The Word This Week
Luke 1:39…
Imagine a time when 400 years of silence from the Lord has been broken, and now not only is the Lord speaking, but prophecies spoken both hundreds of years ago and in these immediate moments are coming true fast and furious and right before their eyes. It must have been head-spinning and heart-rending.
Mary, who is now pregnant - conceived of the Holy Spirit – leaves for the hill country of Judea to visit her relative Elizabeth, who may have been her cousin or her aunt. (Either way, this informs us John the Baptist and Jesus are related.)
It appears Mary and Elizabeth had a very close relationship, the kind of relationship that exists between those who are true lovers of God, despite vast age differences. (Luke informs us Elizabeth is elderly, pregnant, even though well beyond child-bearing age, and Mary is very young, a virgin, unmarried, and now pregnant as well.)
Mary’s unwed pregnancy would have been very problematic in the eyes of the world in that day, and so we find Mary escaping Nazareth for the shelter and love she may find at Zacharias’ and Elizabeth’s home. She probably sought refuge here because Gabriel had told Mary Elizabeth was also pregnant, even though Mary would have known Elizabeth was too old to have a child. Not only that, but Mary also knew Elizabeth was thought to be barren. It was a condition people either felt sorry for Elizabeth about or they judged her by.
Mary had only great fondness for Elizabeth and Elizabeth felt likewise about Mary, and so their meeting was a blessing of great grace to each of them.
There were two other people involved in this special meeting as well – John and Jesus. They made their presence known as well. Gabriel had prophesied to Zacharias John would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, even from his mother’s womb.
We get amazing proof of what Gabriel prophesied here. Even as Mary and Elizabeth greeted one another, the babe John leapt, (for joy,) in her womb - in the very presence of the One he alone was given life by God to introduce to a lost and dying world. This is their first meeting, but it wouldn’t be their last.
Pastor Bill
Imagine a time when 400 years of silence from the Lord has been broken, and now not only is the Lord speaking, but prophecies spoken both hundreds of years ago and in these immediate moments are coming true fast and furious and right before their eyes. It must have been head-spinning and heart-rending.
Mary, who is now pregnant - conceived of the Holy Spirit – leaves for the hill country of Judea to visit her relative Elizabeth, who may have been her cousin or her aunt. (Either way, this informs us John the Baptist and Jesus are related.)
It appears Mary and Elizabeth had a very close relationship, the kind of relationship that exists between those who are true lovers of God, despite vast age differences. (Luke informs us Elizabeth is elderly, pregnant, even though well beyond child-bearing age, and Mary is very young, a virgin, unmarried, and now pregnant as well.)
Mary’s unwed pregnancy would have been very problematic in the eyes of the world in that day, and so we find Mary escaping Nazareth for the shelter and love she may find at Zacharias’ and Elizabeth’s home. She probably sought refuge here because Gabriel had told Mary Elizabeth was also pregnant, even though Mary would have known Elizabeth was too old to have a child. Not only that, but Mary also knew Elizabeth was thought to be barren. It was a condition people either felt sorry for Elizabeth about or they judged her by.
Mary had only great fondness for Elizabeth and Elizabeth felt likewise about Mary, and so their meeting was a blessing of great grace to each of them.
There were two other people involved in this special meeting as well – John and Jesus. They made their presence known as well. Gabriel had prophesied to Zacharias John would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, even from his mother’s womb.
We get amazing proof of what Gabriel prophesied here. Even as Mary and Elizabeth greeted one another, the babe John leapt, (for joy,) in her womb - in the very presence of the One he alone was given life by God to introduce to a lost and dying world. This is their first meeting, but it wouldn’t be their last.
Pastor Bill