Mary’s trip to see her relative, Elizabeth, is one of those episodes that’s unique to Luke’s gospel. In this early section of his gospel, Luke is showing Theophilus how God broke into the world to set up the kingdom of Jesus. Rather than tapping into existing power structures like the Roman Empire or the Jewish aristocracy, He did something improbable and something impossible. He took an aged, barren, Jewish woman and enabled her and her husband to have son. Then He did the same thing for a virgin. In these two women, one too young and one too old, He brought forth the life and the life that would point to the life that would change human history.
If Theophilus was an official of Rome as the title “most excellent” suggests (Acts 23:26, 24:3, 26:25/NASB), we can only imagine the sense of awe in him as he read Luke’s words. The God of the universe bringing salvation to the world through two nondescript Jewish women. How wonderful and marvelous are His ways!
After Gabriel’s visit (and learning from him that Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy), Mary rushed off to see her. We don’t know what kind of relationship they had had prior to this point—presumably it was good. But I don’t think it’s too difficult to get into Mary’s mind. She was obviously overwhelmed by what she had happened and would have thought that if anyone could help her understand the situation she now found herself in, it would be Elizabeth who was in a similar circumstance.
It couldn’t have been an easy trip to make. It is estimated to have been somewhere between 80 to 100 miles. Furthermore, Mary’s destination was in “the hill country of Judea” (1:39). And she was now pregnant, so her body was going through lots of changes that would have added to the trip’s challenges.
Then there’s the question of whether someone went with her. Luke says nothing to indicate anyone did, but it’s highly unlikely that a young woman would make such a trip alone. It’s possible someone accompanied her and then returned to Nazareth (maybe even Joseph), or perhaps she traveled in a caravan. We don’t know and Luke doesn’t tell us.
However she got there and whatever difficulties were involved, whatever questions Mary was struggling with, they would have been at least momentarily vanquished by the greeting Elizabeth gave her. Luke tells us her baby “leaped in her womb” and Elizabeth “was filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 41). In “a loud voice” she blessed Mary at the beginning and ending of her greeting. The final blessing, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her” (v. 45) is especially apt and speaks to all disciples. To Mary, these words must have been like cool water on a hot day.
It’s worth noting that this is the first time Jesus and John come together. It’s easy to forget how important of a person John was in Jesus’ life and it started right here.
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 