Summary
Blessings
The little phrase "God bless you" rolls off the tongue so easily that its meaning is often lost. In Scripture, the word bless moves in two directions. When directed from us to God, it is praise: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name" Psalm 103:1. When directed from God to us, it carries two distinct meanings worth holding onto: God's powerful, gracious touch upon a life, and the setting apart of someone or something for a holy use.
Both meanings shine in the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cries out, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Luke 1:42. The first "blessed" refers to Mary—of all women in all of history, she is the one whom God has touched with his power to bear the Messiah. Like the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament, which carried the imminent presence of God, Mary becomes the living vessel who carries God incarnate. There is a second miracle here as well: not only the conception, but Mary's faith. We believe only by the touch of God, and Mary believed Luke 1:45.
The second "blessed"—"blessed is the fruit of your womb"—points to Jesus and carries the second meaning: consecrated, set apart for a purpose. Paul uses the word the same way: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16. To bless, in this sense, is to set apart for holy use. Jesus, the fruit of Mary's womb, was set apart for the work of the cross, sent by the Father "to be the Savior of the world" 1 John 4:14. One sin separates us from God forever, and we are by nature sinful from conception. Only one child has ever been born sinless—Jesus—and he was set apart precisely to bear the sin of all on the cross, that the wrath and justice of God might fall on the Son and not on us.
This means Christians are a blessed people in both senses of the word. We have received the gracious touch of God through Christ. We are washed in the promises of Holy Baptism, claimed by God for eternity, and showered with innumerable mercies every day. The forgiveness purchased at Calvary is delivered to us, and we are made his own.
But we are also blessed in the second sense: set apart. God has consecrated his people to be the very vehicles through which he blesses others. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed, with blessing comes responsibility—a glorious responsibility. The world needs intentional blessers: people who give the encouraging word, who minister by simple presence, who take genuine interest in another's joys and sorrows, who walk with neighbors through hard and happy times, and who share the gospel itself, the most glorious message that can ever be heard.
So the next time the words "God bless you" are spoken, let them carry their full weight. They name the touch of God's power and grace, and they name the calling to be set apart as his instruments. The question that follows is a beautifully practical one: by the grace of God, how can we today live out "Blessings" toward the people he places in our path?
Video citations
- "Blessings" 12-8-24 — Would you open your Bible's please with me, too? The Gospel of Luke, the first chapter, for our study today, if you're using a pure edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that in the New…