Mary Taught Jesus About Social Justice

Luke 1:46-56

We are looking at what Mary taught Jesus. And we are basing our thoughts on Magnificat where Mary speaks freely about her passions and her beliefs. It would be reasonable to assume that God would pick someone to be the mother of His Son, whose heart, soul, mind, and spirit, were compatible with His own.

E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary to India in the last century has called the Magnificat “the most revolutionary document in the world.” The third thing Mary taught Jesus was about,

Social Justice (v. 52)

This remarkable teen-aged young woman had not had the privilege of an education. Yet, she was acutely aware of God’s activity in the history of Israel. She knew how God had elevated a young shepherd boy to the throne of Israel, and also allowed foreign rulers to bring down the people and kings of Israel who had neglected the poor, the widows, and the orphans.

Also, toward the end of the Southern Kingdom, Jeremiah told the Israelites time and again that they would be judged if they continued to flaunt their riches and neglect the poor. But they ignored his warnings. When Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and took the Judeans into captivity to Babylon, his general Nebuzaradan left many of the poor behind, and gave them the land to farm. God used Nebuzaradan to create justice for the poor at the expense of those who had exploited them.

She would say to Jesus, “remember son, God will judge injustice in the land, and the use of privilege to exploit the poor is a road to disaster. Remember the prophets spoke against a callous attitude toward the disenfranchised.”

As Jesus rode down from the crest of the Mount of Olives on the day of the Triumphal Entry, the crowds were cheering, palm fronds and coats were thrown onto the ground before Him. When he rounded the corner bringing the city into full view, Jesus began to weep. He realized that His Father would judge them for maintaining perpetual injustice in the land, and rejecting Him.

In late 18^th century France, stark disparity between rich and poor resulted in Revolution; rulers were brought down from their thrones. Fifty years later, in England, similar conditions reigned. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing in Europe. People were moving from their farms into the cities, looking to make a living, only to fall prey to the industrial machine. A few robber barons became unimaginably wealthy, but the masses descended into poverty. However, the Methodist movement begun through John Wesley’s ministry championed the education of the poor, passed labor laws, worked to abolish slavery, and historians tell us a bloody revolution was averted.

Today we are in the first stages of a new economic shift from the industry-based economy to an information-based economy. Many people in our country have become unimaginably wealthy, while the poor and middle-class are becoming poorer. This shift will likely deepen before it reverses, and it will probably take a decade or more before it evens out.

In the Nazareth synagogue, Jesus delivered his mission statement as he quoted Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” As followers of Christ, we need to spend more time thinking and praying about the implications of our role in our society.

How will we live our lives?

What role should the Church take on in our societal transition?

How can the Church add value to the community in which it ministers?