Mary’s story continues on in Luke, and overlaps that of Elizabeth…
We pick up the story with a newly pregnant Mary immediately leaving to go visit her cousin Mary, who is now 6 months pregnant.
Elizabeth has only just recently returned home, as the Bible tells us she went off on her own for 5 months to enjoy her pregnancy after waiting so many years to become pregnant.
Now Mary would have taken a bit to get from Nazareth to the hill country of Judah, but as the Romans had been busy building roads, she likely might have had a quicker journey as a result.
Either way, the story tells us she went straight to Zachariah’s house & greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39)
And that’s when this adventure takes an unusual twist….
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb (John) leaped. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and sang out exuberantly…
Luke 1:40
I don’t know about you, but when I say hi to a relative, I don’t usually expect them to break out in prophetic song in response! But since we already know this is an unusual time orchestrated by a fantastic God, a little exuberance isn’t that unexpected!
Elizabeth, as told via Holy Spirit, blesses Mary as the mother of her Lord, Messiah. Not only that, but also tells her how Mary was a
blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!
Amazing!
Other than God, at this point no one else knew Mary was pregnant. The first thing she did was leave to visit Elizabeth.
Which considering the miracle taking place in her life, made sense Mary would want to be with someone else living out a dream like miracle!
The wonder of Elizabeth knowing her news without Mary saying a word, leads Mary to praise God in a beautiful passage (Luke 1:46-55)
She knew the miracle taking place- not only was Israel’s delivered coming, but she had been given the honor to bear the Messiah!
God chose well, did He not?
This section in Luke 1 closes with vs 56…a bit of a teaser for what is to come in the continuation of Elizabeth & Zachariah’s part of the Advent adventure:
Mary stays for 3 months.
If you were paying attention, Mary arrived when Elizabeth was 6 month’s pregnant.
My guess is Mary stayed for the birth. I believe she would have been encouraged to see Elizabeth’s miracle unfold before her, and it would have given her increased hope that God was watching out for her own future.
#TheMaryChronicles will return on Friday, after we officially meet the next addition to the #AdventuresofAdvent!
KARLA LEES 