Wednesday 08 September 2010

Background

On this day some parts of the Church celebrate the birth of Marythe mother of Jesus, but the Bible itself does not speak of this.Instead, in Luke chapter 1, we first meet her as amother-to-be. The story of how Mary learned from the angel Gabrielthat she, whilst still a virgin, would find herself pregnant, comesimmediately before today's passage. And before that we learn of howMary's cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah conceived a childin old age. God told them that this child - John - would preparethe people to receive their Lord.

Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John when Mary was visitedby the angel, but she had not yet made public that she wasexpecting. It was the angel who made the fact known to Mary, thusencouraging her to "set out ... with haste" to visit her relativeand check out the story, thereby learning that she could trust theother part of the angel's incredible message to her. The journeyfrom Nazareth to the Judean plateau was almost 100 miles, so thebest part of a week's journey on foot.

In those days, greetings were quite formal and elaborate, evenbetween relatives. The response to Mary's greeting, first by theunborn John, and then by his mother, is not apparently related towhat she says. Instead there is a recognition, said to be promptedby the Holy Spirit, that she is now a very special person, makingit an immense privilege for Elizabeth to entertain her.

Elizabeth remarkably calls Mary's unborn child "my Lord" in verse43. "Lord" is both used in the Bible to translate the personal nameof God and is the equivalent of the English 'sir'. In calling him"my Lord" Elizabeth is using the term to refer to God's promisedagent of salvation, the Messiah long expected by the Jewishpeople.

Because all of this fits together so remarkably, more thanfulfilling Mary's hopes from the visit, her own response is onethat praises God.

To Ponder

Have you ever found things fitting together soperfectly in your life that praising God has been the most naturalthing to do? What were the circumstances?

Some say that babies in the womb physically movein response to a mother's emotions, but here, according to verse44, it seems to be the other way around. Perhaps we should regardthis as a miracle, but at what stage - if at all - do you think anunborn baby may be capable of independent emotions?

What are the similarities and differences betweenElizabeth being "filled with the Holy Spirit" and thereby havingknowledge nobody has told her, and the claims of fortunetellers?