthly value, had no physical glamour that anyone would take notice and desire Him. He was not a motivational speaker that made people feel good about themselves (John 7:7, 1 John 3:12). But He faithfully and rightly proclaimed the righteousness, goodness and greatness of God the Father.
Yet, we, who are neither lords nor kings desire to enter a room, social media or anywhere—to be noticed, to be adored, to be followed, honored and admired. We desire to own great things both tangible and intangible. We say and do things that make people feel good in order to gain a following and we foolishly follow others who appear popular or well-liked. We'll listen to and share words from a popular person, but we won't listen to or share the wise words of an unknown (like a parent, an older sibling, neighbor or friend).
Let us repent of the desire to be known and well thought of. And let us repent from the desire to follow others just because they are well known and well thought of. Let us be like babes who desire pure spiritual milk so that like our Lord Jesus, we too may enter any place with a humble spirit, full or mercy and good fruits—with God's truth and love as our cornerstone.
Let us follow only Jesus—with gentleness and humility, full of grace and truth.
Let us follow only Jesus—with gentleness and humility, full of grace and truth.
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