Luke 1:39-45

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. 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. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is thisgranted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Mary and Elizabeth. Both visited by Gabriel and promised a son. The son of Elizabeth to prepare the people for the son of Mary. In this encounter already we see the baby beginning this ministry – “the babe leaped in the womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Hence the word of Gabriel regarding him was fulfilled, “he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (vs. 15). He leaped because of Mary’s arrival, not because of any special merit of her own that she carried but because of the One it was declared she would carry. Elizabeth’s baby has started his lifework of pointing people to Jesus.

In this case, Elizabeth herself was the one that was pointed. She declares first, “Blessed are you [Mary] among women”. Similarly in the old testament Deborah, a judge of Israel, had sung “most blessed among women is Jael” (Jud. 5:24a). However, these declarations don’t elevate Jael and Mary above other women. They are still sinners, in desperate need of a Savior (as Mary will very soon acknowledge; vs. 47). Deborah sang because of Jael’s faithfulness. Elizabeth likewise spoke out because Mary had been faithful and “believed… those things which were told her from the Lord”. But beyond Mary’s faithfulness, the theme of Elizabeth’s declaration is of the “fruit of [Mary’s] womb” for He is “Lord”. Again, this points us to the divinity of Mary’s coming son. For although the original Greek word for “Lord” simply translates “master”, this chapter consistently applies the word “Lord” to none other than God Himself (cf. verses 25,28,32,38). Jesus is coming. He is God. Elizabeth’s baby is to spend his life pointing to Him, so he begins now by pointing his mother.

And the same holds true today. Jesus is coming. He is God. So I reflect, who is the Spirit leading me to point to this God-man Jesus? Who is He leading you to point to Him?