LUKE 1:39-56 - MARY AND ELIZABETH
SPIRIT-FILLED UNBORN BABY
JUMPS FOR JOY!
Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in
those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40
And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
Mary may have fled Nazareth to
avoid gossip and unkind stares as her pregnancy developed, but I believe she wanted to see the
miracle of Elisabeth’s pregnancy in person as well. Mary may have wanted to avoid
prying eyes and whispering lips as her own pregnancy developed.
Luke 1:41 And it came to pass,
that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb;
and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
When Mary spoke a greeting to
her relative Elisabeth, the unborn baby John jumped for joy! Elisabeth was overjoyed as she
was overcome by the Spirit of the Lord.
Luke 1:42 And she spake out
with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded
in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that
believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her
from the Lord.
John, who Gabriel foretold
would be filled with the Spirit in the womb, leapt when Mary greeted His
mother. An UNBORN baby was the first to recognize the Savior while HE was
yet UNBORN. This is a strong argument for the fact that an embryo is already
the person God is forming inside their mother.
Embryo John’s reaction, caused
Elizabeth who was also filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment he moved within
her to rejoice as well. Elizabeth questioned her
worthiness to be visited by the mother of the Son of God, but she boldly
prophesied concerning Mary because the Holy Spirit empowered her. Elizabeth called Mary “the
mother of my Lord,” which says that she already believed Jesus would be the
Messiah. No human had told her this. Mary had just arrived, so they had not had
time to even discuss the fact that Mary was pregnant and all that Gabriel had
told her. The Holy Spirit prompted Elizabeth to honor Mary’s faith in
believing the Lord. Somehow, in the moment that baby John moved excitedly in her womb,
the Lord caused Elizabeth to know exactly what was going on with her relative,
Mary. For this moment in time, the Lord was using Elizabeth as His prophetess.
John MacArthur Study Bible
1:46–55 Mary’s Magnificat (the first word in the Latin
translation; see notes on vv. 68–79; 2:29–32) is filled with OT allusions and
quotations. It reveals that Mary’s heart and mind were saturated with the Word
of God. It contains repeated echoes of Hannah’s prayers, e.g., 1 Sam. 1:11;
2:1–10. These verses also contain numerous allusions to the law, the psalms,
and the prophets. The entire passage is a point-by-point reciting of the
covenant promises of God.
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My
soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Mary broke out rejoicing in
song, humbly praising the Lord for all He was doing through her. This is
known as the Magnificat because that is the first word of Mary’s praise song in
Latin. Mary says that her soul magnifies, exalts the Lord. She identifies
God as Savior, highlighting the purpose for which Jesus was coming as a man. I
think it is significant that the one chosen to bear the Messiah sees her own
need for salvation and knows that God is meeting that need.
Luke 1:48 For he hath regarded
the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
Mary viewed herself as God’s
servant, his handmaiden. She was probably poor, not significant in any way. Therefore, she
realized she was extremely blessed to be chosen to conceive and carry her Redeemer
in her womb. She acknowledged that this was not her doing but was the choice
and work of God in her life. She needed the Seed of God she carried as much as the world He
would be born into needed her Baby.
Luke 1:50 And his mercy is on
them that fear him from generation to generation.
Mary may have had several
passages from the Psalms in mind. We looked up “them that fear him” on www.biblegateway.com and came up with these as well
as others: Psalms 25:14, 33:18, 34:7, 34:9, 85:9, 103:11, 13 & 17, 111:5,
145:19, and 147:11. Psalm 103 has been a favorite of mine (Susie’s) for a long
time:
Psalm 103:11 For as the heaven
is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Psalm 103:13 Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of
the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his
righteousness unto children's children;
Luke 1:51 He hath shewed
strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their
hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of
low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry
with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Psalm 103:5-6 (KJV) Who
satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the
eagle's. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are
oppressed.
In Jewish thought, riches were
a reward from God, which in essence they are. However, they believed the
opposite was true as well, that poverty was a curse from God. Mary espoused the
truth that God would bring down the proud and boastful and elevate the poor and
downtrodden. In the Magnificat, Mary was announcing prophetic reality that God
would bring forth, in the fullness of time, the bringing down of the proud and elevation
of the humble. God’s salvation would be for all people who believed.
Luke 1:54 He hath helped his
servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to
Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
He would fulfill His promise to
Abraham to redeem His people. The time was drawing near for
the Messiah to be revealed. The baby she was carrying was the long awaited
Anointed One promised to Abraham and Sarah, the Savior descended from their son
Isaac.
Galatians 4:4-5 (NASB) “But
when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that
we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with
her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Mary probably stayed with
Elizabeth her final trimester of pregnancy and probably until John was born. Then she
went back home to Nazareth.
Ponder this: Things that assure
us that a baby inside the womb is already a human soul.
1.
John was filled with the Spirit even while in his mother’s womb.
2.
John jumped for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice because he
recognized by the power of the Spirit that she was carrying the Messiah.
3.
Jesus was recognized by John even though Mary was probably not
even showing yet, even though by today’s modern medical standards he would not
be “viable.”
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