What we know about Elizabeth comes from Luke 1. We know that she is the wife of Zechariah who as a descendent of Aaron which meant that at some point in time Zechariah would serve as a priest in the Temple. We also know that Elizabeth was barren and, as it says in Luke, they were both well along in years. It is when the angel Gabriel visits Mary that we find out that Elizabeth is a relative of Mary, we assume a cousin, and it is Gabriel who tells us that while Elizabeth is both beyond child bearing years and thought to be barren and unable to have children she was, in fact, currently in her sixth month of pregnancy -Luke 1:36-37.
Now this may be the first time that Mary is hearing about her cousin’s pregnancy because if we go back to Luke 1:24 it says that after Elizabeth became pregnant she went into seclusion for five months and if you remember the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, when Zechariah was told by God that his wife was pregnant he didn’t believe God so God made him unable to speak until the child was born. So the reality is that the news about Elizabeth being pregnant in her old age may not have spread throughout their small town let alone travelled to Elizabeth’s family living in Nazareth.
So not only does the angel tell Mary that God has chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah and that her child is to be conceived in a miraculous way, but that her cousin Elizabeth is also pregnant. Now one of the reasons the angel shares this news about Elizabeth with Mary is to help her understand that God is able to bring forth a child in impossible situations. If God can have Elizabeth, an old and barren woman conceive a child, then God can have a young virgin do the same thing. In other words, nothing is impossible with God. So Gabriel uses Elizabeth as an example of what the power of God can do to help assure Mary that God can bring forth a child in her. As soon as Mary receives this news she rushes off to visit Elizabeth and the question we ask ourselves is – why?
It could be that Mary wanted to help her cousin in the final weeks of her pregnancy and act as a midwife or helper at the time of the birth, but I think more than that Mary rushes off to see Elizabeth to make sure that what the angel said was true. If Mary goes and finds Elizabeth 6 months pregnant then she knows that what the angel said is true and she knows that God can bring about children in miraculous ways. A pregnant Elizabeth gives Mary the assurance that what is going to take place in her is from God. Mary may also have gone to see Elizabeth because if what the angel said is true, then of all the people Mary knows, Elizabeth would be the one to understand what Mary was going through. If nothing else, at least Elizabeth would believe her story about the angel and finding herself pregnant.
Now tradition tells us that the name of the Judean village where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived was Ein Karem and as we heard last week it was just a few miles from Bethlehem which were both a short distance from Jerusalem. While close to Bethlehem and the town where Joseph may have lived, Ein Karem was 80 miles from Nazareth and the journey for Mary to get there would have taken 9 or 10 days. Most likely, Mary would have joined up with other travelers who were making their way to Jerusalem because Mary would not have travelled that distance and that difficult and at times dangerous road alone.
Can you imagine what that journey must have been like for Mary? At this point she doesn’t know if Elizabeth is pregnant or for that matter if she is pregnant, after all it has only been a few days since the angel’s visit. Why had God chosen her? What was Joseph going to say if all of this was true? Would he still marry her? What would the rest of her family say? Who was going to believe her? All of these questions, doubts and fears must have been swirling in Mary’s mind as she makes her journey and all along the way she has no one to talk to. What a long and lonely road that must have been. When Mary finally arrives at Elizabeth’s home and calls out to her cousin it says that when Elizabeth heard her voice the child in her womb leaped for joy and then filled with the Holy Spirit Elizabeth immediately says to Mary, Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. So in an instant Mary not only sees that Elizabeth is pregnant, so what the angels said is true, but Elizabeth’s greeting also confirms that not only is Mary pregnant but that her child is indeed holy and blessed. Elizabeth goes on to actually call Mary’s son Lord, (Elizabeth is the first person in all the scriptures and in all the world to call Jesus Lord) which again confirms for Mary that what the angel said is true and that the child she carries is the son of God.
When we stop and think about it, this entire scene is amazing. Elizabeth doesn’t know Mary is coming and she certainly doesn’t know Mary is pregnant but as soon as Elizabeth hears Mary’s voice something profound happens deep within her. Not only does her child leap for joy because he recognizes the child Mary is carrying, but Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit which helps her understand that Mary is pregnant and that the child she is carrying is the long awaited Messiah. And all of this happens for one important reason, to help assure Mary that what the angel said is true. You see God doesn’t give us a message or purpose and plan and then not work to confirm it in different ways. While God wants us to walk in faith, it isn’t always blind faith; God loves us enough to work through others and through the power of the Holy Spirit to help confirm his purpose for our lives.
There was a point in my life when I needed some guidance and prayed for God to give me that clear direction. In a dream God gave me that direction and as I shared this story with a group this week they asked me, how did you know it was God’s voice? The answer is that God didn’t just speak and then walk away. God used his word to help confirm that message and then as I stepped out in faith to follow God’s plan – God guided me every step of the way. God opened doors that needed to be opened and God sent people into my life and like Elizabeth, they helped confirm God’s plan.
While we often by-pass this story of Mary visiting her cousin and just jump to Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem, I’m not sure that trip to Bethlehem would have taken place if Mary had not first visited Elizabeth. This visit gives Mary the confirmation she needed to keep going and maybe this visit helped Joseph as well (we’ll look at that in a moment). Elizabeth not only provides assurance that what the angel said is true, but she also provided inspiration and support for Mary. Elizabeth becomes a mentor for Mary who not only helps her understand that what is taking place in her is from God, but that it was also a blessing. Three times Elizabeth uses the word blessed, twice to talk about Mary and once to talk about Mary’s child and all of this had to have been an encouragement to Mary. So many times when we are faced with difficult situations we feel like Mary on the road to Ein Karem, we feel lost and alone and we think that there is no one who can possibly understand what we are going through, but the truth is that God always provides someone for us to turn to in times of need. If we will open our eyes, and maybe the eyes of our heart, we will find mentors and friends who are right here to support us and pray for us when we need it.
In every church I have served God has provided people who have been there to give support, encouragement and inspiration when it was needed. It Altoona it was a wonderfully faithful couple, Gene and Jackie Ross, who supported me during times of conflict and change when many others were pretty unsure about my leadership and ideas. Jackie was one of the leaders in the church and she faithfully stood with me at all times and supported what she saw God doing in me and through me. In Lewisburg there was a retired minister named Luke Brinker who served as a mentor and prayer warrior for me and he always made sure I knew he was behind me when I needed support or strength. Jackie and Luke were my Elizabeths; they were the people who with a word could encourage me when I was filled with doubt or fear.
We all need an Elizabeth in our lives and I believe God provides them if we will open our eyes and our hearts to those around us. I want to encourage you to think about the Elizabeth that God has provided for you today. Who is the man or woman that God has placed in your life that will support you and encourage you and maybe help show you what it means to walk with God? God has provided these people for us, but we do have to work to build the relationship with them. Think about Mary, God provided her someone for support, but she had to work to deepen that relationship. Mary had to make the long journey to visit Elizabeth, but it was definitely worth it.
We all need an Elizabeth in our lives but we also all need a Mary. No matter who we are we need to be looking for people who need some support and encouragement because God has placed people in our lives that need guidance and direction and He is asking us to step up and help them. Are we willing to reach out and mentor others? It takes time to build relationships where trust and love can flow in such a way that others are built up and in the midst of our busy world it may not seem like it is worthwhile taking that time, but when we look at Mary and Elizabeth we realize it is. Because of Elizabeth, God’s plan of salvation was accomplished and today God wants to use us to help bring about his plan in our lives in and in the lives of others.
Mary needed this time of encouragement, but you know, I think Joseph did as well. Last week we saw that if Joseph was from Bethlehem, which was just a few miles from where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived, then it makes perfect sense that Joseph would have travelled to Ein Karm to see Mary while she was there and that may have been where he learned about Mary’s unexpected pregnancy. Now while the angel gave Joseph the assurance that Mary’s story was true and that the child she carried was from God, think about what seeing a pregnant Elizabeth must have done to help Joseph come to terms with the situation. Seeing the miracle of birth in Elizabeth may have been the encouragement and assurance that Joseph needed to know that Mary’s child was indeed from God. This visit to Elizabeth was not just encouragement to Mary but it was important to Joseph as well and it may have been Elizabeth and Zechariah who helped Joseph get to that place where he felt comfortable taking Mary as his wife which in turn helped complete God’s plan for bringing Jesus into this world.
Again, while we often overlook this story because we don’t see Elizabeth or Zechariah in our Nativity scenes, they are vital to the journey of Mary and Joseph because they help confirm the message of the angel and their situation offers both Mary and Joseph the support, encouragement and inspiration they need. If you need support, encouragement and inspiration today – God has provided it for you and at the same time God wants to use you to support, encourage and inspire others. My hope is that as we make our way through this season we won’t get too busy to see the Eliabeth’s and Mary’s God has placed in our lives because these relationships will not only be ones of support and encouragement for us, they may the relationships that will help us both discover and then live out God’s plan and purpose for our lives.
Next Steps:
1. Who is your Elizabeth? Identify that older person who serves as your mentor and guide and take the time to deepen that relationship. Tell them you appreciate their wisdom and support.
2. Who is your Mary? Identify the younger person you are encouraging and investing yourself in. Make sure you carve out the time to deepen that relationship and share with them the blessing and joy they bring you.
3. Read Mary’s Magnificat found in Luke 1:46-55 (read it in several different translations). What does this song of praise tell us about the character of Mary? The character of the God who chose Mary? The work Jesus would do?
4. Part of Mary’s Magnificat says that God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. Help fill the hungry this season by donating time, food or supplies to the Christmas dinner.
