Introduction
Mary heard amazing words from the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High God through the power of the Holy Spirit and that she should name him Jesus. And as proof, Mary's relative Elizabeth, who was known to be barren, also conceived a son in her old age, and he revealed that she was already six months pregnant. After hearing these amazing words from the angel, Mary responded, “I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said” (v. 38), and she immediately obeyed.
I. Mary Visits Elizabeth (vv. 39~41a)
Mary made a great decision, but she wanted to strengthen her faith even more. Because although Mary made a great decision and became pregnant by the Holy Spirit, her belly would soon swell, and she would become an object of ridicule, scoff, and fluttering from the world. Although she was determined to obey God's word as a servant of the Lord, Mary must have felt fear and trembling because the price of her obedience was her taking enormous risks.
So Mary went to Elizabeth to see for herself the evidence of what the angel had said. And she may have wanted the two miraculously pregnant women to come to a consensus. And Mary would have needed encouragement from Elizabeth about the many dangers that might arise due to the fact that her virginity was pregnant. Although it was about 100 miles from Nazareth in Galilee, where Mary lived, to Jerusalem, Judea, where Elizabeth lived, Mary did not mind going to see Elizabeth.
Look at verses 39 and 40. “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea. She came to a town in Judea and entered the house of Zechariah. She greeted Elizabeth.” As soon as Mary heard the words of the angel Gabriel, she did not delay and quickly went to Elizabeth, who lived in a town in the hill country of Judea. At that time, it was a long way, taking about three or four days to walk. We do not know whether Mary went alone, or with whom she went, or on foot, or on a donkey. What is important is that Mary did not hesitate to take the long journey, and she diligently went looking for it.
When Mary entered Zechariah’s house, she greeted Elizabeth. Greeting in Korean means asking how someone is doing. However, the word greeting used in the Bible is somewhat different from the customary greeting. It involves in-depth conversations between one another. Mary bowed to Zechariah and Elizabeth as the Jews did, and she kissed them. She would then go into her house together and she would tell Elizabeth everything that had happened to her. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, she said that Elizabeth could have believed what Mary was saying. Because she, too, had miraculously become pregnant.
She wasn't the only one. Look at the beginning of verse 41. “When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb …” When Elizabeth heard that Mary had greeted her, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb was leaping. Mothers can usually feel the bay moving within the womb starting around the fifth month of pregnancy. It is called fetal movement. Elizabeth was now six months pregnant. So, it is very natural for a child to be born in the womb. However, the meaning of this fetal movement was completely different. Verse 44 states that at this time, the baby for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. So, the reason the baby leaped in the womb at this time was not simply because he was tossing and turning his body, but because he was joyful.
At that time, Elizabeth had a baby growing up in her womb who would become a great prophet. Who is it? It was John the Baptist. John the Baptist's mission was to come before Jesus, prepare the way for Jesus, and testify to everyone that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ. For this purpose, Luke 1:15 says that John the Baptist would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Why did John the Baptist need to be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb? The reason is revealed in today’s text. John the Baptist had the mission of a prophet. Therefore, as in today's text, he had to testify of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even while in the womb. For this purpose, John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. Now that John the Baptist was in Elizabeth's womb, he could not speak at all. Therefore, the only way he could testify about Jesus Christ, the Son of God in Mary's womb, was by leaping for joy in the womb.
According to John 3:29, John the Baptist was always filled with joy because of Jesus. John the Baptist had joy in Jesus from the time he was born. Because he was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, he leaped with joy for Jesus even in the womb. After hearing Mary's greetings and feeling the child leaping in her womb, Elizabeth would praise God and tell Mary what had happened to her. Perhaps she even showed Elizabeth her pregnant belly to Mary. What was Maria thinking at this time? She could be sure that if the angel's words to Zechariah and to Elizabeth had come true, then she could be sure that what he had said to her would also come true.
II. Elizabeth’s Praise (vv. 41b~45)
When the baby was leaping in Elizabeth’s womb, Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit. And she praised God. Look at the second half of verse 41 to the beginning of verse 42. “… and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed.” If anyone is filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has complete control over that person. There is a phenomenon that commonly occurs in such cases. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he speaks the words he received from God. David said in 2 Samuel 23:2, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.” And Luke 1:67 says, “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.” Likewise, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed loud as she was moved by the Holy Spirit.
Look at verse 42. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear.” The word ‘blessed’ is a Hebrew expression that means the highest level. It means that among women, Mary is the most blessed woman. So why is Mary the most blessed woman? In Hebrew culture, a woman's fortune is judged by her children. Luke 11:27 says, “As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.'” Mary was able to become the most blessed woman because she conceived the Son of the Most High and she was able to nurse that child. Of course, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, also received great grace and blessings from God. However, she cannot dare to compare herself to Mary, who bore Jesus, the Messiah. So Elizabeth said that Mary received the grace and blessings of God much more than she did.
The child in Mary’s womb is Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God and has all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore, those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth will all kneel before Jesus. Therefore, the child in Mary's womb cannot but be blessed. As Mary listened to Elizabeth's words filled with the Holy Spirit, she would have become convinced of the angel's words that she would give birth to the Messiah.
Look at verse 43. “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should comes to me?” Elizabeth was so surprised that Mary, the mother of her Lord, had come to visit her, that she did not know what to do. This was clearly an extremely great honor and blessing for Elizabeth. So, Elizabeth sang about the blessings she had received and called Mary “the mother of my Lord.” Elizabeth revealed that the child in Mary's womb was her own Lord. This meant that the child in her womb was God as the Messiah.
There is one thing we need to make clear here. Elizabeth did not call Mary “her Lord,” nor did she call her “Mother of my God.” Elizabeth called Mary “the mother of my Lord.” Mary never gave birth to God. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is God. In other words, Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, a man, not Jesus Christ, a God. She, Mary, is a sinner just like us. It's just that she received the grace of God and her body was put to good use. Therefore, it is greatly wrong to deify Mary by calling her “Lord” or by thinking of her as “the Mother of God.”
Look at verse 44. “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” We have already looked at these words. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. Therefore, he jumped with joy in Elizabeth's womb to testify of the Messiah before him. At this time, Elizabeth was also receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit. So, Elizabeth would have been able to discern that the fetal movement in her womb was not a natural phenomenon, but was a leaping for joy to testify of the Messiah.
This is verse 45. “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Of course, “she who has believed” here refers to Mary. Elizabeth's husband, Zechariah, could not believe the words of the angel Gabriel. Because of this, Zechariah had to remain unable to speak and deaf until the birth of John. But Mary believed. So blessed was Mary. However, here Elizabeth did not name her Mary directly. She didn't even use the second person by saying “you who has believed.” When she said “she who has believed,” she used the third person. This was to reveal that whoever believes in the word of God will be blessed. Than's right. Blessings come to those who believe in the word of God
Conclusion
When something big happens to a person, who he or she goes to determines the success or failure of the matter. Mary went to see Elizabeth and heard her amazing praise. Elizabeth addressed Mary as “Mother of my Lord,” and in her praise she praised and encouraged Mary’s faith. Elizabeth played a role in erasing all the worries that Mary might have about her future, her self-pity, her regret for Joseph, and the pain of her broken dream of being a simple newlywed.
Who do we go to when we have a problem? We must receive counseling from a person of faith and wisdom who is filled with the Holy Spirit. That way we can get the right advice. More importantly, as we all know, the best solution is to go before Almighty God, tell him all our problems through prayer, and receive God's guidance. Moreover, when people come to ask us questions, just as Elizabeth confirmed that Mary was a blessed woman, we should not add to our worries even as we offer comfort to others.
Dear believers! Jesus is God who came to this earth in the flesh to save us. I hope that we too, like Elizabeth, will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that we will always be filled with the joy of Jesus. Especially as we welcome the season of Christmas, I pray that we will all be filled with the Holy Spirit and that our hearts will always leap with the joy that comes from Jesus. In this way, I pray that we will live while joyfully singing songs of joy through Jesus and bearing witness to Jesus Christ, our Savior.
