Luke 1:39-45 is preceded by the angelic announcements of two miraculous births: 

• Luke 1:5-25 is Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of John to his father, Zechariah.
• Luk 1:26-38 is Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of Jesus to his mother, Mary. 

Our text is followed by the Magnificat in verses 46-55. It is the first of a series of songs that declare the meaning and magnitude of Christ’s birth. Our text bridges the divine revelation and the human response to the Incarnation. Here the glorious meets the ordinary. Gabriel foretold that Mary would give birth to a son. It would be a miraculous birth in that Mary was a virgin. Mary’s baby, conceived by the Holy Spirit, would be called holy – the Son of God. How did Mary respond to this news? Mary went to visit Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah had recently received similar news from Gabriel. Elizabeth, though old and barren, would give birth to a son named John – the forerunner for the long-awaited Messiah-King.

Mary visited them to hear their story and share hers with them. Church history calls this text The Visitation. It is a double visitation: 

• Mary visits Elizabeth at Zechariah’s house. 
• John visits Jesus in Elizabeth’s womb. 

All these people play key roles in this story. Even the Holy Spirit makes a cameo appearance. Yet the focus is not on any of them. Mary initiates the action and moves the story forward in verses 39-40. In verses 41-45, Elizabeth sings about Mary and her child. But Mary only performs a supporting role. The story is about God who was at work to exalt his Son by confirming Mary. R. Kent Hughes wrote: “The Visitation is flesh-and-blood history about God’s care for the Virgin Mary.” Here is the take-home truth of Luke 1:39-45: God confirms the truth about Christ to those who believe. How does God confirm the truth about Christ to those who believe? Luke 1:39-45 answers that question in three movements. 

Faith Displayed. 

Verses 39-40 establish the occasion of the text: “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” “In those days” point back to verses 5-44. 

• The birth of John was foretold to Zechariah. 
• The birth of Jesus was foretold to Mary. 

Through these two miraculous births, God would fulfill his plan of redemption. John prepared the way. Jesus himself is the way. In those days, Mary arose and went with haste to the hill country. It was a long trip that would have taken several days. It seems that Mary made this trip alone. With haste, she walked to some unnamed town in Judah. 

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth was a display of faith. Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to a son. Luke 1:34 asks: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Verse 34-37 answers: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” In verse 38, Mary responds with a great declaration of faith: “Behold, I am the servant^[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

The proof that Mary believed the divine word the angel spoke was what she did, not what she said. James 2:17 says, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have faith works, is dead.” Mary’s faith was not dead. She did not sit back and wait to see if the angelic announcement came to pass. Her faith went to work. The only provable detail was that her relative Elizabeth was with child. Mary’s faith moved her to visit Elizabeth. It was more than a family get-together. It was a display of faith in God’s word. Faith is displayed by what you do with God’s word. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” 

God was at work in Mary’s life in a way in which she could not understand. None of Mary’s family or friends understood what God was doing in her life. In righteousness, Joseph planned to divorce her privately. In Matthew 1:20, the angels said, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Elizabeth understood. Mary visited Elizabeth to have her faith encouraged by someone who knew what it meant to trust God. So do you! Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Faith Rewarded. 

Verses 39-40 introduce the setting and occasion of the text. The action picks up from there. Three supernatural events occurred to reward Mary’s faith. 

The Baby Leaped. Verse 41 says, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” Mary showed up at Zechariah’s house unexpectedly. When Elizabeth opened the door, Mary greeted her. No other words were exchanged.

• Mary did not have a chance to tell Elizabeth her story. 
• Elizabeth did not have a chance to tell Mary her story. 

Mary greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard that greeting, “the baby leaped in her womb.”According to verse 36, Elizabeth was six months pregnant. At this point, it was normal for her baby to move, turn, or kick. This intrauterine movement was different. The verb “leaped” is used in Genesis 25:22 to describe how Esau and Jacob struggled in Rebekah’s womb. The brothers’ prenatal struggle foreshadowed how they would contend with each other throughout their lives. John leaped in his mother’s womb, not to struggle against Jesus, but to praise him. 

Philip Ryken wrote: “John the Baptist was the only child ever to use a womb for a pulpit. In the liquid darkness of his mother’s womb, the unborn child kicked for joy, leaping at the sound of Mary’s voice, and in this way preparing people for the coming of Christ.”  

The Holy Spirit Filled. Luke often reports people being filled with the Holy Spirit, especially in Acts. That emphasis begins in Luke’s birth narratives. Luke 1:15 predicts John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. This is what the baby’s leaping indicates. It was Spirit-filled jumping. Verse 41 ends: “And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Elizabeth is the only woman in scripture said to be filled with the Spirit. John Bengel notes: “Spiritual impulses reached infant and mother together.” “Filled” means to bring to saturation point or level of containment. Metaphorically, it denotes totality or exclusivity. Something filled does not have room for anything else. To be filled with something means it is the dominating presence, controlling influence, or driving force of one’s life.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as the baby leaped in her womb. The Holy Spirit guided her thoughts, guarded her heart, and governed her words as she sang verses 42-45. Everything Elizabeth said in this song was by divine revelation. By the Spirit, she encouraged Mary and exalted Christ. This is how the Holy Spirit works. The “shy member” of the Trinity always edifies the saints and glorifies the Savior!

Elizabeth Blessed. Verses 42-45 record Elizabeth’s song. The theme of the song is revealed through an inclusio. It begins and ends with the word “blessed.” Verse 42 begins the song with a double blessing: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

A Blessed Woman. Verse 42 says, “Blessed are you among women.” It is a semitic superlative: “Among all women, you are most blessed.” “Blessed” means to live in divine favor. Mary has been mishandled throughout church history. The Roman Catholic Church venerates Mary. Protestants and Evangelicals ignore Mary. Elizabeth teaches us how to view Mary. Luke 1:28 says, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” With divine insight, Elizabeth declared Mary was more blessed than any woman who ever lived. Mary’s child would be the direct fulfillment of Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

A Blessed Baby. Verse 42 says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” This is a parallelism in which the latter explains the former. Why was Mary blessed among women? Because of the fruit of her womb. 

• Mary was not blessed for Mary’s sake. 
• Mary was blessed for Christ’s sake. 

Gabriel foretold the birth of Jesus. After receiving this news, Mary visited Elizabeth. Upon greeting Elizabeth, the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to sing. In her song, she praised the fruit of Mary’s womb. These tight details do not tell us how Elizabeth knew Mary was pregnant. Darrell Bock calls it “an enticing omission.” It is possible that Mary did not know she was pregnant yet! Elizabeth announces the Holy Spirit conception has taken place in this song of praise. The fruit of the womb was blessed! 

Faith Confirmed.

 Verses 43-45 continue Elizabeth’s song. Her words confirm Mary’s faith in three ways. 

Confession. Verse 43 asks, “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

 A Humble Confession. Elizabeth rhetorically asked, “Why me?”

• We tend to ask this question when things go bad. 
• We fail to ask this question when things go well. 

Elizabeth called Mary and Jesus blessed. Here she calls herself blessed without using the term. She acknowledged she was the beneficiary of divine favor she did not deserve. It is further proof that she was Spirit-filled. Matthew Henry wrote, “Those who are filled with the Holy Ghost have low thoughts of their own merits, and high thoughts of God’s favors.”

There is a lesson here about the nature of humility. When humility is present, jealousy is absent. Elizabeth was an old and barren wife of a priest Divine intervention caused her to be with child. Luke 1:15 says her son would “be great before the Lord.” Six months into her pregnancy, her young relative shows up pregnant. But Elizabeth does not feel Mary has rained on her parade. She blessed Mary and the fruit of her womb. Elizabeth’s son would be great. Mary’s son would be greater! 

• Elizabeth was not upset she was not the star of the show. 
• She was in shock that she was a part of God’s program! 

A Holy Confession. Elizabeth called Mary “the mother of my Lord.” Mary does not call Mary “the Mother of God.” Roman Catholics use this terminology. It is not used anywhere in scripture. We should not confuse the mystery of the Incarnation that way. Jesus was truly God and truly man. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 8:58 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Mary was the mother of Jesus. Elizabeth called her “the mother of my Lord.” It is an illusion to Psalm 110:1: “The Lord says to my Lord.” John 20:28 is the climax of the Fourth Gospel: “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Thomas confessed Jesus as Lord and God after a post-resurrection visitation. Elizabeth was the first person to confess Jesus as Lord. It was not after his crucifixion and resurrection. It was while he was still in Mary’s womb. 

Romans 10:9 says: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” What is stopping you from confessing Jesus as your Savior and Lord today?

Jubilation. Verse 44 explains: “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” Mary did not know what had happened inside of Elizabeth. Elizabeth now tells her about the experience and explains the meaning of it. Note the time reference: “when the sound of your greeting came to my ears.” The language indicates that it was not what Mary said that caused Elizabeth’s baby to leap. Just the sound of Mary’s voice caused the baby in her womb to leap for joy! 

Mary and Elizabeth did not believe in “reproductive rights.” In a stinging rebuke of abortionist claims, they believed the babies in their wombs were persons. Mary’s baby was the Lord in the womb. John leaped for joy over this in the womb. John 3:29-30 says, “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” That completed joy would begin in his mother’s womb.

When I preached this text as a teenager, I called it: “Lessons from a Shouting Baby.” The sermon had nothing to do with the point of the text. But it raised an important question: 

• What makes your baby shout? 
• What fills your heart with joy?  
• What makes your soul happy?

Darrel Bock wrote: “As the child leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, should our hearts leap in our breasts when we consider the many blessings of God that we experience.”

Benediction. Verse 45 says, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” This beatitude circles back to the theme of Elizabeth’s song. Verse 42 records a double blessing. Using different but synonymous terms, Elizabeth blesses Mary’s faith in God’s word. Scholars disagree over how to translate the word “that.”

• It may refer to the content of Mary’s faith. 
• It may refer to the result of Mary’s faith. 

Either way, the smile of God was on Mary because she believed God’s spoken word. Luke 1:30-33 reads: “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary believed what the angel said to her. There is a subtle contrast here with Zechariah. When Gabriel foretold the birth of John, Zechariah did not believe. God made him mute until after there was fulfillment of what was spoken. He sings praise in Luke 1:67-80. In verses 46-55, Mary sang praise before the fulfillment of what was spoken to her. The wording of the text indicates that the blessing is not just for Mary. All who believe God’s word are blessed! God confirms the truth about Christ for those who believe.