Tag: Mary

Gabriel, Mary, and Zechariah

In the last post, I mentioned that the prophetic songs of Mary and Zechariah are well worth pondering. With that in mind, here are the full texts of the Magnificat and the Benedictus. I’ve also included Gabriel’s Annunciation – his announcement to Mary of the Incarnation, a pivotal moment in salvation history. These passages have become regular Advent texts for me this year. Enjoy!

Gabriel to Zecharaiah…

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord… he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:13-17, NIV)

Annunciation, Jan van Eyck, circa 1435

Gabriel to Mary…

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you… Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:28-33, NIV)

Mary’s Song (The Magnificat)…

46My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors. (Luke 1, NIV)

Zechariah’s Benedictus…

68Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1, NIV)

Addendum 12/22/2025. While reading the account of Jesus’ presentation at the temple (Luke 2:22-40), it occurred to me to include the man Simeon’s declaration…

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people, Israel.” (NIV, my emphasis)

The First Advent Songs: The Magnificat and the Benedictus

The Advent season is upon us, and as is my habit, I’ve returned to the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. Every time I read Luke’s account, I’m struck by both the parallels and the contrasts of the angel Gabriel’s visits – first to Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, and then to Mary.

When we enter the stories of John’s and Jesus’ births, we sometimes move too quickly, missing the richness woven into the details. Luke is doing more than giving us two birth stories – he’s showing us how God breaks into human history, not once, but twice, through two very different people. Gabriel’s visit to Zechariah and his visit to Mary sit side by side, and I think for a reason. Together, they paint a picture of God’s faithfulness in surprising ways.

Zechariah’s story begins in the center of Israel’s religious life. He is an elderly priest, serving in the Temple, standing at the altar of incense. Everything about the scene is steeped in holiness, memory, and sacred tradition. This is the place where you would expect God to act. And God does. Gabriel appears with astonishing news: Zechariah and Elizabeth – long past the age when children were possible – will have a son. He will be named John, a child filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb, a child destined to prepare the people for the Lord’s coming.

Mary’s story could not feel more different. Far from the Temple courts and priestly garments, we find a young, betrothed girl in the quiet obscurity of Nazareth. No incense. No crowds. No liturgy. Just the daily simplicity of a Galilean village. And yet, here too, Gabriel appears. God steps not only into the sacred space of the Temple, but also into the ordinary space of a teenage girl’s life. The message is even more astonishing: Mary will conceive a child by the Holy Spirit, and this child will be Jesus – the Son of the Most High, the One whose kingdom will never end.

We must note that God moves in both the center and the margins. He speaks in Jerusalem’s Temple and in Nazareth’s simplicity. The priest in sacred robes and the young girl with no social status both find themselves swept up in God’s redemptive work. We learn that God is not contained by our expectations. He is as present in the quiet places as He is in the holy places.

We should also note that Zechariah and Mary respond differently, and Luke invites us to reflect on that, too. Zechariah asks, “How shall I know this?” His question, borne out of years of disappointment, carries the weight of doubt. Mary also questions, but her “How will this be?” is a question of wonder, not unbelief. She wants to understand, not to resist. And while Zechariah is rendered silent for a season, Mary is invited to step deeper into God’s mystery. Her final posture – “I am the Lord’s servant” – remains one of the most beautiful responses in Scripture.

But Luke doesn’t leave us with the announcements alone. He gives us the songs – the Spirit-inspired utterances that reveal what these events mean for the world.

Mary’s Magnificat  is the first to rise – a song that proclaims the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom:

He has brought down rulers…
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things…
but has sent the rich away empty.

This is the kingdom we’ve been tracing in recent posts – the kingdom that arrives not with power but with humility, not in the halls of Caesar but in the heart of a young Jewish girl. Mary’s song proclaims a God who sees the lowly, remembers His covenant, and upends the world’s value systems. She interprets her own story through the larger story of Israel: this is Abraham’s God, keeping His promise to bless the nations.

Later, when John is born and Zechariah’s tongue is finally loosed, the Benedictus flows out of him – a priestly blessing shaped by Scripture and steeped in hope:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for He has visited and redeemed His people.

Zechariah sees clearly now: John will be the forerunner, the one who prepares the way for God’s inbreaking of the kingdom. The whole song is saturated with kingdom imagery – redemption, forgiveness, covenant mercy, and the breaking of darkness by light. He speaks of God’s mercy and love (hesed), the sunrise from on high, the guidance into peace. This is kingdom language. This is God restoring what has been fractured since Eden.

New Creation!!

Taken together, Mary’s Magnificat and Zechariah’s Benedictus give us two lenses on the same kingdom: one from the margins, one from the priesthood; one celebrating the Great Reversal, the other celebrating the Great Rescue. Both declare that God is acting decisively, faithfully, graciously – just as He promised.

And perhaps that is the heartbeat of Luke. God is not merely delivering babies; He is delivering His people. He is inaugurating His kingdom, one that lifts the lowly, fulfills ancient promises, confronts darkness with light, and invites ordinary people into extraordinary grace.

So, ponder the messages of Mary and Zechariah. They are certainly “ponder-worthy” during Advent!

Mary’s Poem

I absolutely love poetry – when I hear it read. I remember attending a Cursillo weekend event in the mid-1980s where one of the spiritual directors read poems from his favorite author. The words leaped off the page and drew me in, so much so that I went out and bought the book for myself. To my disappointment, as I read from the book, the poems did nothing for me. I think we engineering-types struggle to read poetic literature. I know I do. To my dismay, the richness of so much poetry just never seems to leave the pages.

I’ve heard many people say they struggle reading Hebrew poetry, like the Psalms, as did I for about the first 45 years of my life. Then something changed. I took a seminary course in Psalms through the Reformed Theological Seminary in the mid-1990s. I remember asking the professor which English translation of the Bible gives us the best sense of the meter and intent of these great Hebrew poems and songs. He suggested reading from the New American Standard Bible. Thus began a new appreciation of Hebrew poetry.

Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) is certainly in the genre of Hebrew poetry. It reads like many of the Psalms, laced with thanksgiving and admiration of God along with declarations of his redemptive and loyal characteristics. We should keep in mind that Mary would have been quite familiar with Hebrew poetry, especially the Psalms. She might likely have sung some of the Psalms during her week-long journey to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.

It was at Elizabeth’s home that Mary mouthed the Magnificat. Magnificat is the title attributed to her poem/song of praise which was a response to Elizabeth’s reception and words of blessing of Mary and her unborn baby, Jesus. The term Magnificat comes from the opening line of the poem in the Latin Vulgate Bible – Magnificat anima mea Dominum, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” 

Though Mary’s poem appears to have been spontaneous, one could/should assume the contents could have resulted from things she would have been pondering since the visit from the angel, Gabriel, and most likely during her long trip to visit Elizabeth. I think of a couple different times in the Gospels that speak of Mary’s treasuring and pondering of events unfolding in her life:  Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19, after the visit from the shepherds the night of Jesus’ birth) and his [Jesus’] mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51, after the young lad went missing and was found discussing theology with the teachers in the Temple). 

And certainly, a visit from an angel declaring that she would birth the Messiah would be cause for much pondering!

If you recall, when Mary reached Elizabeth’s home and greeted her, Elizabeth’s baby John leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Luke 1:39-45). Elizabeth commended Mary for her faith and confirmed the angel Gabriel’s proclamation that she would indeed carry the Messiah in her womb. No wonder Mary broke into song (though scripture doesn’t indicate that she sang) and 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.” (ESV)

Read the Magnificat again and you will see the gospel, the good news that accompanies the arrival of a king.  This King will be different than all other kings of the earth. Most kings, upon arrival, exalt those with wealth, position, and power. Most kings, upon arrival, throw celebrations and feasts for those of wealth, position, and power – celebrations and feasts catered by servants of humble estate.  This King arrived through a servant of humble estate.  This King would reverse the order, exalting the humble and humbling the exalted. 

No wonder the late pastor and author, Eugene Peterson, referred to this good news as the great reversal. No wonder Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who was executed by the Nazis, called the Magnificat “the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary hymn ever sung.”

* Mercy is that rich Hebrew word, hesed, that we have previously discussed.

Mary Did You Know? (Part 1)

During worship this past Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent, we sang one of my favorite Christmas songs, Mary Did You Know. The entire song is pretty powerful, but I am especially drawn to the last verse…

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Was Heaven’s perfect Lamb,
And the sleeping Child you’re holding
Is the great, the Great I AM?

Mary’s story is one worthy of consideration and pondering. It’s easy to read the Annunciation (announcement) account of Jesus’ birth (Luke 1:26-38) and miss the significance of the story that Luke wanted Theophilus to understand completely – events foundational to his faith (and I assume, foundational to our faith, twenty centuries later).

The narrative begins with a visit by the angel Gabriel to a young girl in the insignificant town of Nazareth. How insignificant? Luke doesn’t presume that Theophilus has heard of it, so he locates it regionally as “a town in Galilee.” There is no previous mention of Nazareth in the Hebrew scriptures, the Old Testament. In fact, Nazareth is not mentioned in any of the rabbinic literature – the Mishnah or the Talmud. Nor does the Jewish historian, Josephus, make reference to this obscure little village. How insignificant? You may recall that Nathaniel, after being told by Philip that Jesus of Nazareth might be the Messiah said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Obscure and insignificant, indeed. As was Mary. She was just a young teenager (likely 13) that had apparently done nothing of significance. Especially when compared to Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist – they were important people in the Jewish religious community, living blameless, righteous lives (see Luke 1:5-9). We know nothing of this young woman’s religious life.

What do we know? We know that Mary was legally pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of King David. We know she was a virgin. And we also know that the angel Gabriel showed up in Mary’s life. We don’t know what that encounter looked like. I always pictured him just appearing in her bedroom at night. But he could have just shown up at her house in broad daylight and knocked on the door. No matter, this messenger of God had a message for Mary and he violated Judean social protocol to deliver it. Typically, for a man to greet an unknown woman was taboo, let alone an engaged woman. (Was this a precursor to Jesus’s ministry in which he constantly overstepped social and religious boundaries?)

And greet Mary, he did. Gabriel’s opening line: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” There is so much packed into this opening address from God’s messenger that we may not get beyond it in this post!

The Greek word Luke uses for “highly favored” is kecharitōmenē which is used in only one other place in the New Testament. In Ephesians 1:6 the Apostle Paul speaks of God’s “glorious grace, which he has freely given us,” employing kecharitōmenē to communicate to the Christ-followers in Ephesus they had been favored with grace. Gabriel was communicating to Mary that she was highly favored with grace. As are we, apparently!

Ponder the meaning of kecharitōmenē – that we are highly favored with grace.

Kecharitōmenē is one of those rich Greek words which is difficult, if not impossible, to translate into a single English word, thus favored with grace. The use of kecharitōmenē by Luke and the Apostle Paul is a reminder that grace is reserved exclusively for divine acts. It’s tense (perfect passive particle) drives the point home, with passive as the operative word. What had Mary done to deserve this highly favored status? Nothing! And that’s the point. Zechariah and Elizabeth lived righteous, blameless lives. Yet the same Gabriel did not grant them favored status. It was God-granted to Mary. Unearned. Period.

Gabriel concluded his greeting to Mary with the assurance that “the Lord is with you.” Gabriel didn’t start the announcement with what was about to happen. He began with who was with her – the Lord, Yahweh, the creator of the universe, the one that grants kecharitōmenē. In God’s economy, the importance of who supersedes what or how. I think of Moses’ encounter with God in Exodus 3. God made sure Moses knew that “I will be with you” (vs. 12). God shifted the focus from what Moses was going to do to who was going to be (continually) with him. Mary was visited by the who – the presence of “the ‘with-you-God’ who breaks into the human arena.”* This advent season, may we focus on this who. It’s foundational to our faith.

Something else to ponder: Do we find ourselves focusing on who Jesus is or what he can do for us? The answer might reveal the nature of our followership.

* Edwards, J. R. (2015). The gospel according to Luke. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapid, MI, p. 45