Luke 1:39-56
Good morning, RTB’ers!
I found myself answering elements of the STS’s first question this morning even before I read the question. As I read through Mary’s “Magnificat” I saw that she was referring to God’s relationship to herself in Luke 1:48-49 and then, pretty much to God’s relationship to the history of Israel in Luke 1:50-55. I hadn’t really noticed that before.
Two further reflections… First, my NASB Study Bible suggested that Mary stayed with Elizabeth through Elizabeth’s deliverance of her son, John. Presumably they add together Luke 1:36, that Elizabeth was in her sixth month; Luke 1:39, that Mary left quickly; and Luke 1:56, that Mary stayed with Elizabeth another three months. I’m guessing that most of us could draw that same conclusion.
My second item has to do with geography. It would be good if everyone has a (study?) Bible with maps in the back or an Internet connection with access to a map app. There are a couple of points worth noting from today’s reading. First, Zechariah (or Zacharias) and Elizabeth lived in “…the hill country of Judah”. (v. 39) Geographically, the hill country of Judah is a mountainous region west of the Dead Sea and south of Jerusalem. The major city in that region is Hebron, where King David ruled over Judah for seven years and six months (II Samuel 5:5). Jerusalem to Hebron would have been about a 12-hour walk. We don’t know exactly where Elizabeth lived, but she was somewhere in that region in and around Hebron, very likely somewhere between Hebron and Jerusalem. The point here is that when Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-40), she would have had a 3-4 day journey. Nazareth to Jerusalem would have been a 3-day journey, walking along the Jordan River, then another day (or portion thereof) on to wherever Elizabeth lived in the hill country of Judah. So, not a short trip for Mary, especially in her first trimester. Mothers, you can tell us all about what it would have been like for Mary in her first trimester! You’ll find that I love geography! Shortly we’ll find Mary traveling to Bethlehem to deliver her Child, Jesus. Bethlehem is also in the hill country of Judah, south of Jerusalem, probably a 3-4 hour walk (or donkey ride) from Jerusalem.
Blessings!
I expect that today’s passage is a good deal more familiar to our Catholic and Orthodox friends than it is to most Protestants. That is terribly unfortunate for the Protestants, who, in an attempt to (rightly) avoid exalting Mary to a position on par with (or even greater than) God, end up underplaying Mary so severely that they (we) seem to barely acknowledge her at all. But the truth is that Mary is unique. She is the only one in human history called to be the mother of the Son of God, and that motherhood is not “just” a matter of pregnancy and birthing. Mary’s position as Jesus’ mother continues forever. When we think of Mary, we should think of her exactly as Elizabeth — filled with the Holy Spirit — does when Mary comes to visit:
So let’s not brush Mary aside. Let’s be sure to listen to what she has to say in Luke 1:46-55, with her high praise of the Lord. Let’s meditate on her words long and hard, as Christians have done in daily prayers since the first century. And let’s follow Mary’s example and say “Yes” to the Lord.
Really good point(s), John. I grew up with Mary as central to our Catholic faith, but certainly not on a par with Jesus. But I do recall once when one of our Avanza kids asked me, “Why don’t we ever talk about the Madonna instead of only talking about Jesus?” So, yes, in some cultures she is certainly elevated to a level equal to or greater than Jesus.
Sounds like a good discussion topic for our RTB gathering on the 14th!