Twenty centuries ago, a terrifying dragon tried to destroy the hope of mankind, and a young girl with no power of her own resisted him.
Stoning is a uniquely violent death.
The crowd is carrying watermelon-sized rocks. Several men pin the victim to the ground. Everyone else lines up and throws their rocks down on the victim’s torso as hard as they can.
If the person being stoned is personally hated, they are forced to lie down facing up so they can see every stone before it drops.
Death finally comes after razor-sharp broken bones sever enough internal organs and arteries. The lungs fill up with blood and many die of choking. It is horrifically painful until the end.
This was the potential fate awaiting an unmarried Jewish girl named Mary who had just been told she was going to give birth to the Son of God.
Which is a gripping story on its own…but where does a dragon come into this?
Christmas is the story of Jesus, the son of God, entering the world in weak human flesh. It is God having mercy on sinful mankind by providing his own sacrifice on their behalf.
In the earthly realm it happened quietly. Everyone knows the basics:
A young virgin girl betrothed to a descendant of David.
A manger for the baby to sleep in.
Wise men from the east.
No room at the inn.
A starry night.
An angelic choir suddenly appearing to shepherds.
It makes for a peaceful nativity figure display in grandma’s living room.
In the eternal realm, it resembled Omaha Beach on D-Day.
The Bible gives us a glimpse in Revelation 12:
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness. (ESV)
This passage metaphorically describes many events in God’s plan for preserving his people, but we can’t miss the clear meaning of a pregnant woman giving birth to a child who will one day vanquish a dragon.
It is in this context that we read a war song from Mary.
Known as the Magnificat, it has been the source of endless devotions, sermons, and literature, but describing it as a war song is off-putting for some who want the story to be tame.
Here’s the remarkable prayer of a pregnant teenage girl being hunted by a dragon, as recorded in Luke chapter 1:
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
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.
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (NIV)
It is a war song that could have been composed by David himself after a long day of fighting Philistines. It declares the greatness of God and mentions the overthrow of man-made kingdoms.
Mary had a long road ahead of her when she composed this passage. For all she knew, she could be stoned for adultery by the town elders after having the baby.
Many fearsome warriors would fail to have this kind of courage when confronted with the devil himself.
Mary is declaring to the Lord that she is the simplest of weapons, the most broken of tools. What better way to get the Holy Spirit to fight the dragon for her?
She knows it is the strength of the Ancient of Days that keeps the dragon at bay.
When we see the throne room of the Lord described in Scripture, it usually involves fire and terror. The dragon knew the fire and terror of that throne room better than anyone else, and when it came down to it, he could not even stop a teenage girl from having a baby because she was protected by the hand of the King.
God spinning together galaxies and commanding oceans is an obvious display of might. Perhaps even more impressive is when we see Mary’s frailty inhabited by Yahweh’s infinite strength.
This Christmas, sing the war song of Mary. Rejoice with victorious confidence.
The dragon has lost.
What we see in the troubles of our world are his death throes—the final lashes of his tail across nations and within the hearts of men. He fights against a rising sun, and he will burn to ashes under its rays soon enough.
Merry Christmas, indeed.