Luke 1:39-56
Below is a sermon manuscript from December 7, 2025. Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
Have you ever thought about how Jesus tends to bring together the unlikeliest of people? One of the joys of ministry is hearing people’s stories, hearing how they came to know Jesus. Sometimes the path is simple, other times complicated, but it’s always beautiful. And it’s beautiful how people from different stories and backgrounds wind up worshipping together, doing life and ministry together. Maybe you are like this. Maybe people in your life and some of your closest friends and encouragers are those you would have never expected 5, 10, 15 years ago. For our passage this morning, the two women, though related, are unlikely to be sharing this ministry and encouragement with one another. Two women, one who had been barren and in old age, the other a virgin and young. Yet, God brings them together for His purposes, and their example and words that Luke has recorded in this passage have impacted people from all walks of life for the past 2,000 years.
The Spirit Brings Joy and Proclamation
For the Spirit-Filled Person, Being Near Jesus Brings Joy and Proclamation.
Mary’s faith leads to obedience
Why does this meeting take place? Well, it seems that Mary is going to visit Elizabeth out of obedience. While she didn’t ask for a sign, when Mary asked how things would come to be, Gabriel explained the supernatural conception but also told her about Elizabeth. Going to Elizabeth would confirm what Gabriel was telling her. It seems that she left immediately. So it is in the Christian life, faith produces obedience. We don’t obey in order to earn God’s favor, but having been shown God’s favor, we obey.
For Mary, this was not just a quick run from State College to Bellefonte in a car. It was an 80 to 100-mile journey from Nazareth to the hill country outside of Judea. A three-day to five-day journey. The length of the journey illustrates another point: when it comes to obedience, it’s not always easy.
Elizabeth’s words about Mary once again draw attention to Mary’s faith. Look at verse 45, And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”[1]
God’s Word and God’s promises can be trusted, and Mary is now receiving external encouragement of her faith. Here Elizabeth serves as an example ot all of us. Mary is in a difficult position and yet she is trusting God. But she is not alone. Not only has God promised to be with her, but now we see that she has the love and support of Elizabeth. Our faith is not an isolated faith, but it is done in community. An unhealthy community can hinder godliness and trust in God’s promises, but a healthy community supports it and nourishes it.
Here we see this as produced by the Holy Spirit. Encouragement is always needed. But sometimes God, through the Holy Spirit, leads us to encourage someone. Have you ever had that happen to you? This has happened to me. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night and feel an urgent need to pray for someone specific. Whenever I let them know, I can tell it was something that God orchestrated. They were at a particular low or going through something. Whether this happens in your life or not, we should be proactive in encouraging one another. God not only lays it on our hearts to encourage but also works through encouragement in the hearts of others.
The meeting of mothers prefigures their sons
Luke focuses on the mothers of two important sons during this bridge event. He didn’t have to include this, but he chose to. It reflects a theme throughout Luke that Jesus is the Savior of all, that the good news is for men, women, Jews, Gentiles, slaves, and free. The mothers give us an indication of the ministry of their sons through their own service to one another.
The event possesses little significance on the surface, but for Luke, it is a major literary bridge, since the two major characters of the account meet symbolically through their mothers. John the Baptist starts “pointing to” Jesus even from the womb, just as 1:15–17 had predicted[2]
We might also say that the meeting of the mothers includes their sons. It prefigures their ministry, but both John and Jesus are present at this meeting. This is an important aspect when the idea of personhood and when life begins is questioned. Within these descriptions, we have the personhood of each on display while still in the mother’s womb. In fact, in teaching from the previous weeks, we see that each will conceive a child. The text assumes that the life of each begins at conception. The full humanity of Jesus as his representation for us began at conception. The name of Jesus is given to the one who is already there in the womb. Some have tried to argue that the soul does not come until after birth, with breath evidence for life and personhood. Some of this is based on taking the unique account of God giving the breath of life in Genesis 2:7 and seeing that as a description of each life afterward. But there is no more reason to think that than to believe that we have to take a rib out of a man to produce a woman. Instead, we have Scripture giving us a theological understanding of the human person who is valued even in the womb. In Luke 1, John being filled with the Holy Spirit is evidence for prenatal ensoulment, and his leaping in his mother’s womb and experiencing joy is another description of his personhood.
Spirit-filled people rejoice in their role
Think about this, Elizabeth is excited to meet the mother of her Savior. We are told in the passage that this is more than just her words; these are the words of God spoken by her. They are spirit-produced. And what does the Spirit produce? Words of humility and awe in the presence of Mary and Jesus in her womb. She is not operating out of envy, wishing that she were Mary, but out of humility, knowing that even to be in the presence of the Mother of the Lord is something she does not deserve. Do we recognize the importance of this? We are so prone to envy and strife, but in Elizabeth, we see peace and humility on display. Her miraculous birth is overshadowed by a family member, and all she does is get excited about it. How is this possible? Because the focus is not on Elizabeth but on the Savior.
The same kind of action takes place with John. He leaps in his mother’s womb. In Genesis 22:22-26, we have another example of babies acting certain ways in the womb. In that case, there is division and rivalry within one womb, with Jacob and Esau. But there is unity spread across two wombs, instead of leading to two peoples who are divided, John points ahead to the one who is the savior of all who come to him in faith.
We might say it like this: Elizabeth and John both recognize that Jesus is at the Center, not themselves, and each rejoices in their role. This is where it is very important for each of us to recognize the continual temptation that is before us. We are tempted to make everything about us. To center on ourselves. We do this all the time, from hosting people and making it more about what people will think of us and our home than just serving them and wanting them to be comfortable.
But when the focus is on the proper object, we are freed from making things about us. Here, Elizabeth and John’s focus is not primarily on Mary but on the Savior in Mary’s womb. Elizabeth referring to Jesus as “my Lord” is a remarkable statement that could only come from the Holy Spirit.
Mary Responds With Joy and Truth
It is possible for us to read and think about the Song on its own. But there is a reason we have included these sections together. Luke provides us with the context of the song. A young girl visiting her relative gives her this greeting. It is both a confirmation of what Gabriel had said and a fulfillment in many respects. Just as Gabriel foretold, great things would be said about Jesus; here we have them. Just as he said that she found favor, here Elizabeth is pronouncing her blessed among women. Feelings of fear and facing the unknown, the journey to see Elizabeth all confirmed and strengthened her humble faith. Again, a key aim of the book of Luke!
The song is also incredibly deep in its themes. It’s a song that is patterned after another song or prayer related to a miraculous birth. Hannah and the birth of Samuel. Comparing her song in 1 Samuel 2 and Mary’s song here shows the same main emphasis of exalting the humble and humbling the proud, along with other key ideas and words.
Mary is filled with Joy
When Mary rejoices, it is the same word that is used in Luke 1:14 about joy coming with John and his ministry. While Mary is speaking about the joy of Jesus, she is doing so in the presence of Elizabeth and John. His ministry and its fulfillment are already starting. This is also coming on the heels of John leaping for Joy. As is the case in the community of faith, there is joy compounding more joy. When one person has their affections stirred because of Jesus, others are impacted as a result. Think of times when people share their testimonies when they become members, or in life groups or ETS classes, when people share what God is doing in their lives. Their joy becomes the joy of others.
A quick application for us is to share praises of God’s goodness with others. We might be hesitant to do this because it seems self-serving or bragging. But the passage helps us here, too. Notice where the rejoicing is directed. It is not at Elizabeth or John, it is toward the Savior. This is John’s mission: to prepare the way for one greater. He is an announcer who focuses people’s attention on someone else, and even in the leap, he is doing that. Her focus, the focus of the song, is on God’s grace and God’s work, on the Savior to come. Selfish sharing looks for others to bolster us, but when we are concerned with God’s glory, we share with an open hand, wanting others to be aware of His great work.
This focus brings Mary great joy. This would likely be needed in her situation. Think about this idea of joy in the midst of all she must be experiencing. Here we have a pregnant virgin. We see in Matthew’s gospel that Joseph resolved to divorce her quietly, but that the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to, and that she would give birth to the savior. He said this was a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 about the virgin giving birth to Immanuel – God with us. Luke doesn’t give us these details; his focus is on Mary and showing the parallels between Jesus and John. But as we think of Mary, we think of the turmoil, the details from Joseph help situate how others may have been struggling with this concept and believing her.
God’s work in Mary’s life shows his might and his holiness. We have seen that Mary is a virgin. This has been pointed out over and over. God uses her obedience in this area for his purposes.
Thus it is hard to appreciate the walk of faith Mary is asked to take here. In the midst of it all, however, what overwhelms her is not the “risk” of appearance, with its potential risk to her reputation, but the joy of serving and being involved with God. We too should have moral integrity and be quick to serve God, even at great risk to our reputation. This stands in contrast to seeking a misdirected self-fulfillment that not only dishonors our moral integrity before God, but also risks adding tension to our relationship to a future spouse.[3]
Mary Sings of Jesus’ Mission
Think about this scene for a minute. We have a senior citizen and a teenager, neither prominent in the culture around them, but here in the center of what God is doing in history. It’s both a picture of the intergenerational church and a picture of God delighting in using the unexpected. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to them or us. God used David when no one thought he would. He used Esther. He used Joseph – the favorite brother – not when he was wearing his fancy clothes – but after he was found in a humble estate. This is a dominant theme throughout Scripture, yet we – time and time again – default to being enticed by the high estate. Think about this even in terms of how we talk – wow, if this person were to come to Christ they would really do great things! God can certainly work through them. But he delights to use the unexpected, to show his wisdom in what appears foolish in the eyes of the world. Kings, rulers, those with tremendous contemporary esteem in their day have come and gone but we continue to talk about a lowly girl from Nazareth. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. We forget that. We get hung up on the hear and now. We focus on the temporal.
Do you ever think that you have little to offer God compared to others? Stop. A hand-me-down bat in the hands of Shohei Ohtani will be just fine. The problem with the prideful is that they think they are the ones up to bat and then can’t handle Satan’s heat. But it’s no problem for the King of Kings. Those who are humble recognize where their strength comes from and depend on His power, not their own. Saving souls and changing lives is what God does; it’s not something we can do in our own power. Prayerlessness rides along with pride. A good check for this in our own lives may be the discipline of fasting, limiting our physical nourishment to whet our appetite for spiritual things, which are both important and intentional ways to live into humility. Another is our stewardship. Pride says, “It’s all mine.” Giving declares, “I am a steward of someone else’s resources.” But perhaps one that is fitting for this season is waiting. Waiting on the Lord. This may include the disciplines of silence and solitude. Slowing down and trusting in God. In a time where we are bombarded with images and information, getting alone with God and resting in Him.
Jesus Mission is For God-Fearers
Mary says that God is mighty and has done great things. This is an echo of Deuteronomy 10:21, which also says that God has done great things. In that context, it is God’s work in the Exodus. Delivering his people from Egypt. Here, Jesus will bring a greater redemption, the greatest deliverance, over sin and death. He is coming to show mercy and grace, mercy that is available to all who fear him. This, again, may be an echo of the Old Testament, this time Psalm 103:17
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,[4]
What they likely don’t fully realize at the time is that love itself has come down in the person of Jesus to be in their midst. Mary will see God’s mercy and holiness on display in the one who is in her womb.
Jesus’ Mission Is Understood In Light of the Old Testament Story
Another thing that we should notice from Mary’s song is the continuity with the story of Abraham. This is important for understanding the narrative of Scripture and how Mary’s faith is increased. She understands the present in light of God’s faithfulness in the past. God has not forgotten his promises. After hundreds of years of silence, His plan is unfolding at just the right time, and his faithfulness to the offspring of Abraham will find its greatest climax in the true offspring of Abraham, who is the savior of all who trust in Him.
Our statement of faith explicitly states that Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah for this reason. Explaining this section of our statement of faith, the book Evangelical Convictions discusses these early chapters in Luke and then says,
Jesus’ life and ministry cannot be understood rightly apart from the Old Testament story, and particularly the promises of God to his people Israel. “Salvation is from the Jews,” Jesus said (John 4:22), and from the one faithful Jew, Jesus the Messiah of Israel, that salvation goes out to the whole world (Rom. 1:5-6; 1 Tim. 2:3-5; 1 John 2:2; Matt. 28:19). The first followers of Jesus understood him in the light of the Old Testament story, but it is equally true that they could not understand that Old Testament story rightly apart from him. Certainly difficult issues remained regarding the continuity and discontinuity of God’s purposes for Israel moving into the church age, but the first Christians understood the life and ministry of Jesus Christ to be the hermeneutical key, the lens of understanding, through which to view the whole Bible.[5]
In fact, this is the key to understanding the Bible, which Luke gets at later on. He starts the book by discussing Jesus’ relation to Abraham, and then at the end of the book of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples how all of the Scriptures point to him and how he fulfills the promises.
This is an extremely important aspect in the Christian faith. An early church heresy tried to say that the God of the New Testament is a loving God, but the God of the Old Testament is a hateful, vengeful God. But Jesus is showing the continuity of the God who is both just and merciful. The way we see that most tangibly is through the life and work of Jesus.
We could say this about the song of Mary itself. Some question whether Mary could write something this spectacular and moving. But when we examine it, we see that it is dripping with Scripture throughout it. We see parallels with Hannah’s song in 1 Sam 2, but we also see quotations or allusions from “Genesis, Deuteronomy, 1 and 2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.” Ryken says, “Mary tried to put virtually the whole Bible into her song![6]”
How was this possible, one the Holy Spirit is certainly active. But also, it likely shows that Mary was steeped in Scripture. She knew her Bible. When she is overcome by what God is doing in her life, she recalls the Scripture that has been taught to her, that she has meditated upon; this infuses the lyrics to her heart’s song. What a powerful reminder for each of us. Being immersed in Scripture today equips us for how God may use us tomorrow. Let’s be people of the book. Reading it, meditating on it, sharing its truth with others. It’s through this word that we encourage the faith of others, because we have God’s word to us, the word that tells us about Jesus, who came to save us from our sins.
“The style and language are those which would be natural to the speaker, as drawn from the storehouse of faith and piety, the sacred writings of her people, familiar to all by constant recitation, and dear to pious souls by use in their own devotions.… So here the words as well as the thoughts are those of a high-souled Hebrew maiden of devout and meditative habit, whose mind has taken the tone of the Scriptures in which she has been nurtured.”[7]
Or as Ryken says more succinctly,
When we know the Bible, it becomes the song of our hearts, and we are able to join Mary in saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”[8]
We are people of the written word; we do this every Sunday, and I hope this is taking place throughout the week. But we are also people of the word made visible. One of the ways the Word is made visible is through the ordinance that Jesus gave his disciples called the Lord’s Supper. He instructed them, and those who would follow the disciples, to continue the practice until he comes again.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 1:45.
[2] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 64.
[3] Darrell L. Bock, Luke, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 68.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 103:17.
[5] EFCA. Evangelical Convictions, 2nd Edition (pp. 125-126). (Function). Kindle Edition.
[6] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009), 46.
[7] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009), 46.
[8] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009), 46–47.
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