So far in 2015, 14,472 Albertans have lost their jobs in group layoffs. Everybody expects more layoffs to come. Earlier this month, the Calgary Herald asked people to share their stories about being laid off. Some wrote of worsening financial hardships. Others wrote of desperately trying to sell homes in a bad real estate market because they could no longer pay the mortgage. Others were stunned to find themselves at the food bank. New graduates fear they will never get a job in their field. Some fear they are slipping into depression. (http://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/laid-off-calgarians-losing-hope-as-prospects-dwindle-and-money-runs-short)
The news of continual declining oil prices has meant shock and layoffs. Yet some cling to hope for times to come in spite of such shocking news. People are looking for a sign of hope. In Luke 1, Elizabeth was a sign of hope for the troubled nation of Israel. The sign, communicated by the Angel Gabriel, was another conception miracle. Luke’s gospel record opens with the stories of two conception miracles, one involving a barren, older woman past childbearing age, and the other a young, unmarried virgin in her early teens. The child of the first would be the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist; the second would be the Messiah Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hope is essential for living at any time, especially in times of adversity and testing. Hope is living with a firm hold on the promise of life and salvation. Hope is the gift of looking forward with confidence, knowing that even if the future entails suffering, even unto death, it will be okay because Christ has gone on ahead. To hope is to have a secure future and know one has it (Martin, E. D. (1993). Colossians, Philemon (p. 87). Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.).
Luke’s brief description of Mary’s meeting with Elizabeth emphasizes God’s confirmation of His promise to a people who needed hope. The account reveals three aspects of that Blessed Hopethough: 1) Personal Confirmation (Luke 1:39–40), 2) Physical Confirmation (Luke 1:41a, 44), and 3) Prophetic Confirmation (Luke 1:41b–43, 45).
1) Hope through Personal Confirmation(Luke 1:39–40)
Luke 1:39-40 [39]In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40]and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. (ESV)
Eager to see the promised sign, Mary wasted no time in setting out to visit her older relative Elizabeth. The phrase in those days/at this time refers to the time of Gabriel’s visit. That and Luke’s note that she went with haste/in a hurry indicates that Mary immediately dropped everything to make the trip south to Judea to see Elizabeth, who was by that time six months pregnant (v. 36). Since she stayed with Elizabeth for three months (v. 56), Mary evidently returned home around the time of the birth of John the Baptist (v. 57). Mary’s departure reflects an instant response to God’s leading (Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, p. 134). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.).
As years pass it seems that the days of special events reoccur so fast. As quickly as Advent seems upon us, the eagerness for spending time with family and friends is seen as an opportunity to catch up and enjoy one another again. Naturally this is a great opportunity for sharing the truly eternal matters of our lives with those we care about.
Travel to the Judean hill country near Jerusalem would have taken three or four days. Such a journey by a girl of Mary’s age was highly unusual in a culture where young girls were carefully shielded and protected. In addition, though the Bible nowhere mentions the exact moment of her conception, Mary no doubt was already pregnant when she made the trip. It is doubtful that Joseph was aware that Mary was pregnant. The account of Joseph’s awareness of Mary’s pregnancy, his response, and the next angelic visit is given by Matthew (Mt. 1:18–25). The trip from Nazareth to the hill country was probably fifty to seventy miles—a major trip for a young woman alone and on foot (Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., Taylor, L. C., & Osborne, G. R. (1997). Luke (p. 23). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.).
The exact location of the town/city/village of Judah where Zacharias and Elizabeth lived is unknown, although a sixth-century tradition places it about five miles from Jerusalem. After arriving there, verse 40 notes that Mary entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth (cf. vv. 41, 44). Unlike the brief, casual, even flippant greetings common today, a greeting in the Ancient Near East was an extended social event, involving a lengthy dialogue. (cf. Ex. 18:7-9) Mary and Elizabeth no doubt shared all the details of their remarkable stories with each other. Elizabeth would have told Mary of the amazing events that culminated in her pregnancy, starting with Gabriel’s appearance to Zacharias in the temple. Mary likewise would have related to Elizabeth the story of her visit from Gabriel a short time earlier. The remarkable similarities in the two accounts would have thrilled and amazed them as they realized that the long-awaited Messiah was about to arrive, and that God had chosen these two obscure women to be the miraculous bearers of these two sons.
Please look back to verse 5 (p.855)
Luke 1:5-24 [5]In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. [6]And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. [7]But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. [8]Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, [9]according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. [10]And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. [11]And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. [12]And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. [13]But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14]And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [15]for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. [16]And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, [17]and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." [18]And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." [19]And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. [20]And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." [21]And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. [22]And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. [23]And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. [24]After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, [25]"Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." (ESV)
As Zechariah, and his wife, Elizabethwere righteous and blameless in all the commandments and that they had no child, for Elizabeth was barren, therefore verse 6 indicates that their childlessness was not due to any personal sin on their part but to God’s sovereign and wise plan (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1942). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
In hope Zechariah presented his petition before God for a child, yet when presented with the evidence of hope, he wanted to trust in explicit, instead of the promise. The blessed hope is taking God at His word, since He has shown Himself trustworthy to His promises. In hope, Elizabethprepared herself for fulfillment of God's promises.
Back in verse 40, Mary would share her wonderful news with Elizabeth, confident that she was the one person Mary could count on to believe her story. Others might have viewed her account as a far-fetched attempt to cover up her sexual immorality and resulting pregnancy. Even Joseph, who knew her well, did not believe Mary’s account, and intended to divorce her (Matt. 1:19). It was not until he heard the truth from an angel (vv. 20–21, 24–25) that he accepted what had really happened. Hearing Elizabeth’s account, and even more seeing her condition, also confirmed to Mary that God would keep His word to her.
How much we need other human beings to share the watershed moments of our lives. To be a Christian is to believe in a God who is the God of the impossible and to belong to a family of brothers and sisters who are there when you need them most. Because you belong to this family of faith, you have someone to go to who will listen to you when great joy or sorrow overwhelm you (Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Luke (Vol. 26, p. 36). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
Illustration:Saved by Hope
An interesting item appeared in a Nashville newspaper, datelined Memphis (UPI): A woman named Hope pulled a man from chilly harbor waters after watching him drive his car off the bank in an apparent suicide attempt. Hope Phillips, thirty-eight, said Monday she was sitting in her car with her husband and son Sunday afternoon when she saw the man drive down Riverside Drive into WolfRiverHarbor. Phillips said she saw the man climb on top of the sinking car. “His face was like, ‘I’m so desperate, please help me.’ All I could do was run into the water,” she said. Phillips said she swam toward the man, who was about twenty-five feet off the bank, and used a tree branch to pull him toward the bank. Her husband helped drag him out of the water. The man said he was a student at the University of Tennessee. She said: “He kept telling us he wasn’t worth anything. I said, ‘You are worth something, you’re here, aren’t you?’ “Then he asked my name. I said ‘Hope,’ and he said, ‘What’s your name?’ He repeated it twice. He had a smile on his face. You knew he didn’t want to die.”( Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed., p. 451). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
-In a desperate world, we all can be instruments of hope, sharing the rescue from sin and death, through Christ.
2) Hope through Physical Confirmation(Luke 1:41a, 44)
Luke 1:41a, 44 [41]And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. (And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,) [44]For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (ESV)
The confirmation Mary received from talking with Elizabeth was reinforced in a wondrous manner. At some point in the lengthy conversation that comprised the greeting (no doubt after Mary recounted Gabriel’s words to her), Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb. Clearly this was not merely the normal movement of the baby in her womb that she felt frequently. Elizabeth’s exclamation to Mary in verse 44, “When the sound of your greeting came to/reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” clearly reveals that her baby’s movement was not the familiar kind, but one she identified with joy at Messiah’s anticipated coming. That the baby in my womb leaped for joy pictures the unborn child at the sixth month of pregnancy as a distinct person, able to feel “joy.”(Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1945). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
This life would be born to be the forerunner (1:17) and herald(3:4–6) of the Messiah, and this silent prophecy was His first announcement. It was to enable Him to make this involuntary supernatural prophecy that John was “filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb” (v. 15). As will be seen later, the filling of the Spirit (an expression describing the power of the Holy Spirit taking control and effecting service to God by word or deed) is often connected with prophecy.
-How can we announce the coming of Christ? Like John the Baptist, we are to tell of who he is and what he is doing. But like him as well, our silent confidence and hope in His working and plan can speak volumes in a world of turmoil, strife and despair.
Please turn to Genesis 25 (p.19)
This event with Elizabeth and Mary was not the first time that movement in a pregnant woman’s womb had prophetic significance. Centuries earlier, during Rebekah’s pregnancy, there was an incident with far-reaching implications:
Genesis 25:19-23 [19]These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, [20]and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. [21]And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. [22]The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. [23]And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger." (ESV)
The children were Jacob and Esau, whose descendants, Israel and the Arabs, have been in conflict for millennia. This is a constant reminder of the negative impact of the fall on human existence. Yet the divine revelation that the older shall serve the younger (25:23) prepares the reader to expect that Jacob will have a significant role to play in the development of the unique family line in Genesis (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 94). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
Illustration:2279 Cape Of Good Hope
The southern tip of Africa used to be called “Cape of Tempests.” Its swirling seas and continuously adverse weather conditions caused sailors great anxiety and took many lives. But a certain Portuguese, determined to find a safer route through those seas to the renowned Land of Cathy, discovered a safer passage round this promontory. And the area was renamed the “Cape of Good Hope.”( Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 565). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.)
-Even in the midst of current strife there is the promise of hope that God has a plan of redemption and is working it to the fulfillment of salvation.
3) Hope through Prophetic Confirmation (Luke 1:41b–43, 45)
Luke 1:41b-43, 45 [41] (And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.) And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42]and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43]And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (ESV) [45]And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." (ESV)
Like her unborn son, Elizabeth too was filled with the Holy Spirit. Such filling was often connected to speaking a message from God. In 2 Samuel 23:2, David declared, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” After John’s birth “Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied” (1:67; cf. vv. 68–79).
After being filled with the Spirit, verse 42 records that Elizabeth exclaimed/cried out with a loud cry/voice. This cry is a term associated with the speaking of divine truth in such passages as John 1:15; 7:28; 37; Rom. 9:27. She literally shouted out the message God gave her, both from excitement over its content, and to emphasize its authority. What followed was a hymn of praise, the first of five associated with Christ’s birth that Luke records (cf. 1:46–55, 67–79; 2:14, 25–32). This hymn of praise pronounced blessing on Mary, her child, Elizabeth herself, and ultimately everyone who believes God’s word.
-The world is crowded with jingles and advertising. When we can boldly express our excitement over the hope of Christ and the authoritative truth that it rests upon, then we can be heard over so much noise
The phrase blessed are you among women is a Hebrew superlative expression that describes Mary as the most blessed of all women (cf. Judg. 5:24). In Hebrew culture, a woman’s status was based to a great extent on her children; her significance was directly tied to their significance. Thus, when a woman wanted to honor Mary, she called out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed” (Luke 11:27). Elizabeth’s point was that Mary was the most blessed woman of all because she would bear the greatest child. Although Gabriel had informed Zacharias that their own son would be great, Elizabeth humbly acknowledged that Mary’s would be greater. Elizabeth’s child would be Messiah’s forerunner, but Mary’s was the Messiah. Thus, Elizabeth acknowledged that Mary had received the greater privilege and the greater honor. Being a righteous woman (1:6), she was thrilled not only at the privilege of bearing Messiah’s forerunner, but even more so that Messiah was coming. This blessing is not to be interpreted as a call to praise/ bless Mary but as an affirmation that Mary stood in a state of blessedness(Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, p. 90). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers).
As a people of hope, the fullest manifestation of hope is the willingness to accept that another might be the greatest recipient. Parents may forgo presents to themselves give to their children. They may save so that children may receive. They may instill godly values into their children amidst a wicked and perverse generation so that at maturity, their children may be those agents of rightesness.
Elizabeth then blessed Mary’s Son, crying out, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb!” That familiar Old Testament phrase (cf. Gen. 30:2; Deut. 7:13; Ps. 127:3; Isa. 13:18), used only here in the New Testament, refers to the holy Child that Mary would bear. He is the Messiah (John 4:25–26); the Savior of the world (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14); the recipient of all of heaven’s praise (Heb. 1:6); the one who is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26); the one whom “God highly exalted … and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9); the one who will inherit all that the Father possesses (John 16:15; 17:10); the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8).
Please turn to John 20 (p.907)
In verse 43, Elizabeth’s exclamation of wonder and awe, “And why/how this this granted/happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?” is in effect a pronouncement of blessing on herself. In her true humility, she felt unworthy to be in the presence of such an honored person (cf. Luke 5:8). That Elizabeth, still speaking under the control of the Holy Spirit, referred to Mary’s Son as my Lord attests to His deity. Lord is a divine title, used more than two dozen times in the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel to refer to God. Therefore, to call Jesus Lord is first to call Him God (cf. John 20:28).
The coming of Christ is the proclamation of His deity. Notice this recognition of His Lordship with Thomas:
John 20:24-29 [24]Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. [25]So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." [26]Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." [27]Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." [28]Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" [29]Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (ESV)
In John 20:28 Thomas’s confession of Jesus as his Lord (Gk. Kyrios) and God (Gk. Theos) ... is one of the strongest texts in the NT on the deity of Christ (see 1:1). Some cults try to explain away this clear affirmation of Jesus’ deity by arguing that Thomas’s statement was merely an exclamation of astonishment that, in effect, took God’s name in vain. Such an explanation is unthinkable, however, given the strong Jewish moral convictions of the day and because it is not consistent with the text, which explicitly says that Thomas said these words to him, that is, to Jesus. Thomas’s statement is in fact a clear confession of his newly found faith in Jesus as his Lord and God (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2071). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
-For Elizabeth to call Jesus my Lord, is to acknowledge His deity and the hope that he will bring to millennia of His people who will not physically see Him.
We must also distinguish in Elizabeth to call Jesus my Lord, in distinction from the teaching and liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, the New Testament nowhere gives Mary the title “mother of God.” God, being eternal (Gen. 21:33; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 40:28; Hab. 1:12; Rom. 16:26), was never conceived or born, but has always existed. Mary was the mother of the human Jesus, not His eternal divine nature.
Elizabeth’s closing statement, in verse 45 “blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord,” supplements her earlier blessing of Mary. In many ways, Elizabeth is a sign of faithfulness, when her husband Zechariah, was not. Blessed is she who believed when he did not. Mary’s blessing as a faithful one is a result of her trust that God will act (Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, p. 139). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Notice Elizabeth’s humility. For six months the big excitement in her life had been her own pregnancy. But rather than thinking of her own good news, she immediately praised God for what he had done for Mary. She was not jealous, but honored Mary as the mother of her Lord—the most blessed woman in the world (Ryken, P. G. (2009). Luke. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (Vol. 1, pp. 43–44). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.).
Mary was blessed not only because of her privilege in being the mother of the Messiah, but also because of her faith in believing that there would be a fulfillment. This is the Greek term teleiōsis, which means “completion” or “accomplishment.” Mary believed God’s word to her. This is the key to the biblical concept of faith. Those who would be believers must believe! They must respond to God’s word by yielding to His will and purpose (Utley, R. J. (2004). The Gospel according to Luke (Vol. Volume 3A, Lk 1:45). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.).
She believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord. But Elizabeth’s use of the third person pronoun she broadens the blessing beyond Mary to encompass all who believe that God fulfills His promises. Elisabeth speaks as if she herself had heard the angel’s words. But for Mary to hear her refer to them in this astounding way, to declare their positive fulfillment to the very end, and to hear this as not being addressed unto her but being spoken in the third person as if being addressed unto God himself by Elisabeth’s faith, must have been a mighty uplift to her faith and sweet comfort and assurance for her soul (Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel (p. 82). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.).
Elizabeth could have faced her old age with a sense of failure and waning faith, but her vibrancy of spirit serves as a reminder that God watches over (believers) with loving care. (She is an example of hope in an era that needs hope.) Elizabeth trusted and God rewarded her. She shared herself liberally with Mary, and undoubtedly she trained her son in the Lord while she lived out her faith before him (Thomas Nelson, I. (1995). The Woman’s Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
(Format note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2009). Luke 1–5 (pp. 63–72). Chicago: Moody Publishers)
