“The Odd Couple”
(Luke 1:39-56)
Dr. Richard Koole
Chapel Pointe
May 24, 2009
I. Introduction
A. Mary & Elizabeth…. “The odd couple”
1. The amazing differences
a. Age
b. Years married
c. Mary must have looked like her grand daughter
2. However, the tremendous similarities
a. God had placed both on special missions
B. Review….Mary’s story…..Luke 1
1. Shocking news from an angel
a. You’ll become pregnant
b. By the Holy Spirit
c. Your son will be the Messiah
2. Her question to the angel
a. “How can this be so, for I am a virgin?”
3. There were other questions she didn’t ask the angel
a. Who can I talk to about this?
b. Has the child already been conceived?
c. Will I feel anything when it happens?
d. What will I tell my fiancé ….and my dad?
e. How will I be able to endure the mockery that is sure to come?
f. And is there any proof this is all true?
5. She must have pondered the angel’s final comments
a. Was he trying to give her a clue?
1. Was he giving her a way to prove it true?
b. Was old cousin Elizabeth really pregnant?
c. Now that would be a miracle
6. We do know her response…“I’ve got to see for myself”
7. …and if it’s true, Elizabeth is the only one who will believe me
II. Text
A. The Departure (v.39-40)
(39) At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, (40) where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
1. Mary left immediately….v. 39-40
a. “At that time”……v.39
1. She packed her things
2. She “hurried” to the town where Elizabeth lived
3. She needed to talk to Elizabeth
b. The journey
1. From Nazareth to the Hill country of Judea
a. About 80 miles
b. 4 or 5 days to walk
2. May have joined a caravan of people walking
3. But, she was in a hurry
c. She was certainly alone with her thoughts
1. Hadn’t shared the news with anyone yet
2. She “pondered” all she had been told
2. Mary went to see Elizabeth….v.40
(40) where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
a. A relative…. “kinswoman”
b. We do know Elizabeth was an old woman
1. And the angel said she was 6 months pregnant
3. Why did Mary hurry to see Elizabeth?
a. Some possible “wrong” answers
1. It wasn’t to hide the pregnancy
2. It wasn’t to avoid the wrath of Joseph
b. No, there were other reasons
4. Mary needed to talk to somebody that could understand
B. The Affirmation (v. 39-45)
1. Only Elizabeth could possibly believe her story
a. Even Joseph first thought she had cheated on him
1. Matt. 1:19 “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”
2. Until an angel appeared to him also
b. Who else could she tell
2. But also to affirm what the angel had said
a. Even belief seeks affirmation
b. The angel had given her a sign it was true….v.36
(35) The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (36) “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. (37) For nothing is impossible with God.”
b. If it was true about Elizabeth….
3. Mary must have wondered if she was already pregnant
a. No mention of when it actually happened
b. She may or may not have known when it happened
c. It may have been immediately
4. Mary sought affirmation…and she got it in three forms
C. Personal Affirmation (v. 39-40)
(39) At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, (40) where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
1. Elizabeth’s conception would have to be a miracle
a. And she would be showing by now
b. Then maybe Mary’s was possible also
2. The greeting…..v.40
a. More than ours
b. Usually a long dialogue
c. Mary probably asked Elizabeth what happened to her
d. And then told Elizabeth what had happened to her
3. The parallels must have stunned them
a. Gabriel with Mary and Zechariah
4. Elizabeth to Mary “It really happened as the angel said it would”
a. “And your child will be the long awaited Messiah”
5. She had her “personal affirmation”…she saw for herself
a. …but there was more to come
D. Physical Affirmation (v. 41)
(41) When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
1. After Elizabeth gave her story, Mary shared hers
a. As she did, the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb
1. More than just a normal “repositioning”
2. “leaped” is a strong word
2. What we know
a. Elizabeth was 6 months along
b. Her baby would announce the Messiah
c. He was filled with the Holy Spirit
a. Zechariah was told John would be filled “even from birth” (v.15)
b. Happened some time in the womb
3. But, why was he filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb?
a. Because this was to be his first announcement
1. The smallest prophet
2. The 3 pound prophet
b. A physical acknowledgement of the Christ
4. Questions regarding the filling of the Spirit
a. All believers receive the Holy Spirit upon salvation
1. Sometimes called the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”
a. Seldom “feel anything”
b. But empowers you for what lies ahead
2. Jesus said:
a. The Spirit was with you but will now be in you
b. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit
b. There is also the “filling” of the Holy Spirit
c. The “filling” in the Old Testament
1. John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet
2. Filling was a special empowerment
3. Three keys to OT filling
a. It was selective - not all were empowered
b. It was temporary - for a certain period of time or task
c. It was focused - toward the coming of the Messiah
4. Filling in the New Testament is different
d. The Holy Spirit’s arrival after Jesus died and rose again
1. The day of Pentecost
a. 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus
b. The day the Holy Spirit came to the new church
c. The source of power to do his work
2. Jesus told them to wait for it in Acts 1:8
a. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”
3. The power for you to live the successful Christian life
4. And to win the battles of life
5 Why did the baby leap?
a. Not to reposition itself
b. The baby leaped “for joy”
(44) As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
6. The smallest prophet was affirming the Christ had arrived
a. Approving Christ while still in the womb
b. That’s why he needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit
7. John 3:27-30
To this John (the Baptist) replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. (28) You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ (29) The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. (30) He must become greater; I must become less.
a. The “friend of the bridegroom”
1. As everybody awaits the bridegroom
2. The friend…best man
a. When he discovers the groom has arrived
b. He announces the groom with great joy
b. John was the friend of the bridegroom
1. This was his first announcement
2. Physical rather than in words
8. What this says about the unborn
a. The special package you pregnant ladies are carrying
b. A life created in the image of God
c. Implications regarding the sanctity of life in the womb
E. Prophetic Affirmation….v.42-45
(42) In a loud voice Elizabeth exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! (43) But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (44) As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (45) Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!
1. Elizabeth’s “blessing “
a. “Blessed are you among women”
1. In the Hebrew culture, a woman gained her greatest stature on the basis of her children. A woman’s greatness was tied to the greatness of the children she bore.
b. What humility for Elizabeth
1. The greatness of her child superseded
2. Acknowledges the child is “her Lord”
a. Calls young Mary, “The mother of my Lord”
b. Prophetic Affirmation
1. God will come to earth as a baby
(Isaiah 9:6-7) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom.
2. There will be a sign to recognize which baby
(Isaiah 7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
3. Elizabeth too was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to worship
a. She immediately cried out with a loud voice
1. Filled with the “Breath of Heaven”
b. This is the first of the “five worship hymns” in Luke
1. Elizabeth….v.42
2. Mary…..v.46
3. Zechariah…..v.67
4. Angels…..chapter 2
5. Simeon….chapter 2
c. Spirit filled people can’t keep silent
1. They are the ones who can’t help but worship
2. Worship is not a manufactured emotion
d. Your role in worship this morning
4. Elizabeth probably glanced over to Zechariah
a. Still deaf and mute due to his unbelief
1. Because he doubted the angel’s message
b. Then she turned to Mary and said, “Blessed is she who believed”
5. Compare the faith of Mary and Zechariah
a. Zechariah was a mature, high-ranking priest
1. Standing in the most sacred place on earth
a. The magnificent temple in Jerusalem
b. Standing in the holy place of God
2. On the other side of the veil was the Holy of Holies
a. And the ark of the covenant
3. Burning incense….the prayers of the people
a. He had prayed for something for 30 years
b. Disbelief that God would grant it
b. Mary was an unsuspecting teenage girl
1. Not something she had prayed for
2. So young
3. Going about her daily routine in Nazareth
F. The “Magnificat” (v. 46-55)
1. The passage is called “Mary’s Magnificat”
a. Means to “exalt” or “worship”
b. “Magnificent”
2. The importance of “worship”
a. The most important 75 minutes of your week
b. The burden I bear for how this time is used
3. Five Worship Essentials
a. “Glorify God” (v.46)
“My soul glorifies the Lord”
b. “Rejoice in your salvation” (v. 47)
“And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”
c. “Focus on Christ” (v. 47)
(46) And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord (47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
d. “Approach with humility” (v. 48)
(48) for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
1. Only humble people can properly worship God
2. We will acknowledge our sinfulness
e. “Remember God’s faithfulness” (v. 49-55)
1. Memorial Day
a. To remember those who have died for our freedom
b. Marines
2. Worship is remembering what God has done for us
(49) for the Mighty One has done great things for me—Holy is his name.
3. What God had done for others (v. 50-55)
(50) His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
(51) He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. (52) He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. (53) He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (54) He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful (55) to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
G. The Return (v.56)
(56) Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
1. What must have been going through her mind?
a. As she walking alone for five days
b. Preparing to face Joseph and her parents
1. How would they respond?
c. And what would her baby be like?
d. Oh the questions she must have pondered
e. I believe she spent much of the journey home praying
2. “Mary’s Song” or “Breath of Heaven”
a. Mary’s prayer to God as she returned to Nazareth