Luke 1:39-42: Mary and Elizabeth's Encounter - Sharing Faith and God's Presence

“Mary arose in those days and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Luke 1:39-42

We can imagine that Mary needed someone to talk to after the angel’s visit with her. The news of the angel Gabriel was wonderful, but whom could she tell? Would her friends believe her? There was one person who would understand; it was her relative Elizabeth. The angel’s announcement that Elizabeth was with child must have seemed an indication to Mary that she ought to visit her. So Mary journeyed to visit Elizabeth.

Luke recounts a warm and enthusiastic meeting between Mary and Elizabeth. It seems likely that Luke “telescopes” the encounter for the sake of brevity. Unless Elizabeth knew by a revelation from God that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah, she could not have made the comment she made at their first greeting. It seems likely that she made it after Mary had revealed to her what had happened. It was then that Elizabeth realized that the child in her had leaped in her womb upon hearing Mary’s voice. She blessed Mary and told her what her child had done in the womb.

Elizabeth recognized the unique role Mary had been chosen to play. She also appears to marvel at Mary’s humble acceptance of it. Elizabeth notes that Mary believed that there would be a fulfillment of what God had told her. That was in contrast, of course, to her husband Zechariah. We might wonder if Zechariah, if he were listening, felt as if Elizabeth had “thrown him under the bus” by bringing up his lack of faith. Of course, he could not make any comment in return, so he had to endure his wife’s commentary. When he got the chance to speak again, Zechariah would make sure his words would be appropriate.

Friends are important. We need people with whom we can authentically share. We should not underestimate the importance of listening to someone who needs to talk. We build the faith of others when we share our faith with them. Just as Mary and Elizabeth strengthened each other’s faith, so do we when we talk about our faith, study the Bible together, pray together, and join in worship with God’s people. We should not be afraid to share our spiritual joys and struggles. Others are built up when we do.

This section says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as she recognized how God was at work. Mary was also filled with the Spirit when she sang her song of praise to God. This is a reminder that ordinary people can be filled with God’s Spirit. It may not happen all the time, but on occasion, God grants us a special awareness and fullness of his Spirit. These times are signs of God’s gracious care, presence, and love.