New King James Version:
Luke 1:39-45 NKJV Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, (40) and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (41) And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (42) Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (43) "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (44) "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (45) "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
Introduction
We have been talking about Mary for few weeks now though it was not in succession. Two Sundays ago we talked about Mary’s faith and her willful submission to God’s plan and how she became a very good example for us as Christians with regards to faith in God, His words and His promises. For there is nothing too hard for God to do (Jer. 32:27) or in verse 37 of our text “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” In the Revised Version it says, “For no word from God shall be void of power.” God will absolutely perform what He has said. That is why we can put our trust and faith in God and not be terrified of what is happening in the world today. The Scripture says, nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
Now, let us continue to know more of Mary since many in the world, not just in our country, worshiped and pray to Mary. Is that practice biblical? Or is it taught in the Scriptures? We will talk three statements about Mary in our message today as the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and spoke truths about Mary.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
In verse 36, Gabriel told Mary of another miracle as a sign and proof to Mary that God is back now at work in fulfilling His covenant to the Israelites, specifically of sending the Messiah, from the seed of David, who will be their king forever. The angel said that Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, who was past child bearing age already, and was barren, perhaps since marriage, was in fact six months pregnant at that time. This news could greatly strengthen the faith of Mary and will bring her comfort since someone can relate to her, someone experiencing a miracle conception similar to her though hers is unique since it was a virgin conception. This is why in verse 39, few days after Gabriel’s visitation, Mary went to her cousin’s house to visit her. Mary stayed there for three months, (Luke 1:56) and went home before Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, the prophet who will announce and prepare the arrival of the Messiah.
We’ll focus now on what Elizabeth loudly spoke about Mary while being filled with the Holy Spirit when Mary arrived at their house and greeted her.
A. Blessed are you among women – v. 42
This phrase is also found in verse 28. Though verse 28 was spoken by angel Gabriel to Mary, verse 42 was spoken by Elizabeth to Mary while filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth had not even yet been told that Mary was pregnant. Elizabeth spoke words given to her by the Spirit (1:41) as she recognized Mary’s “blessed” state, knowing that Mary was “blessed” because she had been specially chosen by God, much as Elizabeth had.[i] This phrase, "blessed art thou among women", does not mean that Mary is superior and above all women. This just means that she is blessed because she is the bearer of the Messiah in his incarnation. No other woman had such privilege. Only Mary, thus she is uniquely blessed.[ii]
This was Mary’s unique blessedness. She was chosen by God to carry in her womb the promised Messiah that the Jews had been long waiting. Does this mean she now deserves to be exalted? This is in fact what one woman did in the Bible and Jesus had a reply to her and to everybody else who worshiped Mary. Let us read Luke 11:28-29 NKJV “And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him (referring to Jesus), ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!’ (28) But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’” Do you see what Jesus is doing? In this correction Jesus is protecting Mary’s true blessedness and protecting us from idolatry.[iii] “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” And Jesus’ words are clear in responding to Satan’s temptation regarding worship in Mat 4:10, Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
B. Mother of my Lord – v. 43
This is another phrase about Mary declared by Elizabeth while filled with the Holy Spirit. Some believe that because Mary is the mother of the Lord that she has authority over her son. Let us deal briefly with this expression.
Mary is not the mother of the personality of our Lord. On the basis of systematic theology, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ was eternal.[iv] The Lord Jesus Christ was already in existence even before He was born through Mary. This is declared in Micah 5:2 that this ruler from Bethlehem is eternal. This is also the teaching of John 1:1 that when creation began, the Word, which is Jesus Christ, was already in existence.
Therefore, because Jesus Christ is eternal in his being, his personality, he could not have any mother. So what is the meaning of the phrase "mother of my Lord"?
Rather, Mary was the bearer of the human nature of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches very clearly that the eternal Word became "flesh" (John 1:14). Philippians 2:7,8 states: “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Thus, Mary was the bearer of the human nature of Christ, so she can be rightly called the "mother of our Lord". This was a very great privilege for her which no other woman in the world has been asked to do. But on the other hand, this does not elevate her to the position to which she is accorded in the Roman Catholic Church as "Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix".[v]
Further, she is now called "Mother of God". The Greek word is theotokos. This word is never found in the Greek New Testament. So how did this title come about? This was first coined in 431 AD at the Council of Ephesus. The early church fathers did this as a defense of the deity of Jesus Christ. Despite their sincere and commendable motive, they coined a term which has been magnified by tradition to the point that now this is the basis for the worship of Mary!
Mary is never in Scripture called the mother of God, never. Nobody is God's mother. God always existed. God was never produced, never conceived, never born, never generated. The eternal God has always existed. God has no mother. When people say, "Mary, mother of God," they're not talking about the Mary of Scripture. She was the mother of Jesus, the man. She is not the mother of God. Deity is true of Jesus, but it is not confined to Jesus. Mary was the mother of the man Jesus; she is not the mother of God. That is a terrible error. Resident in Mary was a human, physical child who was in His inner person God, who always existed, the eternal God, the Son who had lived from all eternity.[vi]
You don't make Mary the queen of heaven, you don't make her a co-redemptrix with Christ, you don't make her the one responsible for access to Jesus as if she's a mediator. You don't make her the only one who can convince Jesus to answer the penitent sinner's prayer. You don't make her the mother of God. What you do is you see Mary as someone who is a model of faith. She believed there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.[vii]
Mary has never heard anybody's prayers. Only God hears prayers. It is wrong to pray to Mary for she cannot hear it. Mary sets an example for us though. She shows us how believers should respond. She's a model believer. She heard, she believed, she obeyed, she worshiped. And blessed is anybody, whoever she be, or he be, who does that. She is a wonderful example. She heard the truth from God, she believed it, she obeyed it and she worshiped in response.
C. Blessed is she who believed – v. 45
Mary believes what has been said to her. She believes not only that God can do what He said but will do what He said. Here is someone who takes God at His Word and believes it.[viii]
We have to ask what is it that Mary believed? The word which Mary accepted and believed out of faith was Gabriel's declaration about the conception by the Spirit and the virgin birth. Imagine -- without any physical participation by a man Mary was going to conceive and give birth. Mary believed God could and would accomplish this. Mary believed the Creator Spirit was going to do this amazing work in her life. What amazing faith!
Mary believed the Lord. She took God at His Word. So she is pronounced blessed. She is pronounced happy many times over. She is pronounced to have a share in God's wonderful plan of salvation.
Do you want to be happy? Here is the way: have Mary's faith and you will be happy many, many, many times over.
Let us take note again how Mary believed or how she responded to Gabriel’s announcement that she will carry in her womb the promised Messiah. Mary said in verse 38 "I am the Lord's servant." We looked at this two weeks ago. As I mentioned then, the Greek word translated as "servant" means "slave." Mary is stating here that she is dedicating herself to the Lord's service. She is expressing her willingness to follow the Lord's leading. Before God, out of faith, Mary adopts the status and attitude of a slave. A slave's calling in life is to serve the master. She has no other purpose. She has to devote 100% of her time, gifts, talents, and abilities to the master's service. A good slave serves the master by being obedient, fully and completely obedient at all times.
This means that in the heart and mind of Mary, she was not superior to any woman. She was like every one, she is a slave of the Lord. So Mary declared with a strong purpose that she is willing to be used by God even if this means shame and death for her. Further, she declared, be it unto me "according to thy word." This means that she is willingly submitting herself to the authority of the word of the angel, which ultimately was the word of God. To Mary, God's word is superior in authority to any human word. Thus for the Roman Catholic Church to teach that the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ could not refuse the word of Mary because she is his mother is contrary to the real attitude of Mary. This is again confirmed during the marriage in Cana when Mary told the servants, "whatever he says to you, do it." It is in John 2:4-5, Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." (5) His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Back to Luke 1:45, please also notice here that the third person is used now, instead of saying, “Blessed are you who believe,” it now says, “Blessed is she who believes.” While this refers and applies to Mary, it can also mean that anyone will also be blessed when one believes in God, like Mary who believed in God, His words and His promises. And to the one who believes “there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” What God has promised to all those who believed, God will carry it to completion, God will fulfill it in their lives.
And God has many great and precious promises. I would like to quote only two. God has promised everlasting life to all who believe the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 10:9-10 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This alone is a tremendous gift received by anyone who believes.
John 5:24 also says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." Wow, passed from death into life, to those who believe in God. And in Greek, this verse speaks of the impossibility of going back to death, because you already passed into life. This is our security as believer! God will fulfill it to those who believe. Blessed is she, blessed is he, who believes. For with the word of God, nothing will be impossible.
Conclusion
We learned in this discussion that Mary was uniquely blessed compared to all other women because she had the only privilege of carrying in her womb the human nature of Jesus Christ. She is also called the mother of our Lord but not the mother of God. She is the mother of the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ but not the mother of God, the personality of Jesus Christ, because Jesus is eternal. God has no mother because God is not created, God is not a creature. It is wrong and unbiblical to call Mary the mother of God, Lastly, Mary was also blessed because she believed in the word of God through angel Gabriel. Mary believed that God can do and will do what He has said and promised.
If you believe in God by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will also be blessed beyond measure. Please read Ephesians 1:3-14 to know more of the blessings in Christ. He came to the world to die for your sins that you might have life in Him if you believe. Repent from your sins and God will forgive you. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and God will save you. Amen.
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[i] Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., Taylor, L. C., & Osborne, G. R. (1997). Luke. Life application Bible commentary (23). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
[ii] Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro, The Biblical Mary
[iii] Jon Bloom, Blessed is She Who Believed, desiringGod.org
[iv] Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro
[v] Vatican Council II, p. 419.
[vi] John MacArthur
[vii] Ibid.
[viii] Rev. Adrian Dieleman