The Hope of the Resurrection

 

We are going through the Book of Acts at church and have just recently finished chapters 23-26. Paul is on trial before Jewish and Roman authorities and there is a theme that runs through his defense like a mighty river. I think it is exciting and insightful, for here we see Paul’s heart. I just want to simply quote him, with very little added commentary.

Paul before the chief priests and all their council

23:6  …Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

“This was Paul's cardinal doctrine as a Christian minister. It was this fact that convinced him that Jesus was the Messiah and was the very centre of his faith  and of his preaching.” †

“St. Paul had preached the resurrection of the dead, on the foundation and evidence of the resurrection of Christ. For this, he and the apostles were, some time before, imprisoned by the high priest and elders, because they preached, through Jesus, the resurrection of the dead.” ‡

Paul before Felix

24:14  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

15  And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

the way – this seems to have been an early description of the faith

24:21  Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.

24:22  And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way…

Agrippa agrees to hear Paul’s case

25:19  But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

“And of one Jesus. This is the climax of supercilious scorn toward both Paul and 'one Jesus.' Who was dead…Whom Paul affirmed to be alive. With all his toploftical airs Festus has here correctly stated the central point of Paul's preaching about Jesus as no longer dead, but living.” †

Toploftical – (I love this, but had to look it up!) a rare, informal, and often humorous adjective from the 19th century describing someone as haughty, arrogant, or disdainfully superior.

Paul before Agrippa

26:6  And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:

26:7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

26:8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?Once again, it seems clear that the hope Paul is speaking of is the resurrection of the dead. 

“hope to come (26:7) is the very same word which Paul, in Phi 3:11, uses to express the same thing: If by any means, I might attain to, the resurrection of the dead.” ‡

What is this mighty river that runs through Paul’s defense? It is the resurrection of the dead. And he makes it very clear that this was not some new doctrine he had introduced, it was the hope of the Jews, which was based on the law and the prophets. This hope was tied to their hope of the coming Messiah. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead confirmed two powerful truths: (1) Jesus was declared Son of God with power (Rom 1:4) and (2) there will be a resurrection of the dead. This is what Paul believed; this is what Paul preached; this is where he took his stand – There will be a resurrection of the dead. This is really cool!

Philippians 3:8-11 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

† Word Pictures in the New Testament, Archibald Thomas (A.T.) Robertson (1863 – 1934).

‡ Commentary on the Bible, Adam Clarke (1762 – 1832), Irish writer, biblical scholar, Methodist theologian.

Anna

 

Anna provides the final Portrait of Faith. We read about her in Luke 2:36-38. Three verses. Two sentences. That’s it. But I think we will see she was an amazing woman.

36  And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

there was one Anna - She was named after Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2). Anna is the Greek version of Hannah. Why the 'H' in Hannah but not in Anna? They are pronounced almost the same, but there is a slight guttural sound in the Hebrew, represented by the 'H', which is not pronounced in Greek or English. Hannah was the wife of Elkanah and mother of Samuel. She has a great testimony herself. 

a prophetess – this one word tells us a lot about Anna; being a prophetess meant that, like Simenon, she also had the Holy Spirit resting upon her. This means she walked in the Spirit, was led by the Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit revealed things to her. She had faith to be filled with the Spirit, receive revelation from the Lord, and speak the words of the Lord.

daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher – “Though her family might have been a distinguished one in Jerusalem, yet we find that it was her very exemplary piety that entitled her to be thus honourably mentioned in the sacred history.” (Adam Clarke)

she was of a great age – we'll see how old she was in v 37

and had lived with an husband seven years – she was married for seven years; nothing is said about children.

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

a widow of about fourscore and four years – I understand this to be her total age, 84 years old; she had not only grown old, but had faithfully walked with the Lord all those years – that is persevering faith. It is one thing to start the Christian life with a bang, it is another thing entirely to be faithful your whole life, and a long life at that!

departed not from the temple – This most likely means she attended constantly at the hours of prayer. The Gospels and Acts refer to praying at the third, sixth, and ninth hours — or 9 am, noon, and 3 pm.

served God with fastings and prayers night and day – she lived a very disciplined and spiritual life. She had faith to be holy, godly, disciplined, and full of prayer.

What was she so constantly praying about? Obviously, first of all, her own spiritual life and relationship with the Lord. I believe the context strongly suggests her prayers were for the coming of the Lord’s Christ. The Jewish people knew of the prophesy of Daniel - that there would be 70 weeks, 490 years, from the command to rebuild Jerusalem to the Messiah, and they could count. She may even have known Simeon who was told he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. There was great excitement, anticipation, and expectation in those days!

Jesus taught us to pray, Thy kingdom come; she was no doubt praying this very prayer. The coming of the kingdom requires preparation, as both John and Jesus preached, Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. I’m just as certain she would have been occupied in praying for the people to be ready for the King. This is great faith - she is laboring with the Lord to birth the kingdom. This is a behind the scenes faith – people knew she was at the temple all the time, but she doesn’t appear to be important, even though she is doing the most important work. The most important work in the kingdom is done by behind the scenes people. Oh to have faith like Anna!!

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

coming in that instant – Simeon came to the temple because the Spirit told him to; did Anna just happen to come in at that time? This would be according to the Scriptures, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD – not happenstance. She may not have known what or who she was going to see, but the Lord directed her steps. She walked in faith, and was therefore at the right place at the right time!

gave thanks likewise unto the Lord – she saw and heard Simeon and joined him in thanking the Lord. I love this! She was walking in faith and so full of the Spirit that she instantly recognized this baby as the Christ; no thinking about it or praying over it - the Spirit bore witness with her spirit, This is the Christ, the answer to your prayers, and she immediately responded with thanksgiving. She had faith to hear and receive the witness of the Spirit. And think about it, she is thanking God for His redemption before it has come to pass, I mean Jesus is just a 40 day old baby. This is faith.

and spoke of him – by faith she testified of Christ.

to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem – I am afraid that we have been given the impression that no one in Israel was looking for or ready for Christ, but that can’t be true. The Jewish people were very interested in and excited about the appearing of Christ: there were those waiting for the consolation of Israel, and those looking for redemption in Jerusalem. John the Baptizer baptized thousands of interested Jews; 3,000 people were baptized in the name of Jesus in Acts 2, and by Acts 4 there were 5,000 men who believed. Yes, as a nation they refused and rejected Christ, but God has always had a remnant. (That’s an interesting study in itself.)

looked for redemption - Another descriptive name of the Christ. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel, or the Comforter; Anna was looking for redemption, or the Redeemer. And to all them that looked indicates there were a lot of people eagerly waiting for the Lord's Christ.

I tell you, I want to be like Anna and have a persevering faith. I was young and now I am old, but I still want to walk in faith and in the Spirit. I want at the very least to have a behind the scenes faith, doing the most important work - prayer; praying for the coming again of Christ Jesus, and for a people prepared for him. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me,

that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:18-19)

  

Finis

Simeon prophesies over the holy family

In my last post I looked at the faith of Simeon. As I summed up his faith, I said by faith he prophesied over the holy family. I try to make sure my posts aren’t too long, so I saved this prophecy for a separate post. That’s this one! So let’s look at it.

Luke 2:33-35

33 And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Joseph and his mother marveled at the things Simeon said about their baby boy – they were probably still processing the things the angel had told them both, their son is the Messiah. And now this! Sometimes, when we read the gospels, we forget they didn’t know as much as we do. What we know, they were living through and trying to grasp and fathom. Mary just had a baby, he’s 40 days old, and they’re being told he will be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel? This is a lot to take in.

And Simeon blessed them – Luke says blessed, I said prophesied; whichever word you choose, he spoke a word from the Lord to them. And it’s a hard word.

Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against – Adam Clarke, in his commentary, said of this:

“This child is set for the fall - This seems an allusion to Isaiah 8:14-15 : Jehovah, God of hosts, shall be – for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

As Christ did not come as a temporal deliverer, in which character alone the Jews expected him, the consequence should be, they would reject him, and so fall by the Romans. But in the fullness of time there shall be a rising again of many in Israel. Romans 11:26-27 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

And for a sign - A mark to shoot at - a metaphor taken from archers. Or perhaps Simeon refers to Isa 11:10-12. There shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an Ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: - intimating that the Jews would reject it, while the Gentiles should flock to it as their ensign of honor, under which they were to enjoy a glorious rest.”

a sword shall pierce through thine own soul. Why would this be? Simeon saw the pain and sorrow Jesus would endure and that this would break her heart. “This is a metaphor used by the most respectable Greek writers to express the most pungent sorrow, it may here refer to the anguish Mary must have felt when standing beside the cross of her tortured son.” (Adam Clarke)

As Isaiah had prophesied:

He was despised, shunned by men, A man of suffering, familiar with disease. As one who hid his face from us, He was despised, we held him of no account. Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, Our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, Smitten and afflicted by God; But he was wounded because of our sins, Crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, And by his bruises we were healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5, Tanakh)

Our salvation is not cheap. The Faith declares:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried (Nicene Creed)

No wonder the Apostle Peter tells us, we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:19).

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory,
what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

How pale art thou with anguish

With sore abuse and scorn

How dost thy face now languish

Which once was bright as morn

Thy grief and bitter passion

Were all for sinners’ gain

Mine, mine was the transgression

But thine the deadly pain

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Paul Gerhardt (1656; German); Translator: James W. Alexander (1829)

NEXT: Anna

Simeon

Today we come to a man named Simeon. All we know about him is found in Luke 2:25-35. His is a very remarkable story, I would even say a powerful story. I’m a simple guy, so once more let’s just go through the passage and see what we can learn about faith from Simeon.

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
Right away we see four things about this man:

whose name was Simeon – He was named after the second of the 12 sons of Jacob (Gen 29:33)

just and devout – he loved the Lord, he was faithful, he was careful to obey and serve the Lord

waiting for the consolation of Israel - the consolation of Israel is Messiah. The word for consolation means "consolation, comfort, solace; that which affords comfort or refreshment (Messiah's salvation, Luke 2:25); so the rabbis called the Messiah the consoler, the comforter."* (It is in the same family as Comforter/Paraclete; the Holy Spirit, of whom Jesus said, he shall give you another Comforter)

Messiah will bring the kingdom of God - righteousness, peace, joy; deliverance from their enemies. Right away his faith is expressed - he believed the promise of the coming Christ, and he waited patiently for him to come. Since he knew the promises and was no doubt well versed in the Scriptures, I'm sure he knew the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel and was confident the time for Christ to come was upon them. He was waiting for and anticipating the coming of Christ, and living a life prepared for him!

and the Holy Spirit was upon him – even though this is the gospel of Luke, these are still Old Testament times, and this is the Old Testament way of saying he had been filled with the Spirit. As Luke will later describe Barnabas, he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith (Acts 11:24). The difference between the Old Covenant and New Covenant is big! In Old Testament days, only select people were filled with the Spirit; but under the New Testament every believer can be filled with the Spirit. This is the promise of the Father spoken of by the Lord Jesus.

Righteous, devout, waiting for the coming of Christ, the Holy Spirit upon him. I would be happy if someone described me this way!

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Not only all that, it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. This is truly amazing! He didn’t know exactly when he would die, but he knew it wouldn't be until he had seen Christ. He knew the promises of the coming of Messiah, he had discerned the times and knew it was soon, and it had been revealed to him that he would personally see the Lord’s Christ. By faith he waited to see Christ, he expected to see Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

he came by the Spirit into the temple – that is, the Holy Spirit either put it in his heart or told him to go to the temple, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. This is what we now know as being led by the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. He had faith to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit. Simeon is basically living the normal Christian life.

After the custom of the law – which is described in Luke 2:21-24, And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
This is kind of unexpected – Joseph and Mary walk into the temple and suddenly a man they don’t know takes their baby from their arms! But then perhaps they weren’t too shocked because they had both seen an angel, and shepherds, who had also seen angels, showed up the night he was born.

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Wow! This is pretty cool!

mine eyes have seen thy salvation – this is, oh praise God, this is so good…salvation is not merely some thing God gives us or even does for us, salvation is a person, it is Jesus. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

before the face of all people – Simeon saw that Jesus was salvation for all people.

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel – all the peoples!! Simeon had faith to see that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, came for all the peoples of the world.

now let thy servant depart in peace - Now I can die, for according to thy word, I have seen Christ!

Mine eyes have seen thy salvation - Amen. This child is the Christ, the consolation of Israel, the very one spoken of by Jacob way back in Genesis 49:18, I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD. And so  the angel told Joseph, Thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins.

By faith Simeon was righteous and devout; by faith he was waiting for the consolation of Israel; by faith he had the Spirit upon him; by faith he had been promised he would see Christ; by faith he followed the Spirit’s leading and went into the temple; and by faith he prophesied over the holy family (we will see that in the next post). 

Simeon believed that Jesus, the son of Mary, was the Christ of God.

My prayer is that I would walk in faith like Simeon!

His name is Jesus, Jesus,
Sad hearts weep no more.
He has healed the broken hearted,
Opened wide the prison doors,
He is able to deliver evermore.

* Thayer's Greek English Lexicon

NEXT: Simeon prophesies over the holy family

The Shepherds

This is the 8th Portrait in my series Portraits of Faith. I have been blessed, encouraged, challenged, and warned as I have gone through the previous seven. And remember, if you haven’t read all of the previous posts, you can always navigate through the posts and catch up.

Today we come to the shepherds. Sheep and shepherds have a long and wonderful history throughout the Scriptures. From the beginning shepherds have played a major role in the history of Israel. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David were shepherds. The leaders of Israel were regarded as shepherds. YHWH said He was the shepherd of His people. Ezekiel prophesied that Messiah would be a shepherd, and Jesus declared,  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. So it’s rather appropriate that shepherds play a central role in the birth of Jesus Christ.

The shepherds are found in Luke 2:8-20. Seems to me the best plan is to simply go through the passage.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
We have no idea how many shepherds were abiding in the field that night, nor any of their names. Isn't that amazing? Witnesses to one of the greatest events in the history of creation and we don't even know their names. God does.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
They’re just minding their business, doing their job, when an angel shows up!

sore afraid - I love the expressiveness of the KJV! The Greek word for sore is megas, which basically means “great.” But it is used is several ways, and here it refers to intensity, great fear, deeply felt fear; sore afraid expresses it so picturesquely.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy - the angel has great news, Christ the Lord has been born!

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! We would have arranged a press conference with media outlets all over the world, or gone straight to the political powers of the world, but God makes the official birth announcement to shepherds, in the middle of the night, while everyone important was asleep.

We don’t know anything about these guys, but the angel’s announcement indicates they were familiar with the hope of Israel, were well informed, and were probably waiting for Christ and the kingdom of God.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The shepherds not only got one angel, they got a multitude of the heavenly host! The birth of Jesus was a big event. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. The coming of Christ brings peace and good will toward men. Hallelujah!

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
They believed the angel and understood the announcement to also be an invitation. 

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
came with haste – they didn’t waste time discussing it or analyzing it; they believed and went. This was not merely intellectual assent, no, they believed and acted on that belief. 

found Mary – how did they find the holy family? We’re not told how, just that they did. They believed and God led them. God is good…All the time. When your heart is stirred to seek Jesus, you will find Him. Hallelujah! I said not, Seek ye me in vain for ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
they made known abroad - they had faith to testify. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (quoting Psalm 116:10), We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak. This testifying is not forced, we speak what we believe, even as the Lord Jesus said, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. My entire ministry was in churches that practiced “testifying.” I miss that. The shepherds believed the angel and went to see this child, and made known abroad what they had heard and seen.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
I find this very interesting. Here we have three reactions: 

People wondered - this means there were folks who heard what the shepherds said, "Christ has been born! We've seen him!" Wondered means their reaction was, "We've heard strange things tonight. What do you think? Could this be the beginning of our deliverance?" and went back to bed. I would say wondered is not believing.

Mary pondered - As AT Robertson, an well-known Greek scholar said, Pondered is "an old Greek word. Placing together for comparison. Mary would go over each detail in the words of Gabriel and of the shepherds and compare the sayings with the facts so far developed and brood over it all with a mother's high hopes and joy." We know from chapter 1 that Mary believed Gabriel's announcement to her, and here she is pondering, "My son is Christ."

This was all so new, and strange, and yes, even exciting. Nothing like this had ever happened before. This newborn baby is the Messiah? The Savior? But he's so little. Here's where faith comes in, the angel had said clearly and forcefully, unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Faith says, This is the word of God; I believe the Lord. This baby is the Lord's Christ!"

the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God - You know they weren't quiet, reserved, and dignified - they were praising God; out loud; probably loudly; maybe even shouting!! 

Does my faith in Christ move me like this? To act immediately upon what He says? to glorify and praise God out loud? to testify or share with people the things I have heard and seen and experienced of the wonderful grace of God? 

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. (Psalm 51:15)

Clap your hands all ye people,
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph!
Clap your hands all ye people,
Shout unto God with a voice of praise!

Hosanna, hosanna,
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph!
Praise Him, praise Him.
Shout unto God with a voice of praise!
(Jimmy Owens / Carol Owens, 1972)

NEXT: Simeon

Mary's Song

 

Mary’s Song  Luke 1:46-55

And Mary said,

My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:

For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;

And holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath shewed strength with his arm;

He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats,

And exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things;

And the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath helped his servant Israel,

In remembrance of his mercy;

As he spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Is this not beautiful?

+ Behold how she rejoices in this great work of God in her. And in doing so she repeats what she was told, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

+ This is called The Magnificat and is sung or said in liturgical churches.

+ We sang this part:

My soul doth magnify the Lord, 

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he that is mighty hath done great things;

And holy is his name.

+ he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaid; The Most High exalted a lowly handmaid; the Son made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a servant; the Lord humbled himself and became obedient unto death; and in so doing he brought down the rich and lofty, the proud and powerful, and exalted them of low degree.

+ He remembered his mercy spoken and promised to our fathers, the covenant he made with Abraham. As the angel announced on Christmas day

 

 

 

The Blessed Virgin Mary

 

The Blessed Virgin Mary

That’s quite a title! Let's see if it's one she deserves.

Mary is a central figure in the Christmas story. (You see how nothing gets past me??) First, I will look at why she is the Blessed Virgin and then, when I examine her faith, I will point out some aspects of faith we haven’t seen before. All of this is from Luke 1.

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

In the sixth month - refers to Elisabeth’s pregnancy.

the angel Gabriel was sent from God - he was also the angel sent to Zacharias.

Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women - What a greeting!! Gabriel tells her three things right out of the gate: she is highly favored, the Lord is with her, and she is blessed among women. 

As the Douay-Rheims Bible (1582 translation from the Latin) puts verse 28:

And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

In my early years in the faith, I was among the saints who were so afraid of being considered Catholic that they either ignored Mary or made sure to declare she was really nothing special. None of that for me now! I don’t worship her, but Gabriel clearly said, Blessed art thou among women.

Why was Mary blessed among women? Gabriel tells her: 

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

she was troubled at this saying - this shows her humility; the angel repeats, Thou hast found favor with God. 

thou shalt conceive ... and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS - I confess, we know the rest of the story, so it is hard to contain myself! Now he reveals what is so special about her son:

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Her son is Messiah! She was chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah!! This would have been the hope and dream of every Jewish girl in those days, and Mary is the girl!!! The Blessed Virgin Mary!

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

One minor problem, “I’m a virgin. How shall this be?” It seems she understood the angel’s words to mean she’s going to get pregnant right now. Zacharias had a similar question, “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” Is she about to lose her speech as well?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 

35 the angel answered and said unto her – rather than rebuke her, Gabriel explains how this will work. Why did Zacharias receive a rebuke and Mary an explanation? Zacharias demanded proof. He had prayed for this blessing and was now skeptical, a fancy word for unbelief. Mary, on the other hand, only wanted to know how in her case it would be possible to conceive. After all, Zacharias and Elisabeth were going to conceive the old-fashioned way. 

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee - This is really cool. She had a genuine question. "I know how you get pregnant; but how am I going to get pregnant, since I know not a man? Gabriel explains it. He is building up her faith. And he caps it off with

For with God nothing shall be impossible - Oh the power of God! Elisabeth conceived in her old age (testimony) and you shall conceive in your virginity (promise). All of this is fuel for her faith.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.

This is powerful! She believed what he told her: “God said it, I believe it, that settles it for me.” Mary heard the word and believed it. Amen! But there are aspects of faith which we’ve not seen before.

(1) There were going to be repercussions to her turning up pregnant: she wasn’t married so she could expect family and social difficulties; there was also a great risk of losing her husband-to-be. Believing the Lord included trusting Him with the details and the fallout. This is important. She believed the promise; she also trusted Him with the details.

(2) And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. There are several words that have been used to describe this: yield, surrender, submit; they all involve the will. She heard the promise, You will have a son who will be Messiah, and she believed it. She also trusted the Lord to work this out in real time: “I submit myself to your plan.” I haven’t mentioned submission before, but this is a vital step to faith. Isn't this where we so often stumble? “I’m yours, Lord, have your way in my life.” 

Here is Mary’s faith. And what great faith it is! She has faith to receive a work she cannot do herself. She not only believes the words of the angel, but in faith she offers herself to God for Him to do His work in her. And as she believed for grace to conceive, she believed for grace to enable her to handle the consequences of being pregnant before being married.

When Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, she prophesied (Luke 1:42, 45):

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And blessed is she that believed

This is where the Catholic and Orthodox churches get, 

Hail Mary, full of grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, 

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

I'm not suggesting that we should pray this prayer, but if we believe the Bible, we need to admit that Mary is indeed the Blessed Virgin!

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is truly blessed among women and a woman of great faith.

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him,
In his presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
(Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896)

NEXT: Mary's song