Ask someone to name key biblical figures in this season’s stories. You’ll hear: Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, angels, shepherds, wise men, inn keeper. You are not likely to hear “Elizabeth.”
Luke begins his account of the coming of our Lord by telling about Elizabeth (Luke 1:5). Elizabeth had figured she would not have any children (v. 7), but got the surprising news that she would indeed have a child (v. 13). She remained in seclusion for the first five months of her pregnancy (v. 24). Then Mary showed up (vv. 39-40). And, as they say, “The rest is history.”
In a sense, Jesus came to visit Elizabeth; albeit, He was still in His mother’s womb, but He was there. This reflection got me to wondering: Have I missed a visit by Jesus because I did not recognize Him? (Elizabeth and her unborn child recognized Who was visiting—v. 44.)
If Jesus comes as a needy person, would I recognize Him? If Jesus came and asked me to join Him in a social justice protest, would I recognize Him? If Jesus came and asked me to write a check for the church’s mission project, would I recognize Him?
The focal text says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (V., 41). Maybe that is why she was able to understand the visit by Mary. As we have seen over the resent weeks of study, the presence of the Holy Spirit expresses itself in a variety of ways. Interestingly, Zechariah was at work at the temple; Mary was at her home, and Elizabeth was at her home when the Spirit spoke to them. The Spirit is not limited to the temple as a place to reach out to people.
When we read further in Luke’s account, we recognize that Elizabeth’s child was John, the Baptist (vv. 57-60; 3:2). Elizabeth (and we) hardly knew what God was unfolding, but God had a plan. God often plants a seed for us to care for. Even if I do not grasp the full meaning at the beginning, I am called upon by God to nourish and grow the seed that God may plant in my journey.
What would “Elizabeth” recognize in my life if I went to visit her?
What Someone Else has Said; Bill Leonard (Baptist Questions, Baptist Answers, Westminster John Knox) wrote: “The Holy Spirit also is at work in the world; it is the stealth presence of God moving in places and persons that often the world (and church) do not recognize immediately, if ever.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “I am listening, Lord, for Your holy presence...”
