Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE RETIREMENT OF MARY”
Luke 1.39-56
With my previous sermon, I launched this series of messages which began with the Gospel account of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she was to, as a virgin, give birth to the Son of God. Although I didn’t spend a great deal of time speculating, we can well imagine the probable reactions from her family and friends that Mary envisioned when they realized that she had conceived and was with child.
So it should come as no surprise to us that she would journey far to the south hill country of Judah to visit with her aged cousin Elizabeth, who also had miraculously conceived but in a far different way and was in her sixth month of pregnancy.
Let us look at Luke’s record of Mary’s journey, Elizabeth’s beatitude, and what is called Mary’s Magnificat.
At this point, I wish to make you aware of some differences of opinion as to the order in which certain events occur in the Word of God. We begin by reading Matthew 1.18-25:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Some believe that the events we’ve just read about occurred before Mary’s retirement to the south to visit her aged cousin Elizabeth whom we’re about to examine. And they feel that while Joseph was making up his mind about whether or not to divorce Mary, she was visiting Elizabeth, awaiting his decision.
I beg to differ. I do not believe Joseph had any idea about Mary’s condition until she returned from her visit with Elizabeth. And though she was only three months pregnant at the time, and due to the clothing styles worn in those days, able to fool Joseph had she desired to, I think the way Joseph found out about Mary’s condition was from her mouth. Then, while contemplating what he should do with her, the angel appeared to him in Matthew 1.18-25.
For this reason, I shall proceed on the premise that Mary’s retirement to the hill country of Judea occurred before Joseph, her espoused husband, was aware of her condition.
THAT SAID, LET US FIRST LOOK AT MARY’S JOURNEY
Luke 1.39-40:
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
First, allow me to comment on the home. As mentioned before, it was Elizabeth’s house, or Zacharias’ house. But in that household lived the only other woman in the entire world who could even hope to understand the situation Mary now faced. If you are wondering why so little is said of Zacharias here, remember that he is mute until his son is born, Luke 1.20, and his son will not be born for three months after Mary’s arrival.
Why is it that only Elizabeth might understand her cousin Mary’s situation? Because she was the mother of the forerunner of the Messiah, Elizabeth found her life bound up in this portion of God’s excellent plan along with Mary. So, Mary stayed with her and helped the aged woman with her pregnancy and shared in the excitement of an old woman who had watched so many other friends and loved ones swell as the children inside them grew but who never thought she would experience such delight. Mary was being prepared for her own most challenging task.
Now, let me discuss the haste with which Mary went south. It might seem as though my logic is out of order, dealing with the home Mary went to for three months and only now addressing the reasons she might have gone there and her haste. But when you know where Mary was bound for, you better understand how Elizabeth’s home might have seemed a refuge for this tender young virgin.
Several reasons should be put forward to explain why Mary went to Elizabeth’s home and why she went with such haste. To be sure, these reasons are highly speculative, but they are also highly possible. First, we must consider that the Holy Spirit might have specifically directed Mary to proceed south with all haste. Remember, in Luke 1.36-37, Gabriel revealed to Mary that Elizabeth was with child and that nothing was impossible with God. That might have been enough in itself to provoke her journey. Second, Mary might have hurriedly removed herself from any possible scandal and gossip which would have developed when word got out that she was with child. Or, more likely, when word got out that her regular life cycles appeared to have ceased. Such gossip did follow our Lord throughout His earthly life, as John 8.19 and 41 indicate:
19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Imagine what Mary must have had to endure when she returned to Nazareth. With her retirement to Elizabeth’s safe space, she had only put off the inevitable.
The third reason she probably wanted to go south was to share her incredible joy with her cousin Elizabeth’s joy. And what do you think two godly and biblically literate women bound up in the fulfillment of prophecies would talk about all the day long? Neither woman tried to outdo the other but rejoiced God marvelously blessed them.
The reasons Mary had for going to the hill country of Judah to the south, we don’t know, for sure. It could have been any of these reasons I’ve mentioned, a combination of all three, or other reasons we know nothing about. But I cannot imagine aged Elizabeth not counseling Mary about the profound challenges she would face from even close family members who were convinced she was no virgin but a fornicating hypocrite.
NOW LET’S LOOK AT ELIZABETH’S BEATITUDE
Luke 1.41-45:
The reason for her beatitude is found in verse 41:
“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.”
When Mary arrived at the home of Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband, she greeted her cousin Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s salutation, the babe Elizabeth carried, John the Baptist, as yet unborn, leaped in her womb. As that event occurred, God miraculously filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and empowered her to speak prophetic utterances. This, then, was the reason for her beatitude.
The response of her filling with the Holy Spirit is recorded in verses 42-45:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Notice that she spoke loudly, “she spake out with a loud voice.” Do you realize that fits the pattern of boldness found whenever a person in the Bible is filled with the Holy Spirit? Read the book of Acts, and you’ll see it every time someone is filled with God’s Spirit. Spirit-filled people forget about shyness and self-consciousness because they are full of God. They say what needs to be told and do what needs to be done.
Elizabeth said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” Has it ever troubled you that Elizabeth seems to have put Mary’s blessing and the blessedness of Christ on the same footing here? If it seems dishonoring to you for Elizabeth to place Mary and her Child on equal footing here seemingly, it’s only because we generally misunderstand what she was saying. Take note of the word “and.” Though this translates the typical Greek word for “and,” the word kaί, the word was oftentimes used to communicate a great deal more than just the idea “and.” Greek scholars Dana and Mantey indicate that the emphatic use of this word is unquestionable and frequent. Frequently this regular conjunction, which we translate into our ordinary English word “and,” carries the meaning of “indeed, verily, really, in fact, yea, certainly, and even.”[1]
I’m trying to say that this verse does not require us to believe that Elizabeth thought the Lord Jesus Christ and Mary should be given equal respect and honor. It is well within the scope of the words Elizabeth used for her to have meant something like this: “Blessed art thou among women, in fact, blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”
Taken together with what the Bible says about Mary and the Bible about the Lord Jesus Christ, giving the Savior and His mother equal honor and respect would be nothing short of blasphemy. I do not think the Holy Spirit worked in Luke’s life to record this as an incident of blasphemy. No, Elizabeth is not treating Mary and her unborn Child as equals here. Because she is carrying blessed fruit in her womb, she is, therefore, a blessed woman among women.
I want you to notice, too, that she is not blessed above all women. Rather than being elevated above all other women, God chose Mary and separated her. He did not elevate her. Blessed? Yes. Superior? No. When we examine Mary’s Magnificat we will see that she agreed with and understood Elizabeth’s inspired words.
In verse 43, we see that even though she is Mary’s senior, concerning age and station in life, being the aged wife of a priest, she showed humility to this one who God chose to bear her Savior:
“And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
In verse 44, Elizabeth recounted the event of the babe within her leaping for joy:
“For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
How can a mere fetus have joy? Could it be that this “fetus” Mary carried was a living, intelligent human being, though his little body was extremely immature? I think so. This child in mommy’s womb demonstrated a thoughtful reaction to the presence of his Creator in the womb of nearby Mary.
And in verse 45, we read of a second reason why Mary was blessed:
“And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
Blessed is Mary, who believes. That shows faith. Mary trusted her God and His ability to perform what she had been told. Mary’s faith indicated that she was a woman who did not understand everything said to her and could not see how all of these things would be brought about. But she did know the One Who could perform the doing of it.
Finally, WE COME TO MARY’S MAGNIFICAT
Luke 1.46-55:
First, we examine her experience, 46-49a:
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ....
Please pay close attention as we scrutinize these words of Mary. They are her estimation of what happened to her from the time the angel Gabriel first made his stunning announcement to her up to this point.
First, Mary related her response to her experiences in two parts. Then she detailed the two facets of her experience. Isn’t it great that her soul magnified, or made larger, the Lord? That’s exactly what we should always try to do in our own lives. Amen?
Notice the following phrase. It contains significant implications for everyone who is a Roman Catholic to consider. Mary called God her Savior. That’s what she called God. This must, of course, mean that Mary is saved if she has a Savior. Therefore, she must be a sinner since only sinners need salvation from their sins through a Savior. And if Mary is a sinner, which she must be if she had a Savior, then she cannot possibly be the product of the so-called Immaculate Conception, which is the Roman Catholic doctrine that Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without sin, so that she might someday be the sinless “mother of God.”[2]
The Bible does say that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And I say that not by a personal attack on anyone, but to show error where I find it and shed the glorious light of truth where it doesn’t presently shine. If Mary was saved, and she was, and if she was a sinner and blessed as she was, then she was a sinner saved by grace. That she was a sinner saved by grace through faith shows that the whole body of teaching that Rome puts forth concerning the veneration of Mary must be called into serious question.
In this regard, let me assure you that in her Magnificat, which we now consider, Mary refers to herself personally not more than five times. However, she refers to God no less than 19 times in 10 short verses. That woman knew Who was worthy of veneration ... God! And this is Mary’s view of her experiences from her mouth!
Now for her explanation, which is a superb recital of Old Testament passages. Don’t ever forget that Mary was a Jewish girl, 1.49b-55:
49 ... and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
She first spoke of the holiness of God. She paraphrased Psalm 111.9 by saying,
“Holy is His name.”
Then she spoke of the mercy of God:
“And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.”
This is from Psalm 103.13. Does it seem as though she was well-versed in Scripture? It surely does. The third thing she spoke about was God’s might, 51-53:
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Finally, she made mention of His faithfulness, 54-55:
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
With no mention made of any of the specific details of her three months with cousin Elizabeth beyond their initial greeting, Luke recorded that she went back home, verse 56:
“And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.”
I do not doubt that those three glorious months with Elizabeth were an encouraging gift to Mary from God. Time for a young girl to sit at the feet of an older woman to reflect on the great truths of Scripture. Time for a young girl to reflect on the trials that she would face, the accusations, and to prepare her responses with insight and wisdom from a godly old woman who’d had her share of verbal assaults.
Remember, barren women were considered to be women God felt unworthy of motherhood in those days. But there would be precious memories that would sustain her in times of great loneliness and trial. A place to retreat, if you will, and be reminded how good God is to His children.
What astonishing things God was doing by stepping into the universe He had created and was sustaining. But all the while, He remembered and looked after not only Elizabeth but also young and inexperienced Mary.
And as He took care of Mary, God will take care of you.
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[1] H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, (Toronto, Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1955), pages 249-252.
[2] Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: The Presbyterian And Reformed Publishing Company, 1962), pages 8, 158-163.
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