Luk 1:41 | KingComments | STEP | Mary is full of everything she has heard. She must speak about it. With whom can she do this better than with her who has also been so visited by God? The angel has told her about Elizabeth. That arouses the desire to go to her. Experiences with the Lord, discoveries from His Word, ask for fellowship, ask to be shared with those who recognize it, and rejoice about it. Mary goes in a hurry to the hill country. This symbolically suggests that fellowship about the things of the Lord is related to heaven, exalted from the earth. What happens between Mary and Elizabeth is a wonderful example of fellowship in the Holy Spirit. Her goal is to share her experiences and what she has heard with Elizabeth. For this she has to go to the house of Zacharias, because there is Elizabeth. This couple did not live separated from each other. Maybe she has been with Elizabeth more often before and a greeting has taken place. The greeting with which Mary greets Elizabeth this time, however, is different from all other times. It is not the greeting that takes place when two family members meet after a long time. The reason for both of them is a visit from heaven and Divine announcements made to both of them. So this time there is no need exchanging all kinds of courtesies. Immediately there is fellowship. Through God’s work in both women there is an extraordinary inner bond between them. John reacts in Elizabeth’s womb to the greeting of Mary, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a scene of the most intimate fellowship in response to the things God is doing in view of the coming of His Son into the world. If hearts are full of His work in His Son, it is the result of the work of the Spirit Who at the same time receives all the freedom to fill hearts. Then we experience fellowship in the way God finds joy in it. Elizabeth does not think of the great wonder of her own pregnancy and the special son she will give birth to, but she is full of the favor Mary has received and the fruit of Mary’s womb. This is truly the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Then all attention is focused on the Lord Jesus and what He does and has done. He is the subject of the conversation. This is the true fellowship of the saints. Mary is blessed by God because among all women it has been given to her to become the mother of the Messiah. Also the fruit of her womb is blessed, but in a very different way. That fruit receives no blessing as a subject of favor, but is the object of blessing and praise. Mary does not deserve praise, the fruit of her womb does. The fruit of her womb is Christ. He, of Whom Solomon says that the heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him ( ), dwells in the womb of the virgin of Nazareth. Later He will be three days and three nights in the womb of the earth. Just as He comes out of the mother womb immaculately, He comes out of the tomb immaculately. He is completely unique among people. He is Man and God in one Person. He is God revealed in the flesh. Therefore He is the object of the praise of men. Elizabeth is also impressed that the mother “of my Lord” comes to her. She accepts in faith that the Child in Mary’s womb is her personal Lord. It is not about Mary, but about her Child, although there is a close connection between Mary and the Child. We hear this personal “my Lord” (cf. ; ) said by three other persons in the New Testament. We hear it from the mouth of Mary Magdalene ( ), Thomas ( ) and Paul ( ). It is said by two women and two men. Elizabeth tells how the words of greeting spoken by Mary caused a reaction with the child in her womb. She even noticed that the child leaped in her womb “for joy”. The greeting caused joy in this unborn child. This is at the same time a thorough judgment on those who think they can abort an unborn child because it is would not be a person. Finally, Elizabeth expresses her full faith in what the Lord has said to Mary. She praises Mary blessed, not for who Mary is in herself, but because Mary has believed. This faith in what God has said may also characterize us. After all, we have what God has said to us in His Word. If we believe that, we too will be blessed.

‏ Luke 1:41

Mary With Elizabeth

Mary is full of everything she has heard. She must speak about it. With whom can she do this better than with her who has also been so visited by God? The angel has told her about Elizabeth. That arouses the desire to go to her. Experiences with the Lord, discoveries from His Word, ask for fellowship, ask to be shared with those who recognize it, and rejoice about it. Mary goes in a hurry to the hill country. This symbolically suggests that fellowship about the things of the Lord is related to heaven, exalted from the earth. What happens between Mary and Elizabeth is a wonderful example of fellowship in the Holy Spirit.

Her goal is to share her experiences and what she has heard with Elizabeth. For this she has to go to the house of Zacharias, because there is Elizabeth. This couple did not live separated from each other. Maybe she has been with Elizabeth more often before and a greeting has taken place. The greeting with which Mary greets Elizabeth this time, however, is different from all other times. It is not the greeting that takes place when two family members meet after a long time. The reason for both of them is a visit from heaven and Divine announcements made to both of them. So this time there is no need exchanging all kinds of courtesies. Immediately there is fellowship.

Through God’s work in both women there is an extraordinary inner bond between them. John reacts in Elizabeth’s womb to the greeting of Mary, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a scene of the most intimate fellowship in response to the things God is doing in view of the coming of His Son into the world. If hearts are full of His work in His Son, it is the result of the work of the Spirit Who at the same time receives all the freedom to fill hearts. Then we experience fellowship in the way God finds joy in it.

Elizabeth does not think of the great wonder of her own pregnancy and the special son she will give birth to, but she is full of the favor Mary has received and the fruit of Mary’s womb. This is truly the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Then all attention is focused on the Lord Jesus and what He does and has done. He is the subject of the conversation. This is the true fellowship of the saints.

Mary is blessed by God because among all women it has been given to her to become the mother of the Messiah. Also the fruit of her womb is blessed, but in a very different way. That fruit receives no blessing as a subject of favor, but is the object of blessing and praise. Mary does not deserve praise, the fruit of her womb does. The fruit of her womb is Christ. He, of Whom Solomon says that the heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him (1Kgs 8:27), dwells in the womb of the virgin of Nazareth.

Later He will be three days and three nights in the womb of the earth. Just as He comes out of the mother womb immaculately, He comes out of the tomb immaculately. He is completely unique among people. He is Man and God in one Person. He is God revealed in the flesh. Therefore He is the object of the praise of men.

Elizabeth is also impressed that the mother “of my Lord” comes to her. She accepts in faith that the Child in Mary’s womb is her personal Lord. It is not about Mary, but about her Child, although there is a close connection between Mary and the Child. We hear this personal “my Lord” (cf. Jos 5:14; Psa 110:1) said by three other persons in the New Testament. We hear it from the mouth of Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:13), Thomas (Jn 20:28) and Paul (Phil 3:8). It is said by two women and two men.

Elizabeth tells how the words of greeting spoken by Mary caused a reaction with the child in her womb. She even noticed that the child leaped in her womb “for joy”. The greeting caused joy in this unborn child. This is at the same time a thorough judgment on those who think they can abort an unborn child because it is would not be a person.

Finally, Elizabeth expresses her full faith in what the Lord has said to Mary. She praises Mary blessed, not for who Mary is in herself, but because Mary has believed. This faith in what God has said may also characterize us. After all, we have what God has said to us in His Word. If we believe that, we too will be blessed.