Elizabeth and Mary, the Mother of Jesus
The Why of Christmas: Why is this granted to me that the mother of my LORD should come to me? (Elizabeth) Luke 1:43
Luke 1:28, 30 Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women! ….Mary you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:38 Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:45 Blessed is she (Mary) who believed, for there will be the fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Luke 2:19 Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
The Question of Why?
Is there a sweeter word than Mother? Mamma? Mom? Or as Jesus would have said “Em” pronounced Ima.
“The Hebrews made glue by boiling animal skins in water. As the skin broke down, a sticky liquid was removed and used as a binding agent-’strong water’. This is the Hebrew word meaning ‘mother’, the one who ‘binds’ the family together.” https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/definition/mother.htm
Two letters of the Hebrew alphe-bet makeup this beautiful word. The aleph and the mem. The aleph means God the Father, leader, strength, protection, first and the mem means water, chaos or raging. If you are a mom you would say parenting begins with a rush of water and emotion and chaos ensues as a 4-11 pound screaming human demands your undivided attention. The trials of caring for a child never end. Em is the counterpart to Abba-Father.
The question is: Why did Mary go to Elizabeth? Why was Mary chosen as the Mother of the Lord? Elizabeth’s Lord? I think the answer lies in the wisdom of God. A very young girl goes to an elderly woman, a family member, for what? Both have been singled out for a divine purpose. I believe this trip was what we call today: “getting away to think.” Mary taught Elizabeth something about blind faith in God and Elizabeth taught Mary to bask in the Lord’s favor.
The Answer
Do we as women BASK in the favor of God? Do we finnd ourselves humbled, obedient, and thankful, OR do we question, procrastinate, and even show ingratitude for the blessings of God?
An unexpected pregnancy. Just those words conjure up memories of friends, family, and maybe even yourself. Panic! Fear! Rejection! Scandal! Branding! Labeled! Today’s society is not so quick to judge and in fact pregnancy out of marriage is the norm. But let’s for just a minute ask ourselves why were Mary, a young teen, and Elizabeth, the octangerian, chosen? Why did they have the favor of the Lord? The answer is so simple and yet so very difficult: MARY BELIEVED GOD, AND ELIZABETH DID TOO!
I Believe, by Nicole Sheahan
Our Response
This question of Christmas demands that we too examine our hearts. DO WE BELIEVE? What has the Lord promised you? Do you believe despite all the fear, all the what ifs, all the delays, all the unknowns of how He will accomplish His promise?
Elizabeth was asked to believe the impossible and she hid for fi ve months. Until she was showing, she really had only Zacharias sign language and changes occurring in her body to trust. No ultrasound machines to confirm the impossible. Would you want to face the busy-bodies of your community?
Mary walks in with questions but full of faith and she is only a young girl. Mary surrendered immediately to the Lord’s desire for her! This is the answer to WHY she found favor! Elizabeth too found favor in her old age. She was part of the greatest story of all time. For Elizabeth, this was enough.
How would you respond?
I wonder, would I have said, “Thank you Lord, but I will pass because you are asking me to be the talk of the town and I just cannot go there!”? From the very fi rst moment, Mary and Elizabeth’s lives became chaotic! But the Lord used their strength to hold two families together so His servants (John and Jesus) could do all He asked of them.
Convicting isn’t it? Ponder this in your heart.
The PURPOSE
Why did Mary go to Elizabeth? Mary carried Jesus to Elizabeth who carried John.. Now, Jesus sends those of us who carry His Spirit within us to others. Jesus came into the world to spread the good news and it started the moment of His immaculate conception.
Be the gift to the Lord this year by having faith in Him, surrendering to Him and sharing HIm with others..
