39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Mary took a trip to an unnamed city in Judah to visit Elizabeth. As Mary greeted Elizabeth, John, still in the womb, leaped for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice. At that moment Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke. Elizabeth immediately knew that Mary was pregnant and blessed among women because the child she carried was blessed. She knew that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah. Mary was blessed because she believed that God would do what He had said. Blessing comes from believing what God has said—especially what He has said about Jesus.
Mary responds in a poem/song that is modelled after Hannah’s praise to God for her own supernatural pregnancy (1 Sam 2:1-10). It is often referred to as the Magnificat which is Latin for magnifies.
Mary begins with praise and worship towards God her saviour. She then acknowledges that He has bestowed undeserved blessings on her, a humble creature. Unlike Elizabeth who would be called blessed by her friends and family, Mary is called blessed by every generation. No other woman shares the incredible privilege she was given. She submitted to God’s plan and now He has done great things in her and for her. God bestows His mercy on those who fear Him, those who recognise His holiness. But to those who have resisted His authority and act in pride and arrogance, He will deal with strength and ultimate judgement. He has humbled the proud and exalted the humble (James 4:6). He will not give to those who trust in their riches as a substitute for God but will give good things to those who trust in Him. God has remembered His promise to Israel through Abraham to send a deliverer in the Messiah.
Is your life characterised by living in humble submission to God’s plan or is it more characterised by pride and dependence on things like money, job or status? What do you need to do to live more like Mary? Do you need to depend on God more or do you need to focus more on praising Him for what He is doing in your life? Perhaps both?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Samson and the Donkey: Judges 14-15