December 12
“In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.” Luke 1:39-40
It has always struck me as odd that there is no mention of Mary’s mother and father in the story of Jesus. When Mary found out she was going to have a baby we are not told that she ran to her mother for comfort and help. She may have done that first and we just aren’t told that because it isn’t a detail we needed to know, but instead we are told that she hurried to her Aunt Elizabeth’s house. Perhaps she had heard that her aunt was pregnant and going to have a baby as well and she wanted to talk with someone who could understand what she was going through. Or perhaps Elizabeth was just her favorite aunt and she went to her because she knew she would receive the love and support she so desperately needed. And she got just that. As soon as Elizabeth saw Mary, the baby inside her moved and Elizabeth knew that Mary was carrying the Messiah. Mary did not have to tell her about the encounter with the angel or try to explain to her that she was pregnant but had not been with a man, Elizabeth just knew and called her “the mother of my Lord.” Elizabeth’s reaction gave her the encouragement and peace she needed to face what was ahead. Instead of fear and shame, Mary sings a song of praise and thanksgiving that she was entrusted with the privilege of being the mother of the Son of God.
If Elizabeth had reacted differently, Mary’s faith might have faltered, and her reaction might have looked different. The importance of Elizabeth’s role in Mary’s life cannot be overlooked. Elizabeth had been given an important assignment from God as well. The baby inside her was John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. His coming had been predicted in Isaiah 40:3-4 and he would be the one to declare the coming of the Lord. But in this moment her niece needed encouragement. In this moment, the most important thing she could do was help Mary process what was happening to her and move forward in faith. We all need people like Elizabeth in our lives. We need someone we can go to when we are scared and confused who will point us to God. We don’t need someone to tell us what we want to hear, we need someone who cares enough about us to tell us what we need to hear. We need Godly mentors who give us wise counsel and hold us accountable. We need someone who is willing to walk alongside us on our journey.
At times in our lives, we are Mary, and we need a mentor to encourage and help us, but sometimes we are Elizabeth and God is using us to encourage and help someone else. If we are given this responsibility, we must take it very seriously. Our opinions are not important. They don’t need to know what we think about their situation. They need to know what God’s Word says about what they are facing. The best thing we can do is prayerfully and diligently point them to Jesus. We have to approach either role we find ourselves in with humility. If we are receiving counsel, we have to humble ourselves to accept it graciously, and if we are the one giving counsel, we must humbly recognize that any wisdom we impart is from God and not our own efforts.
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