Introduction When my wife was pregnant with Anthony, there were several women in the church great with child. Pregnant people seem to be drawn to other pregnant people. In this passage of Scripture we see two pregnant partners in prophecy. Elizabeth is pregnant under supernatural circumstances and is very old. She is way past the usual age of childbearing. Yet John will have a human father and a human mother. Mary is pregnant by the power of God and the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. Mary is very young. The scholar Joachim Jeremias states in no uncertain terms, The usual age for a girl s betrothal was between twelve and twelve and a half. This meant that after the betrothal a girl would live with her parents for a year prior to the consummation of the wedding. Betrothal between a man and woman was the first contractual obligation that could only be broken by a divorce. Mary was probably just past puberty in the in between time in between childhood and adulthood. This shocks our American mind-set, our Western way of thinking yet God chose a woman, a young woman to bear the Messiah. God chose a virgin to model a godly heart and godly character and a godly responsibility. Mary was young but God would use her. Mary was uneducated, but God would bring from her lips some of the most sublime, deep, theological insights ever uttered. We as a church and a culture run an amazing risk the risk of under-estimating our young people. We confuse age and immaturity with inability. We must take our children seriously, we must find ways to challenge them, motivate them, trust them, and watch God use them. Andrew and John may have been as young as twelve or thirteen when Jesus called them to be not just disciples but apostles. We must invest deeply in their lives and we must make their spiritual welfare one of our highest priorities. A youth is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He will assume control of your cities, states, and nations. He is going to take over your churches, schools, and corporations. You may adopt all the policies you please, but how they are carried out depends on him. So it might be well to pay him some attention. Adolescents: those who are quickest to discern hypocrisy. Eugene E. Brussell Mary s Journey of Joy (vv.39-40) Luke 1:39-40 (NKJV) 39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. Did Mary tell her parents? We are not told. Look at the expression with haste. She split in a hurry. She somehow went the 80-100 miles south were her cousin Elizabeth lived in the hill country which is the hill region surrounding Jerusalem. This is a three or four day journey on foot. Mary was in a hurry and it seems her eagerness is based on the promise of the Angel she can t wait to get there to find out what s going on with Elizabeth. 1
She doesn t pause to chat with her friends. Do you think if Mary were a young person today she would say, I wonder if my cellular will work down there? I suspect on her three or four day journey she had a lot to think about. What is God doing? Both she and Elizabeth were recipients of miracle babies. Can you imagine? Mary shows up, unannounced, she is in Elizabeth s doorway, and yet there is an overwhelming sense of joy. Two mothers one old one young co-conspirators, soul sisters in a divine plot to save the world. These are not the Divine secretes of the yaya sisterhood, these are the divine secrets of the YaHweh sisterhood! Through blood, sweat, pain, tears-these ladies are going to bring forth children, who will change the world. Every mother joins a special society. There is a Spanish proverb that says an ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. A mother is God s deputy on the earth. Elizabeth s Exclamation of Joy (vv.41-45) Luke 1:41 (NKJV) 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. The meeting is dramatic and filled with joy. As soon as Mary spoke the baby kicked. No it is a little more dramatic than even that the babe leaped in her womb. I have no idea what that must have felt like. You ladies who have been pregnant know what a poke and prod in the ribs feels like. The word leaped is the same word that was used to describe a sheep jumping the field or skipping or jumping. Why did the baby react that way? There are at least two reasons first there is a prophet in her womb! This is his first prophecy! John s ministry begins three months before his birth! You could argue his ministry begins at the moment of conception! His birth ministers to his mother and father! It would appear the Holy Spirit prompts John to take a flying leap in his mother s womb! This leap of joy comes to full fruition some thirty years later as John will preach and baptize in the wilderness those who turn from their sin and point them to God s messiah Jesus! John 3:29 (NLT) 29 The bride will go where the bridegroom is. A bridegroom s friend rejoices with him. I am the bridegroom s friend, and I am filled with joy at his success. The second reason the baby John is overcome with the emotion of joy! The Greek expression is leaped with delight. Don t miss the importance of this statement. A baby three months before his birth is filled with the Holy Spirit is used by God and experiences the emotion of joy! The Biblical evidence is unassailable. John is a person before he is born. Elizabeth is about six months pregnant (see vv.26,36). At this point in his development John is about nine inches long. He weighs about one and half pounds. His little hands and feet are fully formed, his skin is translucent. He has little fingerprints and toe prints. He opens his eyes inside of his mom s tummy for brief periods and gazes into the liquid darkness of his mother s womb. 2
If John could speak he might say, Job 10:10-11 (NLT) 10 You guided my conception and formed me in the womb. 11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together. John s just a fetus! No he is a fetus with feelings he is an emotional being. He has the capacity to be filled with the Spirit and respond to the presence of Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary! This should shake you if you believe abortion is O.K. But there is more! Mary has already conceived. She may be five days pregnant. Yes Jesus is a former zygote and so are you! Jesus is a zygote but Elizabeth calls Mary the mother of my Lord not the mother of my soon to be Lord because right now he is a fish looking zygote no the word is in the present tense my Lord right now. If Mary had aborted her baby would she have killed a person? A potential savior? There really is only one answer. I am not posing this question to humiliate, aggravate, accuse, condemn, or stir up guilt. In a room with this many people at least one person has made the awful choice to have an abortion. Perhaps you were ignorant, perhaps you didn t know Jesus, perhaps it was fear, or stress, or age, or the pressure of a pig boyfriend or a failed family member. Whatever the reason Jesus loves you. Go to Him his grace and his love and his mercy are big enough to forgive you. Perhaps you were a believer and your sin is even more grievous yet God s grace is still sufficient to forgive you. We all share a past filled with disappointment, failure, excuse, sin and now we have the right and the priviledge and the joy to accept God s love and grace and mercy. We must protect the unborn. We must speak because the unborn is unable to speak for herself or himself. Luke 1:45 (NKJV) 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. People filled with the Holy Spirit confirm the Word of God and the will of God. Mary s Magnificat of Joy (vv.46-56) Luke 1:46-47 (NKJV) 46 And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. The song is called The Magnificat because the Latin version of Luke 1:46 is Magnifat anima mea Dominum (see Wiersbe TBEC Vol.1; p.172). 3
There are those who suggest an uneducated teenager would not have been able to write such brilliant prose. They are wrong. I have seen teenagers write brilliant poetry. Mary uses the phrase He has or He who or He spoke to three recipients of God s blessing. Mary sings of what God did for her (vv.46-49). Mary sings of what God did for us (vv.50-53). Mary sings of what God did for Israel (vv.54-55). What has God done for Mary? And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior (v.47). The Lord God saved Mary. The Bible teaches all have sinned, even Mary. God saved her and chose her to bear the Messiah no small privilege. I want you to think about Mary s faith for just a moment. Faith is more than just the intellectual acceptance of set of facts faith is belief and trust. Mary believed what the angel said. She believed the virgin birth was possible and that it would happen. Mary did not doubt rather she reasoned and accepted the angel s explanation of God s plan. Second she trusted her whole life to God s promise! Thirdthis belief and trust produced submission May it be to me as you have said. Next fourth out of that submission came activity she immediately obeyed God s Word and hurried do not pass go do not call your friends and came to the hill town where her cousin was staying! Think carefully honor Mary. Honor her faith. Look at how she modeled faith for every faithful guy and girl in every generation. You say you Protestants do not honor Mary. How wrong you are! We believe and trust which produces submission and activity. Mary s faith and God s miracle allowed a miracle to take place a birth a virgin birth. A miracle birth. Have you experienced Jesus being born into your life? Mary s faith produced obedience and discipleship. Has your faith produced obedience and discipleship? Mary s faith produced dependence upon Jesus Christ the Lord. Has your faith produced dependence upon Jesus Christ the Lord? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is both Lord and God? Mary did. Do you believe he died on the cross for your sins and paid for them with his blood? Mary did. Do you believe that you are a sinner and Christ is your only hope? Mary did. And so do I. Which of us pray tell honors Mary and honors Her child and Her Lord? Belief becomes trust and trust becomes submission and submission becomes activity faith working resulting in service and discipleship. (v.48) For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant. The expression He has regarded means to look at with favor to be mindful to consider. God was mindful of Mary and mighty for Mary. (v.49) For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. Consider for a moment what God has done for Mary. God made a promise to Mary, and because Mary believed God and submitted to His will, God performed a miracle in her life and used her to bring forth the Messiah! 4
How can we escape the application in our life? God has made promises to you! Will you believe God and submit to His will? What has God done for you? Luke 1:50-53 (NKJV) 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. God refuses to remain without a witness in any generation. All who love the Lord, who trust in his strength and rely on his mercy will not be disappointed. Mary sings about those specific groups to whom God has been merciful; the helpless (Luke 1:51); the humble (Luke 1:52); and the hungry (Luke 1:53)(Wiersbe p.173). God scatters the proud. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Common people in every generation have struggled with issues of human rights, basic freedoms. There are have s and have-nots. Few mechanisms were in place for common people to appeal gross injustice. The Jewish people formed a secret society of patriots called Zealots who engaged in violent means to overthrow Roman occupation. Their activities often made matters worse for ordinary people. Mary sings about a world where wicked rulers have been thrown down from their seats of authority and the lowly have been raised up. In other words, the somebodies become nobodies and the nobodies become somebodies. The hungry are fed and the rich wind up poor. How can this be? The grace of God and the mercy of God and the ways of God are not like this world s system. The church often fills with people the kind of people who were attracted to King David! 1 Samuel 22:2 (NKJV) 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. What has God done for Israel? Luke 1:54-55 (NKJV) 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever. Israel was destitute. The Romans were governing. The people were divided between the very rich and the very poor. Disobedience had taken its toll in the life of the nation. But God loves His people Israel. God refuses to ignore the promises made to Abraham, 5
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and the people of Israel. The angel of the Lord had said He shall save His people from their sins (Matt.1:21). In dark times, in desperate times, in painful times, in times of bondage and fear we wonder if God is on our side! God is on Israel s side. God would remember His promises. God would exercise mercy. Thank God for Israel. If there were no Israel there would be no Messiah. Conclusion Luke 1:56 (NKJV) 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house. It would appear Mary stayed with Elizabeth right up until the time of John the Baptist s birth. By this time the pregnant teenager would find it difficult to hide her swollen belly. Mary showed! Now her mother and father and fiancée would know Mary is pregnant. Now the questions, Mary why did you leave in such a hurry? I suspect the Lord showed Joseph in Mary s absence the truth about Mary s condition (see Matt. 1:18-25). Pregnant partners in prophecy! Divine secrets of the YAWEH sisterhood. The girls were expectant---they weren t just having babies they were giving birth to John and Jesus. Look God took care of Mary. And He will take care of you. Look at Mary and you will find real wisdom about real faith. Mary s faith is belief plus trust which results in submission and discipleship. Mary s faith also tells us the importance of community we are a part of a community of faith. Mary flew to Elizabeth s house. Why? God s promises leads us to God s people who share mutual faith. Mary s faith great as it was was built up even more by the fellowship of her sister in Christ. We must place ourselves in fellowship with people who believe God s Word. Like Mary we make it a priority to share the miracle of the new birth. And like Mary we rush to fellowship we share our mutual hope we celebrate the hope we have in Jesus and we fulfill our own new birth as children of God. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be as not yet been fully made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure (1Jn.3:2-3). 6