Text: Isaiah 31:1-9; Revelation 21:22-22:5; Luke 1:39-56
We’ve all felt the anticipation that leads us up to Christmas day. We’ve all grown in our eagerness to unwrap certain presents that have found their way under the tree. I know, at least for myself, that it doesn’t matter if I know what’s wrapped or not. Perhaps there is something you’ve asked for but aren’t sure you’ll get. Perhaps you know you’ve gotten a certain item, but you aren’t sure of the specifics. In any case, as far as I’m concerned, I’m still anxious to rip the wrapping off of the present. In a very small way, this is what we see Mary experience when she receives the news of the coming incarnation. We see her anticipate the event. We see her long for its fulfillment. We see her want to experience what has long been promised to an entire nation of God’s people. It comes in the form of a prayer of exaltation – the Magnificat.
Throughout Mary’s prayer (1:46-55), there are a number of Old Testament quotations, allusions and echoes. Two of the most notable of these references are Genesis 17:9 and Exodus 6:5. The Genesis text refers to the everlasting covenant God made with Abraham to be the God of his descendants forever. The Exodus text promises relief from the burden of the Egyptians (and thus all of Israel’s enemies). The other references from the Psalms and Prophets look to this promised day when God will fulfill his promises to Abraham. He will redeem his people from their oppression through the sending of his Son. And Mary recognizes the child she is bearing as the fulfillment of that promise. Christ comes and takes away all of the shadows the Old Testament had brought. All the sacrifices and rituals pointed to something greater. The gift of Christmas is Jesus coming to remove the shadows that we had and show us what had been promised all along.
The gift of Christmas for everyone is the same as the gift of Christmas to Mary. It is the gift of salvation, salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. The fulfillment of the long awaited promise has come for each of us, and it’s better than anything we’ve ever dreamed. That’s the truth of the gospel, that the love that God displays is greater than anything we could’ve hoped for. It goes beyond our imagination. All that the Old Testament prophets had looked forward to has come down to us. Now we look back to it and anticipate another, greater coming. In both cases, we long for the coming of Christ.
What does this mean for us today? Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones shares the answer the Scripture gives:
What God did when he sent his Son into the world is an absolute guarantee that he will do everything he has ever promised to do. ‘But how is this true for me?’ asks someone. The answer is the incarnation. God has given the final proof that all his promises are sure, that he is faithful to everything he has ever said. So that promise is sure for you. Whatever your state or condition may be, whatever may happen to you, he has said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ – and he will not. He has said so and we have absolute proof that he fulfills his promises. He does not always do it immediately in the way that we think. No, no! But he does it! And he will never fail to do it.
I imagine that when Luke tells us that Mary “treasured up these things in her heart” (Luke 2:9), he means us to see that when Mary sees Jesus teaching in the temple, when she sees how he is growing, she remembers what she prayed (1:46-55). She remembers that God has promised salvation and that he is bringing it to pass. She remembers that God is faithful and that He is gracious. She treasures up in her heart that the gift of salvation has finally come.
Amen. And Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
