Luke 1:39-45
"And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 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: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord," Luke 1:39-45.
As we continue going through the book of Luke verse by verse, we are seeing events take place that have not taken place for hundreds of years. It had been over four hundred years since a prophet was sent to Israel. It had been even longer since an angel was sent, and even longer since any miracles had taken place. Now, in a matter of six months, we have recorded for us two visits from the angel Gabriel, two miracles, and now a Spirit filled visit. This is just the beginning of a time of miracles that we see in the first century which would include the giving and the recording of the New Testament. During this time we read about the working of God that this world has never seen before. There were miracles during the days of Moses, and during the days of Elijah and Elisha, but they do not compare to the miracles during the days of Christ and His Apostles. We must point out that a miracle is something that only God can do. It cannot be explained in any human terms, scientifically or physically. Let us get into these verses.
"And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth," Luke 1:39-40. What just happened to Mary was a miracle. Only God could do this. We do not know the exact time that Mary became pregnant with Jesus Christ, nor do we fully understand how, but we do know that she is. Who can she talk to about this? Who would believe her? There is no doubt that her family loved her, and there is no doubt that Joseph loved her. Turn to Matthew 1:18-20. Would anyone in her family or town understand, and believe? No. She knew Elisabeth would understand. When the Lord is working in you, you tend to gravitate to others He is working in also. If you desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ you want to be around others who have the same desire. The only thing you may have in common is Christ in you, but you desire that sweet fellowship, the encouragement, the rebuke from the Scriptures, and the discipleship. Mary and Elisabeth were cousins; Elisabeth was very old, and Mary was very young, but both of them had much in common regarding God working in their lives. Both of them needed each other as they continued to serve their Lord.
No one is called to be rogue Christians. We need each other. The world constantly puts pressure on us to compromise our convictions and to love the things of this world, but because of the love of the Father which is in us, we love the things of God, and we love each other. We are not trying to be different from this world just to be different, we are different because of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit which lives inside of every believer (II Corinthians 5:17). The result is that we want to be around other people whom the Lord has saved (I John 3:14). We have put on the new man (Ephesians 4:17-32), and we want to be around others who are striving to live for Jesus Christ. It is comforting and encouraging. J.C. Ryle wrote this, "We should observe in this passage, the benefit of fellowship and communion between believers. We read of a visit paid by the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. We are told in a striking manner how the hearts of both these holy women were cheered, and their minds lifted up by this interview. We should always regard communion with other believers as an eminent means of grace. It is a refreshing break in our journey along the narrow way to exchange experience with our fellow travelers. It helps us insensibly and it helps them, and so is a mutual gain. It is the nearest approach that we can make on earth to the joy of heaven. "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend," Proverbs 27:17. First let us seek the face of God. Then let us seek the face of God's friends."
Mary went with haste to Zachariah and Elisabeth's home. "Haste" means with eagerness, and with speed. With every step Mary took, her anticipation of seeing Elisabeth grew. "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," Luke 1:42. Picture Mary walking in and calling out to Elisabeth. Can you hear the excitement in her voice? As soon as Elisabeth heard Mary's voice the babe in her womb leaped. "Leaped" means to skip, to jump, leap for joy. Elisabeth was excited to hear Mary, but the babe in her womb was more excited. The babe in Elisabeth's womb was no ordinary babe. He is the greatest prophet who ever lived, and he was filled with the Holy Ghost even in his mother's womb (Luke 1:15). John the Baptist prophesied about the coming Messiah (Luke 3:16-18), and then openly proclaimed Christ to the world (John 1:29-36). "He must increase, but I must decrease," John 3:30. Most commentators believe this leaping was John's first prophecy, though it was a silent one.
Luke 1:41 tells us that Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. Lord willing next week we will find out what this means. I do want to point out what this does not mean. She was not falling on the floor having convulsions, she was not speaking gibberish, she was not running around screaming, but instead she spoke words that were clearly understood and accurately applied. When we read of people in the bible who were falling down having convulsions or running around screaming you always find they were possessed by a demon. They needed deliverance by Jesus Christ, as many do today who do those things. Aren't you thankful for the true gospel? We have forgiveness of all of our sins through Jesus Christ. He saves us and He makes us new creatures in Him (II Cor. 5:17). We bring forth fruit of someone who Jesus Christ has saved (I Cor. 6:9-11). We examine ourselves by the life we live every day, not some experience in a church house (II Cor. 13:5). We know that the Lord has saved our souls (I John 5:13). It is wonderful to know that Jesus Christ has saved us, and He keeps us saved. Have you trusted Jesus Christ alone to forgive you of your sins and save your soul? If you have not, I beg you to look to Jesus Christ alone to save you. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," John 6:37. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
