36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she
hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her,
who was called barren.
Elisabeth was likely Mary’s third or second cousin. Remember that a man or woman is a Jew if
their mother is but their tribal standing came from their father. Someone in the near past married a woman from
Judah who was related to Mary. Their
children (if the husband was a Levite) would be Levites or as in the case of
Zacharias or Elisabeth’s parents, Aaronic Levites, descendants of Aaron. I find it a wonderful thing that in God’s
chosen plan, the woman ushers the child into the kingdom, but the man places
the child in a family. Even today any
woman can get pregnant and any man can get her pregnant and she will have a
child who is part of the human race, but it takes a dependable, faithful,
loving man to bind them all together into a complete family; and it takes a
faithful, loving woman to help keep a home.
How appropriate that God supplied Mary with a sign that He
was at work in her own pregnancy.
Elisabeth was past bearing years and yet God gave her strength to
conceive. If God could open a womb long
dead, surely He could produce life in a new and untouched womb. In both cases he brought life. I believe Elisabeth’s womb was indeed dead
and God brought it to life. Which
miracle was greater; producing a child through a dead womb using the husband’s
seed or producing a child through a healthy womb using God’s seed. Jesus said (John 14:6), “I am the way, the truth
and the LIFE!”
37 For with God nothing shall be
impossible.
750 years before His birth, Isaiah prophesied about a virgin
giving birth to a son and that son would be called Immanuel, God with us. God does not simply know everything that will
happen, He sees everything that has happened, will happen or is happening right
now, this instant. God is Spirit. Spirit can create energy. Energy can create matter. His Spirit can create matter and LIFE. John 5:11 says that this life is IN HIS
SON. When He created the pregnancy that
Mary carried, He created God life in Mary.
Jesus was always different in one fundamental way; God abided and still
abides in Him. He did not need to become
holy because like Adam and Eve, He was born holy.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of
the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
As we get older we tend to remember our life experiences and
they color our decisions. Someone who
has been wounded many times in life may find it difficult to trust or love
others. Luke 18:17 says, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” If we learn how to trust and depend upon God,
we will receive His blessings. When we
fail to trust Him we do not walk in faith and test His patience. Mary did not question God except to satisfy
her lack of understanding. Scripture
says if anyone lack wisdom, let them ask of God who will freely grant it
without chastening (James 1:5). She got
her understanding and simply said, “Let it be according to your word.”
What a wonderful example for all of us. As you read scripture and discover a new
promise, you should look to heaven and declare, “Let it be according to you
Word Lord.” This is why we meditate upon
his Word each day so our minds are renewed by the Word of God (Joshua 1:8,
Psalm 1:2). Mary essentially declared,
“I believe in the Word of the Lord and I accept. I am not fearful what man may do but I trust
in God and in His wisdom. I will observe
to do all that God has commanded me and will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever (Psalm 23:6).”
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went
into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; 40 And
entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
I can well imagine this young woman rushing home to
pack. Her parents must have looked at
her with some confusion as she declared her intention to travel to Zacharias
and Elisabeth’s home. Perhaps her father
accompanied her or sent a brother to travel with her though it does not
say. It is unlikely she walked any great
distance unaccompanied. Consider how
important this cousin of hers must have been to her. Throughout her life following Jesus’ birth
there would be whispers. Not until His
resurrection would most of them cease.
Most would assume that she slept with Joseph or some other man before
their marriage. That was unthinkable for
a properly brought up young woman.
There were two who would know the truth however. Zacharias and Elisabeth must have been a
great comfort to her. There would be no
look of speculation on THEIR faces. They
would know and believe the truth. They
would understand, even before Joseph did.
That thought must have been like cold water to Mary. How would she tell Joseph? How would he react? This wasn’t the old days, but people were
still occasionally stoned for fornication and adultery if the family made a big
thing of it. How would her own family
react? All these thoughts must have been
going through her mind.
41 And it came to pass, that, when
Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and
Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out
with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb.
Even from his mother’s womb, John the Baptist was fulfilling
his prophecy of preparing the way before Jesus (Mathew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4,
John 1:23). His rejoicing served to
focus his mother on this young woman who appeared before her. Her salutation would have calmed any doubts
and fears that Mary might have felt. She
wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t just her. God
had sent witnesses (Matthew 18:16). The
word for “blessed” is eulogeo which
is the word we get eulogy from. A eulogy
is a praise or exclamation of someone’s life.
Some translate it as ‘happy,’ but happy is not the same word.
Perhaps a better way to describe it is that one’s life
mattered or made a difference. Nobody in
the world would say that Jesus’ life did not matter. Even those who do not believe He is the Son of God know His life mattered
and made a difference. In this case
verse 42 might have been better said, “Your life mattered more than any other
woman’s. The fruit of your womb, your
firstborn will matter more than anyone born before or after. He will make all the difference in the
world.” Why does that fit better than
blessed or happy? Because Mary’s life
was rarely happy after Jesus came of age.
Her heart was pierced through with many sorrows and griefs after He
began to minister.
43 And whence is this to me, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me?
Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and understood
exactly who rested in Mary’s womb. She
had remained hidden for five months out of fear it might all be a dream. When Mary arrived it all came together and
the Word of the Lord came forth. “Why
should I be so honored that the mother of my Lord should come to my
house.” John the Baptist would begin his
ministry first. He would spend many
years with the Essenes learning scripture and one day would rise up as a bright
torch with holy fire. Once Jesus came
upon the scene and was baptized, John’s flame began to wane as was fitting
(John 3:30).
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy
salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
This is rather a strong voice
against abortion or the current practice of always calling the unborn a fetus
rather than a baby. God calls the unborn
babes. In this case, a six month old in
his mother’s womb already had a ministry from God and was active in it. Who are we to judge what child has a right to
live or not? Herod tried to kill the
child Jesus as well. How dare we decide
what child has a right to live or die.
John leapt for joy when he heard the voice of Mary. He leapt at the anointing upon her when it
touched the anointing upon him. Mary
needed encouragement right now as evidenced by her hasty trip to visit her
cousin. She would soon have to return
home and face Joseph. That must have
been a daunting prospect.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for
there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
This was the final encouragement from Elisabeth. It was a simple reminder that what God promises
He performs. Her blessing is that she
believed and in her believing His Word will come to pass. Elisabeth seemed to be saying, “Because of
your willingness to obey in this thing men and women will be saved. They will meet and know the Lord and all
because one apparently insignificant woman said yes.” Had she refused, God would have had to make
other plans, but she did not refuse. She
said yes. No matter the shame, no matter
the awkwardness, she said yes to her Lord.
How many times have I heard someone fail God simply by saying the words,
“I can’t. I’m not ready and I would look
like a fool if I try.” These were Moses’
words. They are the words of someone who
trusts their own ability to fail above Gods ability to make them a success.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify
the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
These ten verses have been called the “Magnificat.” It is a prophetic song sung by Mary as the
Holy Spirit took hold of her and caused her to expound upon this great gift and
the miracle growing within her. There
has been some scientific study on what our soul is. We are a spirit. Our brain calculates and reasons, but our
soul seems to be a storage of memories, hopes and desires that is outside our
actual physical brain. From a scriptural
standpoint this makes sense. If
everything we know or think or understand is attached to our physical bodies,
then we would cease to exist as a thinking person once we die. It is more likely that our soul is attached
to our spirit and not to our flesh.
We know that spirit is pnuema
which means breath or wind. Our soul is
called psyche which also means wind
and is considered to be the rational thinking part of us. Spirit is our nature and our eternal vessel,
while soul is who we are, how we feel and think about ourselves. Our soul is rational and magnifies the
Lord. It speaks all the words it has
learned that describe how great and wondrous God is. She said, “My spirit rejoices in God my
Savior.” Joy is eternal. It is not like being happy which can
change. Joy can feed off of God’s Word
at any moment and is sufficient to help us charge through our day. Joy is a reflection of our spirit’s touch to
God’s Spirit.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of
his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed.
God has regarded the humility and graciousness of His bond
slave. A bond slave is someone who has
served a house and discovered that living as a servant to a house is better
than being master over their own house.
In Mary’s case, she was a bond slave to God. His love in her heart was so strong that she
couldn’t imagine any other life than one of total obedience to her Savior. It is not a burden to be a bond slave to God;
it is a great blessing.
Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The burdens of our life are many and difficult. God has promised to lift those burdens if we
will take up His yoke and learn of his ways.
He is not a violent or angry ruler, He is full of grace and love. One day He will judge those who deny His love
and sacrifice. How sad to be relegated
to a Hell, not designed for man, but for fallen angels, simply because they
would choose not to follow after love and grace, but after lust, greed and sin. Sin may please the human nature, but ultimately
it leads to spiritual death. There is no
half-sin or getting God to change His mind.
History always goes through seasons of religious persecution because we
are the standard bearers. We keep His
standards and if we should choose to ignore some of them for political or
social reasons we are no different than those who ignore all of them.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me
great things; and holy is his name.
God is El Shaddai, ALMIGHTY, the one who wields ALL
might. As long as we live according to
His plan and seek to abstain from sins we are the recipients of His mighty
acts. He will do great things for
us. The High Priests wore a golden plate
on their forehead that said, “Holiness unto the Lord.” We are required to be holy (Leviticus
11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26) as God is holy.
It is an awesome honor to be chosen by God for ministry.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
“And His good will and gracious acts are upon them that fear
Him from one generation to the next.
Even your children will reap the rewards of your dedication.”
A life lived well before God will reap eternal rewards on
your behalf as well as much good will from God toward your posterity. God had every right to cut Israel off after Solomon’s
sin … except … He promised David that someone from his line would be on his
throne forever. That has not
happened. Either God lied or is not
real, or it is yet in the future. We in
Christ know it is in the future because the man Jesus will return in power and
take His throne. Scripture says that
David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). The Mercy Seat that covered the Ark of the
Covenant will be restored and many believe it will become the throne upon which
our Lord will rule.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
God’s strength is unassailable. There is none greater and none stronger. One of the great truths of His strength is
that it is greater than spirit, greater than matter and greater than
energy. Spirit creates energy and energy
creates matter. If you smash matter
against matter it creates energy again.
Only spirit is unique and unchangeable.
God is a Spirit, you are in His image and are a spirit. Animals are purely physical life but we are
spirit. Our life here on earth is
supposed to be lived in the manner God requires. When we do not, we are no longer living
within His rules having refused them, and have become EARTHBORN, lawless and
lost.
These are the ones who seek to defy our God. They are unarmed and incapable of touching
the true life, the life of God. They are
proud and arrogant, believing nothing yet claiming everything. These are the ones God will scatter in His
strength and cast away from His presence.
They have denied the Holy One and have no hope.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their
seats, and exalted them of low degree.
This same God will cast the chief leaders, chief rulers and
even chief priests from off their thrones.
They will lift up their eyes to the penthouses, palaces and pinnacles of
society and still they will miss the true heights of power and grace. They will miss God.
Nevertheless, those who walk in humility, loving and caring
for the dispossessed and wounded, God will raise up and deliver. These are they who God will raise up from
servants to great leaders. They will
accomplish great exploits in His strength because He is greater than any other.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good
things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Are you hungry; not merely the hunger of this body we live
in, but the hunger of career, ministry, hope and a future? God fills the hungry with good. Good what?
Whatever is good. It could mean
good to eat or good for you. Many are so
filled with passion for their future that they would not eat if food was set
before them. They WANT that future more
than anything. Others, like Esau, would
put food ahead of his own birthright.
What is your hunger? If it is not
a lust of the flesh, then God is always working to fulfill that hunger with
good things.
Why would God send the rich away empty? Is it a crime to be rich? …a sin?
Not at all. It is a sin to be
rich in money and dead in spirit. God
says you cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13). What does that mean exactly? It means that you cannot develop a love for
money. It doesn’t matter if you are
wealthy or well off but if your heart is turned to more and more money and God
receives less of your heart, then you have become what he hates, someone who
loves mammon more than Him.
In some cases, the wealthy have hardened their hearts so
much that they have abandoned God. In
other cases they have lost their first love.
Both of these are answered the same way by God. He will strip them of their wealth and drive
them to a decision to trust Him or not.
Both may be saved, but a person who has the gift of making wealth must
keep his spirit more diligently than a poor man. It is too easy to get himself in trouble by
behaving as Nebuchadnezzar and saying, “Look at this great thing I have done
(Daniel 4:13-37)!” What has been accomplished was done in God’s strength and
His gifts. God will not surrender His
honor to man. This is why it is harder
for a rich man to make it into the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:23-24). They are often too full of themselves to rely
on God.
54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in
remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to
Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
Be aware who Mary is speaking of here. There are so many Christians today who hate
the Jews just as much as any Arab does.
Why do you suppose that is? I ask
this question because it must be asked in light of so many scriptures. We in Christ are servants of God, but we are
more. We are the children of God through
adoption as is stated in Romans 8:1-17).
Israel has always been the servant of God. Though they have run away and been chastened
numerous times God has never turned His back on them. Every nation that has attacked the Jews has
been severely damaged.
Scripture says that a house divided against itself cannot
stand (Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:25, Luke 11:17).
The Romans went against the Jews and were broken into two kingdoms. Germany tried to obliterate the Jews and was
broken into two nations. The Soviet
Union drove millions of Jews out and was broken into pieces. All these things happened to the nations that
persecuted Jews. Arab nations are united
in only one thing, their hatred of Israel and Jews. They will never band together effectively
because of this. Every nation that
afflicts Israel has been broken up to prevent their ability to continue. Some have been utterly destroyed. Germany was only reunited after the last leader
of the extermination program of the Jews had died.
God has always supported Israel no matter how far they have
fallen short. He remembers His promises
to Abraham, even His promise not to destroy Sodom or Gomorrah if at least ten
righteous can be found (Genesis 18:32-33).
Do you think God would give less grace to His own chosen people? Not so.
He may not continue with Israel because of their faithfulness, but He
will surely keep them because of His mercy and His promises. His promise to Abraham was eternal. His promise to David was eternal. His promise to the prophets was eternal. We are the wild olive branch and grafted
in. We should not get the idea that
Israel has lost to us. Israel’s sin made
an opening for our future. Now we are to
pray that they be reawakened and restored to their proper place.
Beloved, continue in His love.
Bishop J
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