Today’s passage: Luke 1:34-56
Helpful ideas:
- This birth was going to be miraculous. The Son of God would not be the biological son of a man.
- It had been about four hundred years since God had spoken or worked in any way like this in Israel. Gabriel told Mary of Elizabeth’s pregnancy to remind her, nothing will be impossible for God. Miracles were happening. God was on the move.
- The Spirit gave Elizabeth understanding. The child in Mary’s womb was her Lord.
- Mary’s response was similar to the words used by Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. They both called themselves the servants (“Bond slaves”) of the Lord. The main difference was, Hannah’s pregnancy would take away her felt shame in her barrenness. Mary was about to receive a source of shame in the eyes of man (Being an unwed pregnant young woman).
- By God’s grace, Mary’s great faith was displayed in her response to Elizabeth in verses 46-55.
Questions to consider:
- How might God have used Elizabeth’s welcome to encourage Mary’s heart? What would Mary have been concerned about as new people continued to discover her pregnancy? What did Elizabeth’s Spirit-controlled words reinforce for her? What could we learn from this? How do our words of welcome (Think: Fruit of the Spirit) affect others?
- When Mary said, “Let it be to me according to your word,” what did she willingly give of herself to do? What trust did she need to put in her Lord?
- How was this trust displayed in her response? What did she believe was going to happen? What did her faith and joy in God cause her to want to do (Verse 46)? What has God promised us through Christ? How does your trust in God give you reason to magnify the Lord?