There were
once two women whose sons were to change the history of the world. Two women
who shine as the brightest rubies because of their submissiveness to God’s
purposes for the good of all mankind. One was a young virgin called Mary and
the other her cousin, advanced in years and past the bearing age, called Elisabeth.
They together proved that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
Elisabeth
and her husband Zacharias walked blamelessly before the Lord and even though
they prayed many years that Elisabeth would bear a son they arrived at the
autumn of their lives childless. It was in the year of his appointed priestly
service that Zacharias travelled to the temple in Jerusalem from their village
of Hebron to perform sacred rites and ordinances.
Just as
Zacharias was burning incense inside the temple, the multitude were outside praying
for redemption of Israel from the Gentile yoke (Luke 1:10). As the timely prayers
ascended, angel Gabriel stood on the right side of the altar of incense and
spoke: “Fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elisabeth
shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:11,13).
Six months
later the same angel appeared to young Mary advising her she too will bear a
son, also of a miraculous birth (Luke 1:30-33). No doubt a young girl like Mary
was amazed to receive angel Gabriel's announcement that she shall be the mother
of the Son of God. Every woman in Israel hoped for the privilege of becoming the
mother of the expected Messiah.
Gabriel explained
to Mary how the baby would be conceived and no doubt perceiving the alarm that
must have arisen within her, he quickly told her about her cousin Elisabeth who
also was a recipient of a miraculous conception. What comfort that would have
been to such a young girl to know she did not stand alone in the realm of hard
to explain miracles. But there was another, her cousin Elisabeth, who had
conceived by a miracle so this too was possible.
Both of
these women rose to the greatest challenge of their lives. Elisabeth did bear a
son who became the forerunner of the Messiah. I think she understood her
responsibility well. As Herod’s murder edict reared its ugly head and her
husband lost his life unwilling to disclose the whereabouts of his son (Matthew
23:35; Luke 11:51), Elisabeth took baby John into the mountains and hid him
from the impending doom. This narrative does not appear in the New Testament
but it comes from the early Christian tradition such as the Infancy Gospel of
James, a text written around the second century A.D. It does, however,
correspond with the New Testament narrative of John’s upbringing in the deserts
and being raised on locusts and wild honey (Luke 1:80; Matt 3:4; Mark 1:6). It
doesn’t bear thinking that John, as an infant, would have been taken into the
mountains and left there alone without his mother.
According to
historical custom of marriage in the meridian of time, it has been estimated
that Mary had Jesus when she was around 15 years of age. Imagine a young girl
such as that submitting herself to the will of God which would ruin her
reputation as a chaste Israelite girl betrothed to another man. This was
brought to Jesus’ attention by the Jews who accused Him of being born of
fornication (John 8:41).
This young
girl grew up to be an adult woman who cried at the cross of her son’s crucible.
Did she at such a momentous time reflect back on the famous words she uttered: “Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” or did she
remember Elisabeth’s words to her: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42). Blessed indeed…..
ODE
TO MARY AND ELIZABETH
Among valiant sons of God
Who were chosen rulers to be
Stood the daughters so fair
They echoed throughout eternity.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
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