Luke 1:46-56 “The Magnificat of Mary”
Luke 1:1–56
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things
which have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word
delivered them to us,
3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the
very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus (God Lover),
4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias,
of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was
Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (an amazing feat in and of itself!)
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well
advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went
into the temple of the Lord.
 Priestly duties were assigned by lot. A priest could have the privilege of
burning incense in the Holy Place only once during his lifetime, and
sometimes never.1
10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of
the altar of incense.
 Only three Angels mentioned by name in Scripture
o Lucifer
o Michael
o Gabriel
 In-numerable un-named Angels
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and
your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong
drink.
1
Jack W. Hayford, ed., Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), Lk 1:9.
“Mary’s Magnificat” Luke 1:46-56 1
He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and
my wife is well advanced in years.”
19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the
presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.
 Gabriel – an angel who brought messages to Daniel, Zechariah, and
Mary.
o One of the “Chief Princes” (Daniel 10:13; 21)
o In Inter-testamental period sources like the Book of Enoch,
Gabriel is specifically said to be an archangel. 2
 GABRIEL — “champion of God”, used as a proper name to designate the
angel who was sent to Daniel (8:16) to explain the vision of the ram and the
he-goat, and to communicate the prediction of the seventy weeks (Dan. 9:21–
27). 3
20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take
place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long
in the temple.
 If I might never get to enter the Temple again in my lifetime I would
certainly pause for a good long while.
22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had
seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to
his own house.
24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months,
saying,
25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away
my reproach among people.”
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee
named Nazareth,
 Elizabeth is now 6 months pregnant with baby John
2
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel
M. G. Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893).
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary.
 Are Mary and Joseph dead as of the writing of Luke’s gospel?
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is
with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what
manner of greeting this was.
 I really believe that if Mary knew the kind of improper worship people
give her she would be greatly troubled.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God.
 Every Christian has found favor with God – she was given a unique favor.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His
name JESUS.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest;
and the Lord God will give 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.”
Isaiah 9:6–7
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
“Mary’s Magnificat” Luke 1:46-56 3
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no
end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward,
even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
 One of the great foundations of Christianity is that Mary was a Virgin.
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who
is to be born will be called the Son of God.
 “This delicate expression rules out crude ideas of a ‘mating’ of the Holy
Spirit with Mary.” (Morris)
36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and
this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to
your word.” And the angel departed from her.
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of
Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped
in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb!
43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy.
45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those
things which were told her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
 Mary’s pondering praise weighs all the significance of what the Lord
has done.
o V42 – Elizabeth’s response is utter excitement
o V46 – Mary’s response is thoughtful and worshipful
 The soul is the principle of individuality, the seat of personal impressions,
having a side in contact with the material element of humanity, as well as with
the spiritual element. It is thus the mediating organ between the spirit and
the body, receiving impressions from without and from within, and
transmitting them by word or sign.4
Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
4
Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 262.
“Mary’s Magnificat” Luke 1:46-56 5
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
 Spirit is the highest, deepest, noblest part of our humanity, the point of contact
between God and man. 5
 Mary clearly understands that she needs a Savior.
 Here she must be pondering the triune nature of the Lord.
o V35 – the Holy Spirit will over shadow – cloak you in the Shekinah
Glory of the Lord.
o V47 – “God my Savior” – “theos” – “God the Master Originator”
 2316. Θεός Theós; gen. Theoú, masc. noun. God. Originally used
by the heathen and in the NT as the name of the true God. 6
 God – with the interest, the capacity and the means to save
sinful man
o V31 – Jesus – a child, The Son, the great and magnificent
Messiah of Israel!
 V32 – the Son of the highest!
 V32 – He will be great
 How does Gabriel know He will be great?
o Because He is great!
o Because Gabriel sees Jesus upon His heavenly
throne as he is speaking to Mary.
Isaiah 6:1–4
1 . . . I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the
train of His robe filled the temple.
2 Above the throne stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with
two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two
he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who
cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
 V32 – He will be the Eternal King of the Universe
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
 Just a simple girl living in a small village in the middle of nowhere.
 Just the simple bride-to-be of a Carpenter of Nazareth
5
6
Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 262.
Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
o Not the lowest of society but certainly not even the middle.
o She knows how little she will have to raise a King with.
o Everything in life has now changed!
 All of Israel begged God for the Messiah to come
 Generations of women would think of what it would have been like to
know that the Lord God Almighty is in your womb, and will be your
child.
o Her own generation would call her cursed with a pre-marital
pregnancy.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the
government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 How can we tell others of the Lord’s might if we have not witnessed it
ourselves?
o Ebenezers
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.
 The proud always imagine their own greatness
o The proud don’t want or need a “Wonderful Counselor”
 See how the Lord deals with everyone in His strength:
o The proud – He scatters them
o The mighty – He pulls them off their thrones
o The lowly – He exalts them
o The hungry – He fills them
o The rich – He sends away empty
“Mary’s Magnificat” Luke 1:46-56 7
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.”
 See how God always helps Israel
 He remembers His promises to be merciful with Israel.
Psalm 98:3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of
Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
 Mary is remembering God’s faithfulness to all His promises to Israel
 Mary can also have faith in His promises – though it seems impossible
to her.
 We must cling to His great promises – He is always faithful!
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
 See verse 26 – Elizabeth is now full term.
o 7 months, 7 weeks, 7 days, 7 hours, 7 minutes, 7 seconds
 Mary remains with Elizabeth until baby John is born.