Thursday, January
10, 2019 – Luke 1:53-55
The Announcement of the Birth of the
Son of Man to Mary, Pt. 10,
Son of Man to Mary, Pt. 10,
Mary's Great Proclamation of the Messiah, Pt. 3
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
The
Gospel of Luke
II. The Identification of the Son of Man
with Men, Luke 1:5-4:13.
B. The Announcement of the Birth of the Son
of Man, Luke 1:26-56.
Vs. 46-55
In these
passages, there are 20 or so discernable OT quotations and allusions. It shows
how much Mary knew of her Scriptures and how cherished they were in her home.
She blends quotations and allusions to Messianic psalms and OT prophecy. In
addition, this is very similar to the great exaltation of Hannah, the mother of
the prophet Samuel, found in 1 Sam
2:1-10. And, in vs. 46, we see a
quote from Psa 34:2-3.
The theme of
this proclamation is “God my Savior,” vs.
47, that is defined in three ways,
1. Toward Mary, vs. 46-49.
2. Toward Mankind, vs. 50-53.
3. Toward Israel, vs. 54-55.
Last time, we
noted the first three verses of the second definition, “Toward Mankind,”
highlighted as follows:
·
In vs.
50, Mary notes God’s great Mercy to all, especially those who “fear” Him.
·
In vs.
51, Mary references the great “dispersion,” of Israel, while praising God
for His strength in providing against our enemy, sin, with salvation for Israel
and all. We see His righteousness and justice.
·
In vs.
52, she alludes to the Cross of Jesus Christ, which results in Him being
seated at the right hand of God, and winning the strategic victory of the Angelic
Conflict.
Tonight, we
note vs. 53, and the third recipient
of God’s Salvation, “Toward Israel,” vs.
54-55.
Vs. 53
Luke 1:53, “He has filled the hungry
with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed.”
The first
half is a quote from Psa 107:9, “For He
has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is
good.” Cf. Psa 22:26; 34:10; 146:7.
“Hungry,” is the Present, Active,
Participle of the Verb PEINAO, πεινάω that means, “to hunger or be hungry.” By
extension it also means, “to long for or have an intense desire for something
which is necessary for the sustenance of life.” This is our longing for a
Savior, which is absolutely necessary for salvation and eternal life. It is also
an intense desire for spiritual nourishment which is necessary for the
continuance of living the spiritual life.
Mat 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Cf. Isa 55:1; Luke 6:21a; John 4:14; 6:35, 48f. 7:37.
This implies
recognition of personal deficiency and a desire to live a godly life. The one who is hungry finds all of his actions motivated by his hunger.
Jesus said, He himself is that Bread of Life who appeases the gnawing spiritual
hunger of humanity. The one who comes to the person, work, and word of Jesus
Christ for spiritual satisfaction, will never experience the pangs of this kind
of “hunger” again, John 6:35.
John 6:35, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am
the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in
Me will never thirst’.”
And as Mary
stated, they are, “filled with good
things,” EMPIMPLEMI, “to fill quite full or satisfy.” It is a “satisfied”
condition because one has had plenty. And it has the sense of to “enjoy
something” by having your “fill” of someone’s company, Rom 15:24.
AGATHOS
means, “good” of intrinsic value. It
is speaking here to all the spiritual sustenance God has provided; His Son, His
Word. Therefore, this phrase is speaking about all aspects of salvation and the
spiritual life, both in time and eternity. Yet, it does not leave out God’s
physical sustenance that He also provides to all.
In contrast,
those who are “rich,” is the
Present, Active, Participle of the Verb PLOUTEO that means “to be rich or
wealthy,” primarily in a material way. The stem of this verb goes back to a
root common to many languages meaning “to fill” or “to be filled.” So we see a
contrast. Those who are filled with Satan’s cosmic system will ultimately be “empty handed,” regarding the salvation
and spiritual life, both in time and eternity.
Luke 6:25, “Woe to you who are
well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall
mourn and weep.”
Luke 12:20-21, “But God said to him,
‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own
what you have prepared?’ 21So is the
man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Rev 3:17, “Because you say, ‘I am
rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know
that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
Keep in mind
that the mere fact of being rich is not in view here, as the theme of “wealth”
itself will reveal that temporal wealth ought also to be viewed as a gift of
God and used properly, cf. 1 Tim 6:17-19.
But in our passage, it refers to those who are living for self and the world,
and do not see the necessity of a Savior or to live properly the spiritual
life.
Therefore,
the arrogant rich are “sent away,”
the Aorist, Active, Indicative of the Verb, EXAPOSTELLO ἐξαποστέλλω, that
means, “send forth, or send away.” In every instance of this word, including
here, there is a clear emphasis on the sender and on the purpose for which the
one sent is being sent. For example, in contrast to our verse, Gal 4:4, tells us God sent His Son into
the world to save the world.
Gal 4:4, “But when the fullness of the
time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.” In this case, the Sender is God who
sent forth His Son, Jesus Christ. It speaks of the historical condition that
has to do with the mode of His coming: 1) “made of a woman,” i.e., the Virgin
Mary, and 2) “made under the law.” These relate to the cultural, spiritual, and
physical matrix in which the Lord was born and grew up.
As such, for
those who reject what the Father has sent, namely His Son Jesus Christ, they
will be sent away, “empty handed,”
which is the Adjective KENOS, κενός that means, “empty, without content,
worthless, vain, in vain, or ineffective.” In other words, their spiritual life
will be “empty, worthless, vain, in vain, and ineffective.” Many times, this
word is used for those who show up empty handed or without gifts. Therefore, if
in arrogance we reject the Messiah and the things of God, we will have nothing
to offer up to Him in the form of the “fruit of the Spirit.”
We noted this
word in Eph 5:6, that speaks of
God’s judgment against those who are empty handed because of receiving the
false doctrines of the world, “Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Therefore, in
the second part of Mary’s great proclamation of God the Savior in regards to
all of mankind, she speaks of His Mercy to save, His power to save, and His
righteous and just judgment against those who reject His salvation, including
the fallen angels. Yet, He exalts and enthrones those who have humbled
themselves in recognition of their need for the Savior, which He has abundantly
provided to those who desire it, while rejecting those who do not, leaving them
with nothing to show for their lives.
As we noted
above, “God my Savior,” is the theme
of this proclamation, and all of the following verses support or define God’s
provision of salvation. In this praise, we are noting three recipients of
“blessings” or better “God’s provision for salvation,” 1) Mary, vs. 46-49, 2) All of mankind, vs. 50-53, 3) Israel, vs. 54-55. We now note the third
recipient, “Israel.”
In both
verses, there is no direct quote, but heavy reliance upon the principles found
in many OT passages.
Vs. 54
Luke 1:54, “He has given help to
Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy.”
“Given help,” is another of Luke’s
unique terms that gives special meaning to Mary’s proclamation. It is the Verb
ANTILAMBANOMAI, ἀντιλαμβάνομαι in the Aorist, Middle Deponent, Indicative that
means, “help, support, or benefit by.” It is only used here and in Acts 20:35, and by Paul in 1 Tim 6:2.
In Acts 20:35, Luke is quoting Paul and
our Lord, “In everything I showed you
that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed
to give than to receive’.”
Cf. Lev 25:35.
It is a
compound word from ANTI, “against, opposed to, or mutually,” and LAMBANO,
“take, take hold of, grasp, seize, get, or obtain.” It is the opposite of
taking or seizing, so it means, “to give or help others, or to take hold of
another mutually as by the hand.”
In the LXX,
it is used in the Psalms metaphorically to describe how the Lord “supports” or
“helps” His people, Psa 18:35; 63:8;
119:116, and how He “protects” them, Psa
41:11; 69:29. Often the subject in these texts is “the Lord’s right hand,”
pointing back to ANTILAMBANO’s literal meaning. Therefore, Mary uses it, as in
the Psalms, to describe God’s support of His people, Israel, Ἰσραήλ.
Next, we see
that the Greek word for “servant” is
not the typical DOULOS or feminine DOULE, as Mary called herself, but is
instead the Noun PAIS, παῖς, and not HUIOS, that means, “servant, child, son,
or daughter.” It is also used in vs. 69.
This word is a term that defines human relationships. In relation to family, it
means, “son or daughter.” In relation to age, it means, “child.” And, in
relation to social position, it means, “servant or slave.” So here, it is
reflecting the family relationship God has with the people of Israel, as well
as they being His working hand.
In the LXX
(Septuagint) and NT, the use of PAIS denotes relationship to God as a “servant
of God.” This usage is not found in classical Greek. Yet, it is significant in
the NT, because it is used of Jesus as the servant of God. Mat 12:18 identifies Jesus with the Suffering Servant spoken of by
the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, “Behold
my servant,” Isa 42:1; 52:13; Mat
12:18, and Isa 53:11, “Because of
the affliction of His soul, He shall be satisfied; Through His suffering, My
servant shall justify many, and their guilt He shall bear.”
In PAIS, we
have a blending of “sonship,” HUIOS, with “servanthood,” DOULOS. The concept of
the sonship/servanthood of Jesus and its extension to the lives of believers is
prominent in the NT. Christians are sons and daughters of God, and therefore
servants following the example of Jesus.
Nevertheless,
Mary is speaking about Israel’s relationship to God as His son/servant, a
picture which Jesus fulfilled in His First Advent, which Israel brought forth
through Mary. Jesus is the Son/Servant brought forth by Israel through Mary. It
is this Son/Servant who has and would “give help,” to Israel, i.e., salvation.
Mary is
speaking of the close familiar relationship God has with the people of Israel,
and the help, guidance, and protection He provided to them.
In the second
half of this verse, Mary gives the reason why God has helped His servant/son,
Israel, “in remembrance of His mercy,”
which in the Greek is simply the Verb MNAOMAI and the Noun ELEOS, which we
noted in vs. 50.
MNAOMAI is in
the Aorist, Passive, Infinitive for receiving ongoing action in the past. The
action was God “being mindful of and remembering,” His mercy towards the people
of Israel, i.e., providing a Savior. This mercy is still in view for you and I
today, so that we can rely upon it.
This word
reminds us of the Cross of Jesus Christ regarding forgiveness of sin. For
example it is used for:
1. The
disciple who “remembered” that a brother had a dispute with him, he should
immediately seek reconciliation, even if it meant a temporary delay in his
worship, Mat 5:23-24.
2. Peter
“remembered” the prophetic words of Jesus after he had denied Him three times, Mat 26:34. He wept “bitterly” because
of realizing what he had done, Mat 26:75.
3. One of the
thieves crucified alongside Jesus realized the just condemnation of his crimes
and acknowledged the innocence of Jesus when he said, “Lord, remember me when
you come into your kingdom,” Luke 23:42.
4. The writer
of Hebrews speaking of the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross, tells
us of God’s new covenant in which He would “remember no more” the sins and
iniquities of believers, Heb 8:12;
10:17; cf. Jer 31:31-34. That is because they have been paid for by Jesus
upon the Cross.
Heb 8:12, “For I will be merciful to
their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Vs. 55
Luke 1:55, “As He spoke to our
fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
In this
passage, Mary is remembering the words spoken by God to her forefathers that
encompassed all of the promises and covenants He made with Israel. By saying
this, Mary is telling us that she is not just making these things up, but that
she is quoting the Scriptures that conveyed to her and all of Israel God’s
covenant promises, especially in providing and sending the Messiah.
The phrase, “to Abraham and his descendants,
(SPERMA, “seed, offspring, descendants”), means the people of Israel.
And, as she
states, “forever” AION, she is
saying that these promises are for all of eternity, forever, for all the ages
to come. She is saying that God does not lie; He is faithful and veracity,
keeping and fulfilling His promises by sending the Savior, her son.
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