The Strength of the Arm of God (Luke 1:51)

“He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts (Luke 1:51).”

This verse is found in the middle of the song of Mary from Luke 1:46-56. Throughout the Old Testament, we find the strength of God being described by an arm or hand. In Psalm 89:13, Ethan the Ezrahite describes the LORD God of hosts as having a mighty arm and a strong hand. Elsewhere in the prophets, Isa. 52:10 mentions that the LORD had made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. It is interesting to me that this same chapter of Isaiah has another reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. You can see that reference in Isa. 52:7.

Perhaps one Old Testament event that Mary had in mind was the deliverance of the people of Israel against the Pharaoh of Egypt. This occurred when he and his army of chariot soldiers chased the Israelites through the Red Sea. It is said that as the Egyptians were following the Israelites the wheels of their chariots fell off, for the LORD was fighting against them (Ex. 14:25). After the victory against the Egyptians, we find what is referred to as the song of Moses in Exodus 15.

At Ex. 15:6 Moses declares that the right hand of the LORD is become glorious in power and dashed in pieces the enemy. Then after further mentioning that God is glorious in holiness, he says that the LORD had stretched out his right hand, and the earth swallowed them up (Ex. 15:11-12).

Mary was indeed right to praise God for the strength his arm. The LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save (Isa. 59:1).

Are you Hearing him? (Matt. 17:5)

“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matt. 17:5).”

This verse comes from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration before Peter, James, and John. In verses 3-4 the three had just seen Moses and Elijah (Elias in the KJV). Peter then asks that three tabernacles be made for Jesus and the two men presented before him. After the cloud overshadows the disciples a voice says, “Hear ye him.”

This event makes me think of various verses in the New Testament that speak of people needing to hear the words of Jesus Christ. Heb. 1:1-2 mentions that God spoke in time past by the prophets, but now has spoken unto us by his Son. Elsewhere we see that hearing the words of Jesus is necessary to have eternal life:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24).”

Are you hearing Jesus Christ through the Word of God, or are you listening to other people?

Become as little children (Matt. 18:3)

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 18:3)

My wife and I have not yet been blessed children, but they are truly incredible. They have a great spirit of wonder, excitement,  and a pure innocence. They can be impressed with a great many things, yet also be humble. These ideas of innocence, humility, and wonder are important qualities of entering into the kingdom of heaven.

As adults we should have understanding of spiritual matters, but in wicked actions like malice, we should be like children (1 Cor. 14:20). We should know the former well, but be ignorant of the latter, having never done it.

We should not be haughty or lofty in our own eyes. We do not need to become too self-involved in doing great things (Ps. 131:1-3).

Rather, we need to have simple longing for the word of God, seeking it daily (1 Pet. 2:2). Receiving it as the word of God, we will grow thereby, and eventually be able to go from drinking the milk of the word to eating strong meat (Heb. 5:12-14).

Fear of the Jews (John 7:13)

"Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews." (John 7:13)

There are multiple places in the Bible where we are reminded the people in Jesus’ time
feared the Jews, specifically those who were in authority. In John 9, Jesus healed a man who was born blind (John 9:1-7). This was a notable miracle not only because a number of people remembered this man being blind previously, but also that there was significant investigation into the matter as well (John 9:8). The first series of questions to the man is in John 9:9-12.

The man is then brought before the Pharisees, who questioned him further (John 9:13-17). The Pharisees even called the man’s parents to question (John 9:18-21). These parents claimed that they did not know who opened their son’s eyes to see, and told the Pharisees to ask their son again. This was done because they feared the Jews. They feared those who had authority to throw them out of the synagogue more than giving a direct answer which could lead someone to confess that Jesus was the Christ (John 9:22).

This fear was proven to be valid because when the son was questioned again, he actually tried to teach the Pharisees about Jesus and was cast out of the synagogue for it (John 9:34-35). This fear of the Jews is also found in John 12:42, 19:38, and 20:19.

This is a shame, because we should fear God, and revere him, not any man.

The divisive words of Jesus (John 7:43)

"So there was a division among the people because of him." (John 7:43)

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he caused division between those who heard what he taught. In the immediate context, Jesus had just repeated his statement inviting people to come to him and drink from the rivers of living water (John 7:37-39) This was previously mentioned to the woman at the well in John 4. Like many words of Jesus, they are challenging and often divisive.

Some will believe what He says, confess Him as Christ, and obey Him. Others will not. There is no middle ground, everyone is on one side of these two options, and in this way he is divisive. This was such in the first century as well, where people talked amongst themselves trying to decide for themselves which of these two options this Jesus of Nazareth could be. See John 7:12, 9:16, and 10:19.

This division can be such that it would even cause a rift between members of the same family (Matt. 10:35; Luke 12:52-53). That is but one reason why we should seek that we all be of the same family, the family of God. There is no division there when everyone lives by godly principles and have a spirit of forgiveness.

The righteous must not despise sinners (Luke 18:9)

“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” (Luke 18:9)

Though growing in righteousness is a good thing, it is possible for us to become arrogant concerning our walk with Christ. This is something that must be fought at all costs. Even as we repent of our sins and no longer that activity, we need to remember that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). When we become convinced of our own righteousness, that is when we really need to be careful (1 Cor. 10:12; 1 Tim. 3:6).

If these problems are not nipped in the bud, it is possible for us to be ineffective in preaching the gospel to the lost. The reason for this is because we would despise the lost so much that we would never know them long enough to teach them the gospel. For instance, we are supposed to instruct people in a spirit of meekness (2 Tim. 2:25). Further, we need to remember that we may have been fornicators, thieves, or drunkards prior to becoming Christians (1 Cor. 6:9-11). As such, we need to remember that fact, and teach people with love, and not be high-minded in our own perceived righteousness.

Judas Iscariot’s false pretense (John 12:5-6)

"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." (John 12:5-6)

It is amazing how easy it can be for us to put up false pretenses, to get what we want. This is but one of many found in the Bible, this time by Judas Iscariot. Earlier in the story, John 12:3,  Mary had taken a pound of spikenard, which was very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus with it. This leads Judas to make the statement quoted above, which while sounding righteous, was actually filled with deception. How many times have we said one thing, while thinking something else? I know I have done so. When I ask someone if they need help with something, do I also hope that they say no because I don’t want to be troubled? This scenario isn’t exactly the same as what is quoted above, but I think it is a similar concept. It is something that we should strive to avoid. I like what the Geneva Study Bible says about these two verses, "A horrible example in Judas of a mind blinded with covetousness, and yet pretending godliness."