A Mother's Heart: Joy in the Journey to Zechariah and Elizabeth's

Week 3 of Advent begins today, and the third candle (the pink one!) marks the halfway point and reminds us of joy - the joy of expectation and the goodness of what God has already done as well as that which is just on the horizon. 

Being a mom of two, I can ever so slightly relate to Jesus' sweet mama Mary! Tonight I'm remembering and reflecting on her difficult and joyful role in the grand story. Here are a few of my thoughts but mostly questions. I look forward to the day in the age to come when I can sit down with Mary and talk mom to mom about those days! 

“Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 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. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord’” (Lk. 1:39-45).

I am so grateful for God's kindness! He truly knows our hearts and how we need to receive information. In thinking about the old, familiar passages, it is easy to gloss over the details that we know all too well, but let's take some time to reconsider. There were three signs during that spectacular year of old - that year of unbelievable and impossible good news. The shepherds got news of a peculiar animal feed trough - one with a Baby in it, the wise men who had insight into the skies got a special star, and the young girl got to go see a friend and relative who was also pregnant. Each sign was so appropriate. Each was so perfect for the receiver. He is intimately acquainted with us.  


Apart from salvation and the union of a bride and groom, there is no greater joy in this life than babies! There is so much mystery and wonder wrapped up in these precious little packages! It is such a tragedy when a child is unwanted because the moment of discovery for every mom is meant to be a joyous occasion. A new life is springing forth within and will remain hidden until an appointed hour. As I think about the joy of expectation during this Advent season as we await the Christ-Child's first coming yet again, I cannot help but first consider Mary in her own time of expectation. She epitomizes this hour. 

Today we can find out so quickly that we are pregnant (the above picture was when I found out I was pregnant with Stephen just a few weeks after conception). In that day it was an altogether different story. Though a missed cycle would clue you in, you couldn't be absolutely sure until your abdomen began to swell and then later when you felt the first flutters and kinder kicks!

Especially to this outlandish news that she was pregnant apart from the necessary means, Mary needed her sign! And it was the kindness of God that Elizabeth got to be her sign! What a picture of redemption (for Elizabeth) and hope and joy all wrapped up in the meeting of two wombs!

Think about this point. How did Elizabeth know when Mary came to her that she was pregnant with the Son of God? 

The angel Gabriel had not spoken to Zecharias about Mary and the Child that she was to bear, so how did Elizabeth know? When did she learn of this wonderful news?

 Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice and John leaped within her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Was it only in that moment when she was filled with the Spirit that she knew by a word of knowledge, or had the Lord told her beforehand? Was she, rather, eagerly awaiting Mary’s arrival? 

What happened in Mary's heart when Elizabeth returned her greeting with such a response of understanding? Had she traveled to Judea in excitement or fear or was there a mass of mixed emotions that filled her? Did she, like the Prodigal Son that Jesus would later tell of, practice and rehearse her story to Elizabeth the whole way to Judea? Did she fear rejection or mockery, or was she full of faith believing she would find Elizabeth exactly as the angel had said. Did part of her disbelieve?

What kind of excitement filled her heart at Elizabeth’s words? What kind of fellowship followed between Mary and Elizabeth because of such shared circumstances? What kind of conversations took place in the next three months? What dreams did these two mothers dream for their sons? How much of the story were they able to put together between the two angelic visitations? Elizabeth might not have seen the angel, but she was filled with the Holy Spirit of God! How much did Zecharias join in by listening to their conversation—scratching on a tablet to add his two cents—or did he add retreat to his compulsory silence? 

What went through Z's heart when he heard Mary’s angelic experience? They had seen the same angel! Did their descriptions line up perfectly, or had they seen different nuances of Gabriel? How much faith did that build in each of them? 

That's amazing! 

The only other person to have ever seen Gabriel was Daniel (Daniel 8:16-26; 9:21-27). Surely they must have talked about these passages and how they were connected to their sons.

How kind of You, God, that You would allow for such precious and powerful time between those three before Mary had to return to Nazareth and face an astonished and bewildered betrothed and an all-knowing community! I've lived in a small town before - where everybody knows everybody's everything. That would have been difficult!

Jesus might not have considered Himself nor defended Himself because He was God (Phil. 2), but He also had amazing examples of godly, earthly parents as they did the same. John the Baptist was Jesus' forerunner ministerially, but I guess you could say that Joseph and Mary were His forerunners personally! Mary didn’t convince Zecharias and Elizabeth to return with her to Nazareth to vouch for her story before Joseph, her family, and her community in order to “save face” or her own life! What restraint! Then even after Joseph’s encounter, we don’t see that he tried to validate their situation to the community with the evidence of a spiritual dream with the likes of an angel from God! Mary learned to keep things in her heart early on—even before the shepherds paid their timely visit. 

Amidst the difficulty, God, You gave Mary grace to amass treasures in her heart, treasures that she would later lean upon and draw from. How kind You are! You were the Joy set before her in those early days....and still...

Oh, how I can relate!