At the time of Jesus’ birth, Israel groaned under Roman
oppression. The Israelites yearned for release from the harsh
yoke, in part because an aspect of Jewish identity was bound up
in understanding themselves as agents of God’s redemption for
the world. This understanding helps account for the confusion
surrounding Jesus’ actual identity. He definitely challenged the
status quo political culture but never self-identified as a political
liberator for Israel. This confounded the disciples as they
attempted to understand the meaning of Jesus’ life and mission.

Mary’s Song reclaims God’s redemptive intention established
through Abraham who gave birth to a great nation.
For followers of Jesus, Mary’s prophetic idea exploded into a
wondrous revelation of freedom for all people. In one sense the
prophecy was “spiritualized,” released from physical boundaries
in the resurrection dynamic. In this way it became available
to everyone in every time. But then, it only made sense when
this spiritual truth took root in individual lives once again.

An energetic flow between the spiritual and physical realms
is at play here. The timeless nature of Jesus’ redemption is
potently available in our own time. Jesus is God’s commitment
to a radical redefinition of those found acceptable to God. It’s
a topsy-turvy revelation straight from God’s imagination that
continues to confound contemporary disciples. Mary, God’s
handmaiden, poor, accused of breaching vows of engagement,
breathes an electrifying call-to-arms for the sake of God’s love
and justice.

We may ask these questions: Where today does God scatter
the proud in the imaginations of their hearts? Where are the
lowly lifted up and the hungry filled with good things? And
then, where is the evidence of God’s intention in those who
follow after the way blazed by Mary’s child?