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. Luke 1:51-53
“The Son of God had come to establish His rule with justice and His kingdom with might. This meant the overthrow of every proud nation and the humbling of every proud heart. God alone deserves the power and glory. Therefore, He must subdue everything and everyone that opposes His will. To be specific, he must humble the pride of intellect (Luke 1:51), the pride of position (Luke 1:52), and the pride of wealth (Luke 1:53)…
In Christ God takes the conventional standards of greatness and significance and stands them on their heads. The person He exalts is the humble servant who does His will. The person He humbles is the powerful leader who refuses to acknowledge His need for God. We see this happen all the way through the Gospel of Luke.
The rich man goes to hell, while the poor man is carried home to be with the people of God (Luke 16:19-31). The prayers of the self-righteous Pharisee are denied, but the sinful tax collect goes home justified (Luke 18:9-14). As Jesus said, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11; 18:14).
At the end of the Gospel comes the greatest reversal of all: God the Son—who had once humbled Himself to become a man and then to endure the painful, shameful death of the cross—is raised from the dead in triumph. Having humbled Himself, He is exalted. Now Christ is busy turning things upside down in the world. He does not leave things as they are.”
Philip Graham Ryken in Luke, 2 Volume Set (REC: Phillipsburg: P & R Publishing, 2009) 51-53.
As I lean into the Jubilee dynamics of the ministry of Jesus, I find that He sets everything right under His rule. We see this from the beginning with this excerpt from Mary’s song known widely as the Magnificat. The proud are humbled. Earthy rulers are brought down. The hungry are fed. The rich are sent away empty. All these actions put people on the same plane under God’s rule. Those that don’t submit on their own, will eventually submit by force. In the end every knee will bow and tongue confess: “Jesus is Lord!”
What’s this have to do with generosity?
God’s gift to the world, Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, started this work with His first advent. In the meantime, today and every day with God’s Spirit within us, we help make things right by bringing justice to the oppressed, food to the hungry, truth to the lost, etc. It also means that those who are rich must distribute richly or it will be distributed for them (Luke 12:14-21). God never intended His material blessings to stop with them, so we command them to enjoy and share all they have, and not to hold on to it (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Only when we understand that Jesus has declared Jubilee, do many of His teachings start to make sense. This sobers everyone, inspires those who serve humbly, shakes and wakes the rich, and proclaims hope to the helpless. Jesus has announced that He has reset everything (which is what Jubilee did). But His work will not be completed until His second coming. So now, we, the redeemed, have the privilege of generously participating with Him in bringing justice and righteousness to all people. Empower us to that end, Lord Jesus. Amen!