The Archangel Gabriel has just announced to Mary that she would bear the Messiah, and she formally accepted God’s role for her by saying,
I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.
The legacies of Miriam, Hannah, and Deborah
In accepting their roles, Mary and Elizabeth followed the examples of their Israelite foremothers, Miriam, Hannah, and Deborah, in the tried and true tradition. All of these women sang of a God who is a protector, and a promise-maker, our God who honors those promises.
Each of these women gives us a character sketch of our Almighty God – a God of power, yet a God of hope and promise, and of great love and care…
In fact, each of these OT women aided in fulfilling the Covenant between God and Israel.
- Miriam and her brothers, Moses and Aaron, delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
- Hannah bore and dedicated Samuel, the priest, and anointer of the future dynastic king of Israel, David.
- Deborah arose to become a “mother of Israel,” as described in the Book of Judges. Deborah’s leadership led to defeating the Canaanites and other armies
Miriam, Hannah, and Deborah spoke of things that God had made happen, and in fact, continue to happen. We are the heirs to their witness, and we are witnesses and workers to the continued ushering in of the Reign of God.
Like their foremothers, Elizabeth and Mary are also great prophets, and they give us songs and blessings in the tradition of Miriam, Hannah, and Deborah.
So, after my stroll down memory lane in the OT, we’ll explore this miraculous exchange between our two foremothers when they were unexpected mothers-to-be.
The mission of Mary and Elizabeth
Gabriel has already told Mary that Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant with John though she’s advanced in age. Upon learning Mary would bear the Messiah, with haste, Mary went to see Elizabeth, her elderly cousin. And so we have the story of Elizabeth bearing the messenger John, and of Mary bearing the message, Jesus.
These two generations of Jewish kinswomen rejoice upon seeing each other, so much so that John leaps within his mother Elizabeth’s womb, and she is filled with the Holy Spirit. Being led by that power of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth blesses Mary, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”
I’ve wondered if Elizabeth is able to bless Mary so readily because Elizabeth has been blessed with another form of a miraculous pregnancy. This opens Elizabeth’s heart to see even greater possibilities for Mary. Elizabeth is not concerned that, scandalously, Mary is not yet married, or that her son John will be second to Jesus! Elizabeth is able to see beyond the ordinary and to rejoice in Mary’s important role as the God-bearer.
Miriam, Hannah, Deborah, Elizabeth, and Mary all call upon us to join the succession of prophets who see and work for hope, who see and work for peace, who see and inspire joy in this Messiah. They have paved the way for us to continue to sow love in a troubled, seemingly barren world. And Christ continues to sow that love through the power of the Holy Spirit combined the work of our minds, hearts, hands, and feet.
Mary and Elizabeth committed, without reserve, to usher in this utterly amazing Reign of God. Let’s stop taming them, especially Mary! She’s not the soft sweet young maiden in the manger scene. Certainly, she knew many joys raising Jesus. But, she wept while she endured Jesus on the torturous cross. Mary was tough and so brave!
Bearing down on truth
Both Mary and Elizabeth put their whole bodies into this vision, they bore down and bore out the prophecy of better times for Israel. It was incredibly difficult. In truth, all of these women prophesied for the future, yet they were prophets of a future that was not theirs.
However, they were all in.
Consider the Song of Mary, the Magnificat
(Luke 1:47-55)
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
For behold, henceforth 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 on those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,
he has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”
The conversation between Elizabeth and Mary is like none other in the Bible, where two women are the prophets and the agents of the new world order; where the hungry will be filled up with good things, and the rich will be brought low by their conceits.
This text’s message evokes danger because it resonates with the oppressed and instills hope and joy for a bright future, and therefore the powerful become uneasy and prone to further oppression.
This is one of the more outrageous and radical passages because it extols a future where loving, caring, and sharing defeat power, exploitation, and greed.
Where the high and low places become middle ground and the hungry are filled with good things.
It sounds like heaven to me.
