Insights from Mary's Song

Did you know that when Mary was pregnant with Jesus she was a young teenager? Most historians and scholars believe Mary to have been between 13 and 16 years old. But the thing about her young age that might impress me the most is her depth of knowledge when it came to Scripture. In the Gospel of Luke we see what is referred to as "Mary's Song" or the "Magnificat". 

Luke 1:46-55 (NKJV)

46 And Mary said: 

   “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

   For behold, henceforth 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 on those who fear Him

   From generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with His arm; 

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

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

   And exalted the lowly.

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 seed forever.”

The thing that was so impressive is the amount of references within here. There are over 20 Old Testament passages that you could cross reference with what Mary says here. Keep in mind she didn't have a Bible in the palm of her hand like we do with our smartphones. She didn't have one back at her house collecting dust on the nightstand like many of us. Her exposure to God's Word came from going to the temple, hearing the readings and keeping what she heard in her heart. Then out of the abundance of that heart, she spoke these words. And all of this as a young teenager. 

Jesus says that Mary was blessed, not merely by her being His mother, but because she heard God's word and she kept it. We too can be blessed like this, if we will hear it and keep it.

Luke 11:27-28 (NKJV)

27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Faith isn't just looking back
at what God has done;
it's eagerly looking forward
to what God will do.

Additional Resources:

Watch: Click here to check out an excerpt from this sermon.

Listen: To listen to the full sermon, titled "Mary's Song", seach for Full Faith Church Sermons in your favorite podcast app, or you can click here.