Joy for the Lowly
Do you have a reason to rejoice this Christmas?
Christmas is an exciting time for some. As Andy Williams says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the hap-happiest season of all.” For others, Christmas is a difficult time. Memories of lost loved ones. Not many presents under the tree. Not much food to eat.
If there’s a scale with “Christmas Disgust” on one side and “Christmas Excitement” on the other, you land somewhere between the two. But I want to help you think about Christmas in a different way. If you’re excited for Christmas, I want to show you something better to stake your Christmas joy on than presents, family gatherings, decorations, and movies. If you’re disgusted by Christmas, I want to show you why there’s a reason to rejoice.
In the first chapter of Luke, an angel named Gabriel appears to a virgin named Mary. He says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (vv. 30-33 ESV).
Mary sees herself as the Lord’s servant (v. 38). She lets go of her own plan to embrace the plan of God. And this becomes even more clear in verses 46-55 as she praises God in a section of Scripture often referred to as The Magnificat—a Latin word meaning magnify. It’s her song of rejoicing, an expression of faith.
We find in Mary’s song a few reasons to rejoice this Christmas.
God recognizes the lowly.
Mary says, “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” (vv. 46-50).
God’s favor has come to Mary (v. 30). It’s the Greek word charis, and it’s almost always translated as grace in the New Testament. Paul uses charis in Titus 2:11, for example, when he says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.”
Mary rejoices because God’s grace has come to her—yes, even her. A lowly virgin from the middle of nowhere! He has taken notice of her “humble estate” (v. 48). He has shown himself mighty on her behalf. The Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit is in her womb. God recognizes Mary, and Mary recognizes her need for God. That’s why she rejoices in God “my Savior” (v. 47).
I’m sure Mary has the magnificence of her pregnancy in mind. She may even have the humble estate of her people in mind—the ones who had been slaves in Egypt. Now, they’re under Roman authority, particularly a king named Herod. Even still, God recognizes them.
But let’s dig a little deeper. The grace of God has appeared in that He has taken notice of lowly people like me and you. People who are ruled and oppressed by a master called sin. Lowly, broken nobodies who are totally helpless and hopeless without the grace of God coming to us. And that’s exactly what we’re supposed to celebrate at Christmas.
Jesus comes as a humble servant. Born near filthy farm animals. He sees you in grace. Despite your lowliness. Despite your sin. God recognizes the lowly, but do you recognize your need for Him?
God rescues the lowly.
Mary continues, “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” (vv. 51-53).
Mary makes a clear contrast between those who think they have it all together—the rich, powerful, self-sufficient people—and those who realize they’re broke, lowly, and unable to be good enough.
She is rejoicing in the only King who rules and reigns forever. And anyone who thinks they can stand against this all-powerful King—well, those people are sadly mistaken! Mary says they’ll be scattered. Hard, prideful, self-sufficient hearts are anti-God. They’re anti-grace. And those who try to find riches apart from God’s grace come up empty. They’re never satisfied.
So, Mary rejoices in her lowliness because it’s the humble who are exalted. It’s the hungry who are filled. God comes to rescue the lowly, and He does it by taking upon Himself a lowly condition (Philippians 2:5-8). Born as a man. Killed as a man. To rescue people like me and you from the oppression of sin and shame.
In verse 51, Mary says God “has shown strength with his arm.” The same Greek word for arm is used in Acts 13:17 to describe God rescuing His people from Egypt. He leads them out with a mighty arm. But in Luke 1:51, God is rescuing lowly people from something even greater. Something even more powerful and oppressive than Egypt. He is rescuing people from sin. He is rescuing people who can’t save themselves and can’t satisfy themselves. Mary rejoices because God is coming to rescue the lowly. To fill the broken. To satisfy the searching.
Jesus lives a perfect life and dies for our sin. The mind-boggling grace of God is poured out. But Jesus doesn’t stay dead. He is highly exalted (Philippians 2:9-11) to the right hand of the Father. And all who turn from sin and turn to Him in faith are rescued from the power and oppression of sin. They’re satisfied in the grace and mercy of God.
God remembers the lowly.
Mary completes her song when she says, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever” (vv. 54-55).
Mary sees a connection between how God is working in her life now and the promises He has made in the past. You see, the coming of the Messiah doesn’t just come out of nowhere. Mary specifically mentions God’s covenant with Abraham and the people of Israel.
In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So, God promises to bless the nations—people from every tribe, language, and tongue—through Abraham and his descendants. Mary, then, sees a connection between that promise and the coming of her Son—the Son of God—into the world.
Mary says God has helped Israel. He has kept His promises. He hasn’t forsaken them in oppression or ignored them in sin. He has remembered them. And through Christ, the blessing has been made available to all who trust in Christ as Savior and Lord.
Mary rejoices because God remembers the lowly. He keeps His promises—ones like Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, and Micah 5:2. As Mary carries this baby in her womb conceived by the Holy Spirit, she’s reminded of her promise-keeping God. And she looks ahead—likely a bit uncertain but still full of hope. Because God remembers the lowly. He holds on to them. He is faithful and trustworthy forever.
The same God who recognizes and rescues lowly people like me and you is the same God who remembers lowly people like me and you. He keeps His promises and holds on to us forever as His beloved children through Christ.
Christian, God is not done with you. You’re safe and secure in Christ. You’re being conformed to His image. And you’re awaiting the second coming of Jesus into our world—this time as a majestic and powerful King (Revelation 19:11-16).
Maybe you feel like God has forgotten you. I’m sure during those 400 years of waiting between the last Old Testament prophet and the birth of Jesus, God’s people felt far from Him. They probably started to wonder, or maybe even become totally convinced, that God had forgotten them. But He didn’t. He remembered them. And He remembers you. He kept His promises to them. And He keeps His promises to you. God remembers the lowly.
So, let me end with the same question I started with: Do you have a reason to rejoice this Christmas?
I’m talking about a true, eternal joy. Not the excitement of eating your favorite Christmas cookie or unwrapping your biggest present. I’m taking about the true joy of Christmas. That Christ has come—full of grace and truth. Have you received Him by grace through faith?
Friend, you don’t know the joy of Christmas if you don’t know Jesus. But you can know Him today. I pray you turn from your sin and turn to Him in faith, believing in His sufficiency on your behalf and resting in His gift of eternal life.
There’s joy for the lowly!
