In Luke chapter one we are
introduced to a couple by the names of Zacharias and Elizabeth, who would
eventually become the parents of John the baptist. There are many people we
could focus on in this first chapter, but I just want to key in on Elizabeth
and consider her first run in with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in all of Scripture
Elizabeth is only mentioned in this chapter, so all that we know about her is
mentioned here. And I find it interesting that the only time in Scripture that
Elizabeth and the Lord Jesus interact, so to speak, happens while the Lord
Jesus is still in the womb of His mother.
In verses 5-7 we read - "In the days of Herod, king of
Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he
had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were
both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments
and requirements of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was
barren, and they were both advanced in years." They were both righteous,
walking blamelessly before the Lord, but they had no child because Elizabeth
was barren. This barrenness wasn't a result of some sin in her life or a sign
of Gods displeasure. On the contrary, the Scripture makes it a point to tell us
that they were both righteous and blameless before God, not just Zacharias, but
both of them. God is the one who opens and closes the womb and for His own
purpose He had prevented Elizabeth from having children. Just because she was
righteous doesn't mean that she didn't suffer. She and her husband are advanced
in years and all of her life up to this point she has suffered with the problem
of barrenness.
Now, while Zacharias was in the temple performing his
priestly ministry, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and revealed to him that
God heard their prayers all those years and in answer to their prayers God was
going to give them a son. And we read in verses 24-25 - "After these days
Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five
months, saying, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He
looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”" For five
months Elizabeth is savoring the answer to her prayer. She didn't go out, she
didn't keep her normal schedule, she kept herself in seclusion. We don't really
know why. Maybe just to make sure that when she did go out she would be showing
and it would be evident to everyone that God had heard her prayers all those
years. Can you imagine it? For forty plus years, I'm guessing, Elizabeth prayed
and prayed and prayed that God would give her a child, and now after all that
time the Lord grants her request and she conceives a son. Those must have been
five intense months of thanksgiving.
But now we look down at verses 39-45 when Mary shows up at
Elizabeth's house. Elizabeth's reaction here is almost the opposite of what we
would expect it to be. If Elizabeth is anything like us I assume that all those
years of barrenness she would have been consumed with her own pain, and now
that the Lord has answered her prayers and taken away her reproach I assume
that she would be consumed with the answer to her prayer and focused completely
on the fact that the Lord had heard and answered and taken away her pain and
reproach. And I would expect this to be the topic of their conversation the moment
that Elizabeth and Mary meet, but it's not. Verses 39-41 say - "Now at
this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of
Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth
heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit." John the baptist, inside the womb of his mother is
leaping for joy the moment that Mary comes into the room, and Elizabeth is
filled with the Holy Spirit, so whatever she says now is a divine commentary.
And not only is the Holy Spirit saying these things through Elizabeth, but this
is her attitude as well. Verses 42-45 - "And she cried out with a loud
voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to
me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby
leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be
a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”" Catch the
paradox. Here you have this older woman, this seasoned, experienced woman who
is advanced in years and married to a priest, and she's talking to this teenage
peasant girl from Nazareth, some young relative of hers, who comes into her
house and she says to her "Blessed are you among woman and blessed is the
fruit of your womb." Now, in this first conversation that they have after
God has answered Elizabeth's lifelong prayer, wouldn't you expect her to start
the conversation telling Mary of all that God had done for her? But the focus
in all that Elizabeth says is on Mary and the Baby in her womb. The Holy Spirit
directs the focus of the conversation so that Elizabeth is blessing Mary and
she is saying how blessed it is that God has given Mary this Child. And look at
the humility in verse 43 - "How has it happened to me, that the mother of
my Lord would come to me?" The mother of John the Baptist is basically
saying to the mother of Christ, "I understand that your kid is what it's
all about." This attitude that Elizabeth is displaying here is the same
attitude that her son, John the baptist, would later display when he says of
the Lord Jesus - "He must increase and I must decrease." Up to this
point in the conversation she's not even talking about her kid. And when she
does mention him all she says is that when she heard Mary's greeting the baby in
her womb leaped for joy. Even as an unborn baby John recognizes that it's all
about Christ and he leaps for joy in his mothers womb. Elizabeth does not think
more of herself or of her child than she ought. She's got the right
perspective. And immediately after this brief mention of John, Elizabeth's
focus turns right back to Mary and her child. "And blessed is she who
believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by
the Lord."
Vs. 57-60 - "Now the time
had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her
neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy
toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. And it happened that on the
eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him
Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but
he shall be called John.”" There's just one thing I want to pull out of
these verses and that is the naming of the child. I'm sure that Zacharias and
Elizabeth would have at some point discussed the what they would name their
child if they ever had one, and the name John most likely wasn't on the list.
But Elizabeth knew that the word of the Lord concerning her child was that he
was to be named John, and so that's what she named him. Elizabeth recognized
that her gift from God was for something bigger than just her. She saw that
this gift from God was going to be used by God as a forerunner for the Messiah.
There was something bigger going on her than just Elizabeth getting the child
that she has always wanted. And they named him John because that is the word
that was spoke to them by the angel.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says - "For the love of
Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all
died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for
themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." Elizabeth
demonstrates this beautifully. It didn't really matter what point she was at in
her life, she displayed by the way that she lived that she was not living for
herself but for God. When Elizabeth suffered the shame of barrenness for all
those years she didn't blame God or turn away from Him, but she lived a
righteous and blameless life. She might not have realized all that God had
planned, but she displayed faith through her barrenness and it was to the glory of
God. When the Lord answered her lifelong prayer for a child she recognized that
this child was for His glory. It doesn't really matter what situation we're
facing right now, we need to realize that a loving sovereign God is
orchestrating the events of our lives for His glory, whether loss or gain,
whether suffering or blessing, it's all for His glory and His ultimate purpose.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says - "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God." We need to live our lives with the proper
perspective, the perspective that Elizabeth had. A perspective that is able to
look past present trials and suffer, a perspective that looks past present
blessing, a perspective that isn't focused on self at all, but realizes that
there is something bigger than me. We need the perspective that says, whether
I'm experiencing suffering or blessing, He must increase and I must decrease.
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