"He Shall Be Great" (Luke 1.32)

by Jarvis, A. G. | Category: General | Jul 1967

Who can measure the true significance of the words spoken by the heavenly messenger to Mary, "He shall be great"? As we muse on them our hearts respond in the words of the psalmist, "His greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145.3). He who was eternally great in the glory of His deity must also be great in His Person and offices as God manifest in flesh. Throughout the New Testament there are many references to His greatness. Sometimes by comparing (or contrasting) Him with other persons and things His unique greatness is manifested.

In Matthew 12.6 our Lord says, "One greater than the Temple is here". To understand the force of these words we must recall the pride and veneration with which the Jews viewed the Temple. The feelings of the Jewish people for the Temple are fitly described in the words, "Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised Thee" (Isaiah 64.11). What a staggering assertion it must have seemed to them for Him to say, "One greater than the Temple is here"! Alas, the Jews failed to discern the superior greatness of Him in whom "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2.9). Valuable and great as was the Temple in which Jehovah's people worshipped Him, it was composed of material things with a typical but passing value.

When speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, our Lord said, "Behold, a greater than Jonah is here" (Matthew 12.41). It may be queried by some whether Jonah was a great man, but it should be noted that our Lord here describes him as "Jonah the prophet" (verse 39). As a prophet he was indeed great. He was used to bring a mighty city to repentance. Alone, he witnessed to the coming judgement and so real was the repentance of Nineveh that the judgement was deferred for nearly one hundred years. Yes, Jonah was a great prophet! But our Lord was the Saviour of the world. The salvation wrought was indeed great, but the Saviour who wrought it was greater.

Our Lord also said, "Behold, a greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12.42). This was a stupendous claim in the eyes of the Jews. Solomon the wise, rich and great king was the builder of the original Temple. Yet, the humble Man of Galilee was greater than Solomon! It is recorded, "The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine" (Haggai 2.8), and that "the cattle upon a thousand hills" belonged to Him (Psalm 50.10). Moreover, "the earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof", and in Him "are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden" (Colossians 2.3). Greater then Solomon!

In John's Gospel we have further references to His greatness. The woman at the well asked Him, "Art Thou greater than our father Jacob?" (John 4.12). Jacob, in later life, became a "prince with God" and his name was changed to Israel. He became the great progenitor of the Israel people. He was indeed greater than the proud monarch of Egypt, for when Jacob stood before Pharaoh, the former blessed the latter, and, "without any dispute the less is blessed of the better" (Hebrews 7.7). Yet, here was a humble Galilean claiming to be greater than Jacob! Again, the question was put by the proud Jews, "Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?... whom makest Thou Thyself?" (John 8.53). Yes, each historic figure, no matter how great. must retreat before the One who embodies in Himself all the qualities of greatness seen in type and shadow in those who have gone before.

The letter to Hebrews contains many comparisons and contrasts. Angels, Moses, Aaron, Melchizedek and many others pass in review, each great in one way or another but all completely eclipsed by Him of whom the poet wrote,

"Join all the glorious names

Of wisdom, love, and power

That mortals ever knew,

That angels ever bore;

All are too mean to speak His worth,

Too mean to set our Saviour forth."

He is the peerless, incomparable Christ, "who is over all, God blessed for ever" (Romans 9.5). "He is Lord of all"-the words come before us with fresh and sublime meaning. To whom do these words refer? They are written of, "Jesus of Nazareth... who went about doing good" (Acts 10.36,38).

The expression "I am" occurs frequently in John's Gospel. We particularly direct attention to John. 18.4-8. The background to this scene is the agony and prayer at Gethsemane. The Man of Sorrows rises from His ordeal in the garden and goes forth to meet Judas and the armed band. Fearlessly, majestically, He presents Himself with the words, "Whom seek ye?" They answer, "Jesus of Nazareth". He replies, "I am", and immediately they went backward and fell to the ground. Here is manifested the dignity, worth and power of the incarnate One, the great I AM. Let us remember that at this time Satan had entered into Judas. Therefore, in anticipation, we see the mighty overthrow of him who had the power of death. The Saviour voluntarily gave Himself to them or they had never taken Him. Think again of that midnight scene. Perhaps traces of the bloodlike sweat were still upon that lovely face. Darker hours of deeper woe were before Him, but He flinched not. He calmly gave Himself to them. Then followed the marvellous giving graphically portrayed in the words, "I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting" (Isaiah 50.6). Was He not great then in all that true greatness stands for? Indeed He was!

In closing these brief notes we refer again to the words of Gabriel, "He shall be great". We can only respond, "How great Thou art!" The pageantry of earth's great ones passes away. How near is the time of which Isaiah writes, "The LORD alone shall be exalted in that day!" (2.17). Then every eye shall see Him, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord! to the glory of God the Father" Philippians 2.10,11).

Jarvis, A. G. | Jul 1967
General