He Who Is Mighty Has Done Great Things for Me

Luke 1:26–55 – Luke
Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 21st, 2025 (am)     

There are times when you just need to sing! The need usually arises when something remarkable has happened—something exciting, overwhelming, captivating, extraordinary.

On Christmas Eve, 1914, during WWI, the calendar took precedence over the conflict. The fighting ceased for the evening. And during that window, the German troops began to sing Silent Night. Then the Brits answered with The First Noel. It’s a shame the peace talks couldn’t have gone similarly.

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, that same evening, our legislators sang God Bless America on the Capitol steps? Do you remember? It’s a shame that didn’t last out the week!

In less treacherous battles, soccer fans worldwide are famous for singing support for their clubs throughout the games. Cubs fans sing after every win. That’s understandable.

Musicians often write songs at the birth of their children—John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, many others.

We sing to celebrate. We sing to commemorate. We sing to grasp and to comprehend. And sometimes we sing just because the circumstances seem to call for it!

It should come as no surprise, then, that Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ birth, the most detailed in Scripture, is punctuated with songs, really hymns. These days, for some reason, they’re remembered mostly by their Latin titles—the opening words in the Latin translation of each one. There’s the Benedictus (Blessed) from Zechariah (1:68-79), the Gloria (Glory) of the angels (2:14), and the Nunc Dimittis (Now You Dismiss) from Simeon (2:29-32). But first and foremost among these is today’s passage, Mary’s song, the Magnificat (Magnify [1:46-55]). Let’s immerse ourselves in her story once again. Let’s enter into her song, her worship, which also gives words to ours. Her full story unfolds here in two stages.

Mary’s Unusual Encounter – 26-45

The angel Gabriel, one of only two named angels in the Bible, was sent from God to… (26) Mary (27), a young peasant girl likely no more than fourteen years old, possibly younger. She was from Galilee (26), a region not held in high regard. And worse, she was from Nazareth, the most despised of the Galilean towns. These opening two verses tell us that Mary was a nobody from a non-place (Hughes 50). But God had an assignment for her. 28 [The angel Gabriel] came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, [and she just couldn’t put together in her mind what was happening]. 30 [So, Gabriel ex-plained] to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 

Then after he explained to her the amazing means of what we call the virgin birth (35-37), Mary accepted the job as God presented it through the angel. 38 And [she] said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. … She was God’s bond-slave. If He had need of her, Mary was available and willing, for any assignment. Some call this passivity (Hughes 43), receiving God’s assignment without straining against it—calm reliance where you stop seeking his approval and just rest in His grace. This is that necessary step before the active obedience and worship we see from Mary in her trip and in her song. Hard steps of obedience must always begin with a softening of the heart.

There had to be some uncertainty, though, even as Mary demonstrated her confidence and trust in God by hurrying off to see Elizabeth (39ff.). There’s a strong contrast in Mary’s outlook from v.38 to v.39: she passively received this bewildering assignment from God, then she went with haste to Judah to visit her aging relative (36). What moved her so? Well, there must’ve been a sense of relief at not hanging around Nazareth as her pregnancy began to show—she & Joseph needing to protest that they really hadn’t offended the sanctity of their betrothal. But surely there was also anticipation of the fellowship, guidance, reassurance she’d receive from a godly older woman whom Mary now knew was also expecting (36), and whom we all know walked blamelessly in all the commandments and statues of the Lord (6).

Is there an older believer in your life, someone who loves the Lord, knows the Word, walks with God in a way you aspire to do? We need one, each of us. And Mary is the pursuer here. That’s how it usually works best, the younger pursuing the older at a time of need. And Mary had several days of travel to think about all she wanted to say, and what she might hear.

As a faithful Jewish girl, although she was probably illiterate, Mary would’ve had large portions of Scripture memorized, so she was likely pondering them as well. She’d have known the Psalms of David, and the songs of both Deborah and Hannah (Hughes 47-48). And it seems like the latter (Hannah’s) was particularly on her mind as she traveled because the first words recorded for her after arriving in Judah sounded much like 1Sa.2:1-10.

Before she uttered those words, though, and possibly before she was even prepared to, she listened to the prophecy of Elizabeth. She listened to the blessings pronounced upon her and her newly conceived child (42). She listened to Elizabeth’s humble amazement that the mother of [her] Lord should come [visit her] (43). And she listened to a reminder that they are blessed… who believe that what the Lord [speaks concerning them will be a fulfilled] (45).

The conspicuous silence from Zechariah’s temporary curse stood in dramatic contrast to these verbal blessings. But Mary was now full. She was full to overflowing. She had been [humbled] by Gabriel’s exalted greeting, and now she was exalted by Elizabeth’s humble blessing. And that led to…

Mary’s Exemplary Response – 46-55

Personal Rejoicing – 46-49

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”—beautiful Hebraic parallelism. In the depth of her inner being she is swelled up with joyful worship at the salvation of God. That word magnifies is a good one. It means to make great, to enlarge (WSD). Surely this isn’t suggesting that somehow God in Himself is increasing in greatness, but that He’s being magnified and enlarged in Mary’s own soul, in her spirit. The [magnificent] work of the Lord in His deliverance of His people, including her and Elizabeth and their place in this plan and purpose of such a great, saving God, is so overwhelmingly astounding to Mary that the immense and omnipresent God is growing even greater in the imagination of her heart, in the depths of her inner being. We might say she’s breathless in worship.

Why, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call [her] blessed—she, of all people! This great God has looked on [her], a nobody from a non-place (Hughes 50), and because of that she’ll now be known and recognized as blessed by everyone, everywhere, for all time—blessed by this great God!

Why else? 49 [F]or he who is mighty has done great things for [her], and holy is his name. This mighty God has done great things for [Mary]. It’s not like He’s just chosen to exalt her and make her known for her own sake—like she’s someone who somehow deserves a blessing. No, this Holy God purposed to use her, humble [bond-slave] that she is. His greatness is so great that He can even place a teenaged peasant from Nazareth in a leading role in His grand plan of salvation! What great grace this is! And what glorious [humility] God displays through this lump of clay we call Mary. If He could use her as He did, He could use any of us for anything! And He used Mary to communicate that to us.

Theological Reflection – 50-53

And that’s just where she goes next. It’s not just Mary who benefits from God’s work through her: 50 … his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. God is abundant in mercy; this word is used four more times in the rest of Luk.1. Lam.3 says: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning…. His mercy is abundant! Every day it’s fully replenished! God is rich in mercy! (Eph.2:4) But His rich mercy isn’t equally distributed to all. His saving mercy that Mary is celebrating is reserved for those who fear him (50), who [reverence] him, delight in him and worship him, just as she’s doing here.

In the next three verses (51-53), and actually the next five (51-55), Mary spotlights some of the displays of God’s mercy, and the grammatical construction is interesting. She uses past-tense verbs that would typically refer to particular, past events. But it seems like she’s looking forward more than back—looking to future events that repeat the displays of these past ones.

There’s no doubt we could find prominent events in Israel’s history where 51 [God] has shown strength with his arm…—say, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt—or where 51 … he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts—I’m recalling the destruction of Sennacherib’s army (2Ki.19:35), 185,000 Assyrians struck down overnight by the angel of the Lord. 52 [God] has brought down the mighty from their thrones—remember the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar? (Dan.4:28-33) 52 … [A]nd [God has] exalted those of humble estate—think of David, Jesse’s youngest son, the shepherd, anointed king by Samuel to replace the stumbling and rebellious Saul? (1Sa.16:13)

Each of Mary’s descriptions could point to a past event. But I don’t believe that’s what she’s referring to here. It seems more like she’s looking to the future, to all that would happen through the work of her Son, through the coming of the promised Messiah. All these manifestations of God’s mercy and judgment will be ratcheted up as we move forward in His plan of redemption, all the way to the point where His children will be fully and finally delivered and His enemies will be fully and finally defeated!

We can see one manifestation of this in the humbling of Herod in Act.12:23, an event still future for Mary. As the people were ascribing deity to Herod, immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

And in the last days all the arrogant world powers will finally be brought down by God just as John describes (Rev.17-18). And Jesus will be enthroned for all eternity

Another thing is clearly communicated here in Mary’s song, as well. There’ll be a great reversal of values! A reversal of fortunes in Messiah’s economy! Hannah also spoke of this (1Sa.2:8). It won’t be those who’re perceived as privileged here and now who’ll be the recipients of God’s deliverance. It won’t be the proud or the powerful or the prosperous. It’ll be the humble who’ll be honored, the lowly who’ll be lifted up, the famished who’ll be fed. And Mary is speaking primarily in moral, spiritual terms here, not economic or sociological ones. The economically poor can be just as proud and self-sufficient as the rich, although we grant with J. C. Ryle that wealth ruins far more souls than poverty (Ryle 61). Still, Mary is speaking of the pious poor, as one writer put it (Bock 67). She’s speaking of those who recognize their need and are thus less reluctant to turn to God. She’s speaking of the same ones Jesus will address when He says: 6:20 … Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. You’ll know the joy of God’s mercy.

Historical Remembrance – 54-55

Mary continues this thought even as we merge into the final section of her song. All of this blessing and judgment and raising up and bringing down will be accomplished without reshaping or retooling or compromising any of the promises God has already made to His people. He’ll remember… his mercy to Israel (54). He has helped them, and He will help them still. This word help is well-translated, but it also suggests the idea of laying hold of something, of holding fast to it (ESL), embracing it, even devoting oneself to it (DBL). No matter what happens, then, God won’t let go of Israel! He’ll keep His Word 55 … to Abraham and his offspring forever. But remember, by faith [we] are also Abraham’s offspring (Gal.3:29). So, this promise is for us, for all who believe.

Conclusion

What a beautiful and explosively joyful passage this is—these personal and prophetic ponderings of a young teenaged girl on the ways and means and manifestations of God’s mercy and grace in His provision of a Savior. And it’s more than just a history lesson. It gives words to our own praise and presses rejoicing in God’s provision for our salvation. In fact, one of the keys to the meaning of this text is the realization that Mary’s hymn is a story not only about herself but about all those who fear God and are the object of his mercy and grace (Bock 67). This means that a joyous [magnification] of God should swell up in our inner being as well. Our mighty God has also looked on our humble estate and has granted us salvation such that all generations will also call (us) blessed. Jesus said: Mat.25:34 … Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. John wrote: Rev.20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in this first resurrection! And Paul tells us that we’re blessed, we’re highly favored by God in Christ (Eph.1:6), and this is the only other time this particular word is used in our NT apart from Gabriel’s greeting of Mary (28).

Is this the way you view your own salvation? Is it astounding to you that the great and holy God of all creation would be mindful of you in your low estate? We spend much of our time trying to convince ourselves that we’re of pretty high estate, deserving of others’ respect. But if any human being is ever going to be deserving of high estate, that will only happen through the gospel. That’s why I love the words attributed to Augustine. They help us get to where Mary was in her appreciation of God’s mercy. He wrote: For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, and humility is the third (Hughes 51).

That is what we should hear this Advent Season! Humble yourself before God. Ponder the glory of a God Who saves, of an omnipotent Monarch Who yet humbles Himself to achieve the deliverance of His people. Ours is actually a God who [works] for those who wait for him (Isa.64:4). Marvel first at that thought. Then marvel again at the [magnificent] thought that He’s included you in His plan, in His great salvation (Heb.2:3). He’s redeemed you, gifted you, used you, and then promises to reward you for your faithfulness! He’s blessed you. Now Mary, His own earthly mother, has given you the words to celebrate that blessing.

There are times when we just need to sing! So, I must ask: do you have a song today?

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Resources Cited

Hughes, R. Kent. 1998. Preaching the Word. Luke, Volume 1. Wheaton: Crossway.

Muck, Terry, ed. 1996. The NIV Application Commentary. Luke, by Darrell Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Murray, J. Todd, ed. 2025. Christmas Meditations: Twenty-Five Advent Readings from J. C. Ryle. Jupiter, FL: Expositor’s.

Strong, James. 1995. Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (ESL). Logos Bible Software.

Swanson, James. 2001. A Dictionary of Biblical Languages, Greek, Second Edition (DBL). Logos Research Systems.

Zodiates, Spiros, gen. ed. 1993. The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament (WSD). Chattanooga: AMG International.

NEXT SUNDAY: And When He Was Twelve Years Old, Luke 2:41–52