All generations will call me Blessed

Luke 1:39-55

Luke tells us that Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah, and most of us do not grasp the fullness of what is being said.  Mary is from Nazareth that is in Galilee and her cousin Elizabeth lives in a town in Judah, it is not next-door, it is a journey and being a family who may have been under resourced, she probably walked.  God does not give us any of the details of the trip; in fact, the next thing we read Mary is entering the house of Zechariah and greeting Elizabeth.  Mary did not receive e-mail or snail mail, the first word of the great news about her relative Elizabeth is from an angel.  Doctor Luke tells us that Elizabeth hid her pregnancy for the first five months, so Gabriel’s message to Mary may have been the first time she had heard about her cousin.

Luke being a doctor may be giving information only a doctor would have found interesting; such as the baby in Elizabeth jumping when he heard the greeting from Mary.  But something else happened; Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and “and she 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? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  (Luke 1:42-45 ESV) 

Now as you read Mary’s reply do it slowly for it is amazing: “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice