Striving for the finish line
“Let Us Fix Our Eyes On Jesus, The Author And Perfecter Of Our Faith…” (Hebrews12: 2)

“…May it be done to me as you have said…My soul praises [magnifies] the
Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the
humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me…He has helped his servant
Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers” (Luke 1:36, 46-49, 54-55).

The NIV narrative of Mary’s canticle [Magnificat], contains one hundred thirty-one words. Just one more than double the number of words spoken by
her relative, Elizabeth. Remarkably, Mary’s words echoed from different
books of the Old Testament. For example, the opening sentence is based on
Ps. 34:1-3. The other statements are very similar to Hanna’s song (cf.1Samuel
2:1-11. And, Mary’s reference to her forefather Abraham, is from (Gen. 17:7).
Mary’s response to Gabriel was, “May it be done to me as you have said.”
The statement of unconditional surrender to do the will of her God, denotes
Mary’s depth of conviction and understanding of the LORD’s high calling. So,
she yielded her body to God as the temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1Cor. 3:16).

Mary’s response to Elizabeth proceeded from her pure spirit, innocent soul,
and inscrutable faith. Mary [Miriam] was unconditionally surrendered to the
determined will of her God. Therefore, from Mary’s heart welled up a
magnificent canticle, which pervaded the core of her being. Her words were
adorned with grace, joy, humility, and deep convictions. Consequently, her
testimony [Magnificat], ascended like sacrificial incense to God—her Savior.

Mary boldly testified: “The Mighty One has done great things for me.”
Thus, confirming to Elizabeth that indeed, she was the mother of her Lord
[Adonai]. Whereas, Mighty One is synonymous with El Shaddai, the Hebrew
name, by which LORD God had revealed Himself to Abraham (cf. Gen. 17:1).
In light of her declarations, Mary was very familiar with the Abrahamic and
the Davidic covenants in the Old Testament. Hence, Mary knew she was
bearing the seed promised to Abraham, (cf. Gal.3:16). Namely, the Messiah.

Mary was aware that all future Jewish and Gentile female generations
would call her ‘blessed.’ Yet she humbly set aside her personal beatitude and
exaltation. Instead, she ascribed glory and honor to the LORD saying: “His
name is holy and His mercy extends from generation to generation. God performs mighty deeds; He humbles the proud, but exalts the humble. He fills the hungry, but helps His servant and remembers His covenant with Abraham.”

Dr. Luke wrote to his readers that Mary stayed with her cousin Elizabeth
for three months. One can only but imagine the joy, the anticipation, and the
prayers and praises of the two expectant mothers while they stayed together.

In the light of this narrative, the person of Mary has always challenged the
minds of Christians. Some ask, “What was her relationship with the divine Son
she was so privileged to bear?” “What is the place of Mary in God’s
redemption story?” These are just some of the many questions that excite and
divide Christians. Sadly, vain speculations abound through the gospel music!

The following is a case in point: “Mary, did you know?” It is a song addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus, with lyrics written “By Mark Lowry in
1984, and music written by Buddy Green in 1991. It was originally recorded
by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo
album in 1991…The song has since become a modern Christmas classic…”.

Out of seven stanzas, the rhetorical question, “Mary, did you know?” occurs more than seventeen times. The first question asks Mary if she knew her
baby boy one day would walk on water. Probably, Mary didn’t know. But she
treasured everything in her heart (cf. Lu.2:51). In addition, Mary clearly
demonstrates her faith in her Son: “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you” (Jn. 2:5).

What is my point? For those who are willing to accept it, no born-again,
Bible believing Christian, ought to add to or subtract anything from the living
Word of God. No theological principle should be violated in any way. Yet it
is one of the root causes of the deviant worship in a postmodern Christianity.

In the process of time, religious authorities have progressively elevated
Mary, the mother of Jesus, to new heights. For instance, Mary was ascribed
the title of second Eve. Arguably, that is biblically plausible. But when Mary
is accredited with perpetual virginity, the Marian theology crumbles under its
own weight, because Joseph, her husband, “…Had no union with her [Mary]
until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus” (Matthew 1:25).

Mary has been given the title of “Mother of God.” If that attribute were true,
then Mary would be higher than El Shaddai; her Creator and, the Re-Creator
of all things, whether visible or invisible. Moreover, it would make her Son,
Jesus, the Son of Man, both a liar and a deceiver. For the Lord Jesus has said:
“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit…God is spirit,
and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 3:6a; 4: 24).

Mary has been declared “Queen Of Heaven,” “Co-Mediatrix” and “Co-Redemptrix with the Son.” But when these lofty titles are tested by the Scriptures and the apostolic teachings, one discovers that they are not assigned to Mary of the Bible, but to the Madonna. So whose voice am I willing to obey?
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