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Luke 1:39–45
“[Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ ” (vv. 42–43).
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, did not immediately reveal her pregnancy to her friends and extended family. Instead, for the first five months that she was pregnant, Elizabeth secluded herself (Luke 1:24–25). In the sixth month of her pregnancy, however, the angel Gabriel revealed Elizabeth’s state to Mary (vv. 26–38). Mary happened to be a relative of Elizabeth (v. 36), perhaps a cousin, though the biblical text does not explain how they were related. Mary’s being a relative of Elizabeth explains why Mary went to see Elizabeth once she had learned of Elizabeth’s pregnancy from Gabriel. What better reason to visit her than to rejoice in the fact that God was increasing their family?
Today’s passage describes Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, who was then living in a town in the hill country of Judah (v. 39). An extraordinary thing happened when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting—John leaped in her womb (vv. 40–41). This is profoundly significant for several reasons. First, it points to the personhood of unborn children. John was still a fetus and yet was able to recognize that he was in the presence of the Savior, for Jesus was there in the womb of His mother. Only a person can make such a recognition. Second, John’s leap was a leap of joy (v. 44), and since only regenerate people can rejoice in the Lord (e.g., see Deut. 30:6), this points to his already having been renewed by the Holy Spirit before his birth. The timing of regeneration—God’s granting us a new heart to believe in Jesus—is mysterious (John 3:8) and not the same for every person, but John shows us that it can occur even before one’s physical birth, while a person is still in the womb. Finally, John’s leap for joy confirms him as the forerunner of the Messiah. From the very beginning of his life, John recognized and pointed to Jesus as the coming Lord (see Luke 1:13–17).
Not only did John leap for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, but Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and pronounced a blessing on Mary (vv. 41–45). In so doing, Elizabeth referred to Mary as the mother of her “Lord,” using the same Greek word that was applied to God Himself in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. This is one of several passages that has led the church to call Mary Theotokos, a title that is often rendered in English as “Mother of God” but that literally means “God-bearer.” The point of the title is to say something about Jesus and not about Mary. This title means that the Son to whom Mary gave birth is God Himself in the flesh.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
As today’s passage indicates, even very young children can recognize the Lord. Thus, we should be teaching children about Christ and including them in the ministry of the church even when they are very small. The Lord can work through the preaching of the Word, Sunday school lessons, and other things to bring about the salvation of children, so let us not think that their youth is an impediment to their receiving the Word of God.
for further study
- Psalm 8:1–2
- Psalm 22:10
- Psalm 139
- Matthew 21:14–17
- Luke 18:15–17
the bible in a year
- Genesis 25–26
- Matthew 10:1–25