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"Blessed Is The One Who Believes" Luke 1: 39-45
“Blessed Is The One Who Believes”
12/8/19
Luke 1:39-45
Core Belief: Authority of the Bible I believe the Bible is the Word of God and has the right to command my belief and action.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Scripture: Luke 1:39-45
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
The Message of this Passage:
Most good stories– whether in history or fiction – start with a tragedy, with a threat, with something that has gone deeply wrong. And then comes the hero, the one (or ones) who will stand against the threat and try to restore balance and save the day.
In the time of Christ, Herod was clearly the threat. He is a pretty good representative of corrupt leaders and the evil and corruption that threaten the people and world God created and loves so much then and now.
At this point in the story we are usually introduced to the one who will stand against the evil threatening the world. So, the stage has been set for the conception of John, the wild-eyed prophet who will proclaim without fear or reservation the justice and judgment of God and the coming of God’s messiah. He will die by the hand of another Herod.
And of course there is Jesus, who will also die but be raised again, declaring once and for all that the love of God is stronger than the hate of Herod and all like him, and that the life God gives is stronger than the death dealt out by evil of all kinds.
Yes, John and Jesus will stand against Herod. But also notice that in this scene Luke describes for us the meeting of two of the main characters and heroines in this story.
For in the gathering of these two equally improbable women
– one too old to have a child, one still a virgin –
we have a foretaste of God’s redemption.
What do they do when they are together? They greet one another, comfort and rejoice with each other, and sing songs of love and justice. We will hear Mary’s song next week.
But today we will look at Elizabeth’s song of faith and courage, as she is willing to believe not only that the Lord will grant her a child but that in the womb of her young cousin is the one who will redeem the world. She blesses Mary in her song, and she blesses herself, and she blesses us.
This isn’t where we expect God to be at work – out in the hill country, among two women armed with nothing but love and song. But when God is on the move, He often is like that, showing up where we least expect God to be, granting mercy rather than punishment, and banishing fear not with strength but with love.
So perhaps we should not be surprised that the love and songs
these two unlikely heroines share, will be, as it turns out,
powerful enough to make the tyrants of this world shake with fear.
That’s just the way God works when He is on the move.
Answering Interpretive Questions:
How would you define authentic joy? How is it different than happiness?
Can you share about a time when you were joyful, even though you weren’t all that happy?
Describe the setting of Luke 1:39-45 and what you think this experience meant to both women.
What works of God does Mary mention in these verses?
What contrasts or role reversals does Mary make in this passage? How do these reflect her feelings about God? About herself?
Elizabeth knew Mary was going to be the “mother of my Lord”; how was that possible?
Why do you think Mary went to see Elizabeth? Where would you go if the unbelievable happened to you?
If you found yourself in Elizabeth’s shoes, how do you think you would have responded to Mary’s visit? Remember you are well past child bearing age and you are 6 months pregnant and your husband, who is a priest, is unable to speak.
NOTES:
View all episodes
By River Valley Community Church Pastors“Blessed Is The One Who Believes”
12/8/19
Luke 1:39-45
Core Belief: Authority of the Bible I believe the Bible is the Word of God and has the right to command my belief and action.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Scripture: Luke 1:39-45
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
The Message of this Passage:
Most good stories– whether in history or fiction – start with a tragedy, with a threat, with something that has gone deeply wrong. And then comes the hero, the one (or ones) who will stand against the threat and try to restore balance and save the day.
In the time of Christ, Herod was clearly the threat. He is a pretty good representative of corrupt leaders and the evil and corruption that threaten the people and world God created and loves so much then and now.
At this point in the story we are usually introduced to the one who will stand against the evil threatening the world. So, the stage has been set for the conception of John, the wild-eyed prophet who will proclaim without fear or reservation the justice and judgment of God and the coming of God’s messiah. He will die by the hand of another Herod.
And of course there is Jesus, who will also die but be raised again, declaring once and for all that the love of God is stronger than the hate of Herod and all like him, and that the life God gives is stronger than the death dealt out by evil of all kinds.
Yes, John and Jesus will stand against Herod. But also notice that in this scene Luke describes for us the meeting of two of the main characters and heroines in this story.
For in the gathering of these two equally improbable women
– one too old to have a child, one still a virgin –
we have a foretaste of God’s redemption.
What do they do when they are together? They greet one another, comfort and rejoice with each other, and sing songs of love and justice. We will hear Mary’s song next week.
But today we will look at Elizabeth’s song of faith and courage, as she is willing to believe not only that the Lord will grant her a child but that in the womb of her young cousin is the one who will redeem the world. She blesses Mary in her song, and she blesses herself, and she blesses us.
This isn’t where we expect God to be at work – out in the hill country, among two women armed with nothing but love and song. But when God is on the move, He often is like that, showing up where we least expect God to be, granting mercy rather than punishment, and banishing fear not with strength but with love.
So perhaps we should not be surprised that the love and songs
these two unlikely heroines share, will be, as it turns out,
powerful enough to make the tyrants of this world shake with fear.
That’s just the way God works when He is on the move.
Answering Interpretive Questions:
How would you define authentic joy? How is it different than happiness?
Can you share about a time when you were joyful, even though you weren’t all that happy?
Describe the setting of Luke 1:39-45 and what you think this experience meant to both women.
What works of God does Mary mention in these verses?
What contrasts or role reversals does Mary make in this passage? How do these reflect her feelings about God? About herself?
Elizabeth knew Mary was going to be the “mother of my Lord”; how was that possible?
Why do you think Mary went to see Elizabeth? Where would you go if the unbelievable happened to you?
If you found yourself in Elizabeth’s shoes, how do you think you would have responded to Mary’s visit? Remember you are well past child bearing age and you are 6 months pregnant and your husband, who is a priest, is unable to speak.
NOTES: