Today, we read the background information leading up to the birth of Samuel and, a few verses later, Hannah’s song, whose sister passage in the New Testament is Mary’s song. The similarities between these two passages are striking, though the contexts are quite different.
Hannah’s song is in response to a child for whom she has prayed. Mary’s song is in response to Elizabeth’s blessing (though it is tempting to place her words directly after Gabriel’s visit). Both women have children, against all odds, and both children are holy.
What is striking about Hannah’s song and Mary’s song is that these women - largely viewed as property within this society, both of whom refer to themselves as slaves and to their humbleness/worth: Hannah: “Do not regard your servant [slave] as worthless…” Mary: “He has looked with favor on the humbleness of his slave…” yet both of these women make these beautiful statements that are not only beautiful but deeply political, pointing to the ways in which God subverts our notions of what it is to be powerful:
Hannah: “Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil… He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.”
Mary: “He has shown the strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination [thoughts] of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
In Mary’s song, one of the translations I have read utilizes “imagination of their hearts” rather than “thoughts of their hearts.” I’m not sure this is the most accurate translation of the word dianoia, but I appreciate what this translation does for the text. It takes imagination to have faith. It takes imagination to see how two women, however powerless, however humble they may see themselves, make statements that continue shaping our faith. These two women make statements that are not only deeply political, but also point to God’s reality in the world, and to how different from human power is God’s power. It takes imagination to see how a baby can be God incarnate: completely helpless, completely dependent, and completely unexpected.
With Mary and Hannah, we anticipate the unexpected.
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