Scripture: And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies 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—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”[Luke 1:46-55]
The Gospel is scandalous.
Scripture is scandalous.
God is scandalous.
Throughout all of scripture we are told how different Yahweh, the God of the Jews, is from all other gods. YWH is a God who seeks to be in relationship with people – a God who makes a covenant with people, a God who forgives. But no one could have imagined how different. As Philip Yancey puts it: “One night… among the wrinkled hills of Bethlehem… God, who knows no before or after, entered time and space. God, who knows no boundaries, took on the shocking confines of a baby’s skin, the ominous restraints of mortality.” Emmanuel.
The means through which he entered the restraints of mortality were also quite scandalous. A poor, unwed teenager was his mother, and the words which welled out of her are described by E. Stanley Jones as “the most revolutionary document in the history of the world.” This Scripture often called the Magnificat, or Mary’s Song, contains the inspired words from Mary the mother of Jesus upon hearing the news that she would bear the God-child. I think this is quite significant.
Everything about Jesus, specifically, is scandalous. Before he was born – the song that was inspired while he was in the womb was one of complete contradiction to the way of life that was known at the time (and still). Mary’s song begins with praise – praise at the realization of her humble state. It is when we realize our real lowly state that we are overwhelmed by God’s unreasonable Grace. And she goes on to turn the world up…side…down. “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty." Think about these words and their implications.
Truthfully, I don’t even know if she knew what she was talking about – did she realize at that moment that Jesus would be so scandalous, so offensive, that he’d be killed for it. It is undeniable that Jesus ministry was arranged in such a way where he was (Mike Slaughter says) “comforting those on the margins of society and offending the wealthy and powerful. He offended many in religious leadership by dining with "sinners." He shocked even when he reached out to those whom society considered "unclean." The rich young ruler walked away when Jesus told him that to be perfect, he should sell all that he had and give the money to the poor.”
Scandalous love.
This text makes me uncomfortable; it challenges me, my comfort levels and privileges. It makes me ask myself questions. God’s love is scandalous – I hope we got that. Is our love scandalous? God’s message is counter-cultural. Is the message we claim to proclaim and follow the counter-cultural, scandalous, not-make-any-sense-to-the-world message?
Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth! We have a love that we can’t comprehend and ultimately don’t deserve. We have Mary's song, the song of God's salvation, to sing, dance, and revel in today. May your lives be scandalous – in Jesus’ name.
Esther Rodriguez
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Dan Johnson. 352-317-4409
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