Mary Visits Elizabeth (A city of Judah)
Luke 1:39-56
Mary Visits Elizabeth
Luke 1:39–56
39In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, 40where she entered Zachariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42Then she exclaimed with a loud cry: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is your offspring! 43How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me! 45Blessed is she who has believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled!”
46And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 47and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, 48because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. 50His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. 51He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; 52He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 53He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, 55just as He spoke to our forefathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
56And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.[1]
She gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are favored by God above all other women, and your child is destined for God's mightiest praise. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, the instant I heard your voice, my baby moved in me for joy! You believed that God would do what he said; that is why he has given you this wonderful blessing."
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- Whom do you call first when you have good news to share?
- How might Mary have felt when Elizabeth greeted her? How is she "blessed" and encouraged?
- How is Mary's faith an example to you?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
When told he would have a son, Zacharias had doubted the angel's word. From his human perspective, his doubt had been understandable—but with God, anything is possible. Although Zacharias and Elizabeth seemed long past the age of childbearing, God gave them a child! It is easy to doubt or misunderstand what God wants to do in our life. Even God's people sometimes make the mistake of trusting their intellect or experience rather than God. When tempted to think that one of God's promises is impossible, remember his work throughout history. God's power is not confined by narrow perspective or bound by human limitations. Trust him completely.
Apparently the Holy Spirit told Elizabeth that Mary's child was the Messiah because Elizabeth called her young relative "the mother of my Lord" as she greeted her. Elizabeth's greeting must have strengthened Mary's faith. Mary's pregnancy may have seemed impossible, but her wise relative believed in the Lord's faithfulness and rejoiced in Mary's blessed condition.
Mary responded, "Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation forever shall call me blest of God. For he, the mighty Holy One, has done great things to me. His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who reverence him.
"How powerful is his mighty arm! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! He has torn princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry hearts and sent the rich away with empty hands. And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful. For he promised our fathers—Abraham and his children—to be merciful to them forever."
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
Questions
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- For what does Mary praise God in this song? How would you summarize it? What contrasts does she make in verses 51-53? How do these reflect her feelings about God? About herself?
- Who are the "proud," the "rulers" and the "rich," whose overthrow she celebrates? How will Jesus fulfill the themes of this song?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I apply it to my life starting today?
- Of the attributes of God celebrated in Mary's song, which do you appreciate the most? Which challenges you the most? Why?
- Considering Mary, what level of social status do you need to fulfill God's purposes? Does that encourage you? Why?
- Would you consider you God's humble servant or a proud, rich ruler?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
When Mary said, "Now generation after generation forever shall call me blest of God," was she being proud? No, she was recognizing and accepting the gift God had given her. If Mary had denied her incredible position, she would have been throwing God's blessing back at him. Pride is refusing to accept God's gifts or taking credit for what God has done; humility is accepting the gifts and using them to praise and serve God. Don't deny, belittle, or ignore your gifts. Thank God for them and use them to his glory.
This song is often called the Magnificat, the first word in the Latin translation of this passage. Mary's song has often been used as the basis for choral music and hymns. Like Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1-10), Mary praised God in song for what he was going to do for the world through her.
Title: My Soul Magnifies - Mother's Day
Opening
Thoughts: As God
enlists us into His work of bringing mercy and justice into the world, we
should respond, like Mary, with glorious praise and humble participation. God
is mindful of you; are you mindful of Him?
v Song that defines your life is the #1 song on
your 14th birthday.
Ø Mary’s song in the Bible
v How would you feel if God interrupted your
life with His own plans?
o These actions represent the revolutionary work of God’s kingdom!
§ Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit
of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of
sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favor.”
v How do you respond when God calls you to be His agent of love & liberation
in his world?
“Christ in You”
Luke 1:46-55 -- “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers.’"
These are Mary’s words after Elizabeth prophesied to her about being the mother of the coming Messiah. Read this passage again by inserting you as the one saying and receiving these words.
Just as God came to Mary and blessed her with the birth of Jesus, every follower of Christ experiences new birth in Him. Your new birth resulted in God Himself being birthed in you through the Holy Spirit! In a way, Mary’s response to the confirmation of the Christ child in her could be your response. Your soul can rejoice in God’s work in you as you glorify God for what He has done for you. God has uplifted you as his child!
John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. Can you fully appreciate God’s gift to you this Christmas? Can you find inexpressible joy that results in glory to God that He has chosen you as His child to experience Christ in you? God has great plans, wonderful deeds, and great abundance awaiting you not only this Christmas, but also for the eternity of your life. May you fully embrace His gift to you that you might experience more of Him!
1 Peter 2:9‐10 ‐‐ “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
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