Luke 1:39-45 39And after arising, in those days Mary went into the hill country with haste, to a town in Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that the fulfillment will happen of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
In those days is a generic time indicator marking the transition from the angelic appearance to the fulfillment of the announcement. As verse 56 indicates, Mary acted quickly upon the news from Gabriel since Elizabeth was already six months pregnant and Mary left about the time she gave birth. The implication is that “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit upon Mary happened immediately after Gabriel appeared to Mary. It would have taken at least three days to a week for her to travel the 80-100 miles to get to Elizabeth’s home in the hills of Judea. There is no indicator that Joseph knew any of these events yet. As Matthew points out, Joseph found out through a dream.
The stories of John and Jesus merge together in this story as their two mothers meet. The relationship of Elizabeth and Mary is unclear, but they were related (verse 36). Since Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron (verse 5), it is possible that Mary was also, but there is no way to know for sure. By the time of the first century, some of the ancient tribal identities had become blurred with the inter-tribal marriages. It was more important that the males identify their lineage, as shown in 3:23-38.
The following events take place six months after Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and one month after Elizabeth came out of seclusion. They both had a lot of time to think about their child and his future. When Mary reached the house of Zechariah (the house was identified by the male), several things happened during the time of greeting. First, the baby John jumped in Elizabeth’s womb. This is significant for several reasons. It was more than an emotional response triggered through Elizabeth but showed an innate awareness by the baby that there was a greater person present within Mary’s womb. Mary was already pregnant, and the unborn John recognized this. John began his ministry of proclamation about Jesus from the womb. An implication for modern people is that the baby in a woman’s uterus is clearly a person who deserves life. Abortion is clearly the murder of an innocent unborn child.
Second, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. It was a moment of awe as she realized through God’s inspiration that there was something special about Mary. Mary would have only been pregnant for a short time, possibly even days. There would have been little if any physical evidence. Elizabeth’s recognition of the baby now growing in Mary’s womb was a special spiritual insight given by God.
Third, Elizabeth pronounced a blessing of thanksgiving (eulogēmenē) upon Mary. Mary was blessed among women because of the fruit, referring to the baby in her womb (Deuteronomy 28:4). Of all the women who ever lived, she was the one chosen to bear this special child. Elizabeth felt humbled and honored that Mary had come to visit her. This was more than an ancient flattering greeting to a guest but was spiritual in nature. Through the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth became a prophetess and knew Mary was the child of her Lord. Elizabeth’s use of my Lord indicates her expectation of a coming Messiah and that somehow she had begun to make connections of ancient prophecy and what was happening in her life and Mary’s life.
Verses 44-45 go on to describe how Mary was blessed and would be a blessing. The coming baby Jesus would bring great joy, beginning with John’s celebration in the womb. For those with faith, the birth of Jesus would be a great celebration and be understood as God’s intervention in history and bring of salvation to all people. Mary would be blessed throughout all of this because of her faith. She believed the angel and did not doubt like Zechariah. The second reference to Lord refers to God who brought the announcement through Gabriel. There is great joy for those who trust and act on God’s promises.
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