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surprise visitor, Gabriel the archangel, has left Mary when we arrive at Luke 1:39. What was this teenager
thinking now that she is sitting all alone once again? Angels do not regularly pop in and out of our lives
today, nor did they back in her time. What was she thinking once he was gone? Did she feel special that she
had been visited? She must have been thrilled that she had seen an angel. Her thoughts must have been
jumping from one thing to another. She must have been excited to know that she had been selected to be the
mother of the holy child called the Messiah. But did she really understand that He was to be the Son of God
- God Himself? We have already discovered that the expression “Son of God” was another way of saying
that Jesus was God. Did she try to remember the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah? Did she dream about
her future and her son’s future - the Messiah - in her sleep? We can be sure of one thing. She was dwelling
on the angel’s words and watching for the first sign that she was pregnant. Mary finally decided to go
see Elizabeth. She was someone who would understand Mary because she now had a miracle baby too!Visit To Elizabeth. We are not told anything about Mary’s parents. We do not know if they were alive or dead. It is doubtful that whomever she lived with would have believed a teenaged girl when she said that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. It is more likely that her parents would have thought she had been having sexual relations with some boy - maybe her prospective husband. Did she try to tell them? Did they reject her story? We can be sure that she understood the implications of an unmarried woman getting pregnant in that culture and time. She was wise and realized that she needed help, counsel, and information.
So Mary decided to visit Elizabeth, the very woman that Gabriel said would also have a miracle
birth - she had been unable to have children and now she was pregnant in her old age. Elizabeth was the wife
of a priest of Israel, and he would understand the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah - Mary's son. They
would understand that a miracle pregnancy could occur. They would be a comfort to her and help her understand
what was written about her son.
Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (NASB) Luke 1:39-40 Maybe they could help her with her parents or whoever was taking care of her. Eventually, Mary packed her
bags, gathered some food, and hurried from Nazareth down to the hill country around the city of Hebron or to
the city of Hebron itself. It was a journey of about 100 miles (160.9 Km). In her time that would have taken
maybe a week or more to travel. She would have a lot of time to think and perhaps worry.
God of Comfort. When she arrived at Elizabeth's home, she apparently just walked
in and said, "Hello, I am here!"
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (NASB) Luke 1:41 And God comforted Mary and blessed Elizabeth. We are not told everything in scripture, but Mary must have
explained her situation to Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the good news, Elizabeth's baby quickly moved in
the womb. Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Spirit, knew immediately that Mary had told the truth. |
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