Two Women. Two Mothers. Two Miracles.
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
In many ways, the story of Jesus is the story of a man. Born into the world, raised into manhood, He preached a Gospel of forgiveness, of mercy, and of justice, that He might call the lost sheep of Israel back to God.
As with the stories of all men, the story of Jesus begins in His mother Mary’s womb. Having conceived by the Holy Spirit, Mary carried Him through her pregnancy until it was time for Him to be born in Bethlehem.
Interwoven with the story of Jesus is the story of another man, John the Baptist. Born into the world and raised into manhood, John preached a message of preparation, that the Kingdom of Heaven was nearly upon the world. John’s ministry would culminate with the baptism of Jesus.
Yet that baptism was not the first time the paths of Jesus and John had crossed, nor is John’s ministry the beginning of his story. As the story of John the Baptist is also the story of a man, that story begins in his mother Elizabeth’s womb.
To a degree, Elizabeth conceiving John is nearly as miraculous as Mary’s conceiving Jesus, for Elizabeth had been advanced in years and was thought by most in her social circle to be barren.
Two women. Two mothers. Two miracles. That is how the Gospel narrative of Jesus Christ begins.
Is this purely a coincidence? Are Mary and Elizabeth merely incidental to the Gospel narrative?
Consider: Jesus, through Joseph His earthly father, was of the House of King David—and the prologue of the story of David is the story of Ruth, the Moabitess. Widowed while still a young woman, Ruth remained devoted to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and followed her back from the land of Moab into Israel, where she would marry Boaz, and with him would give birth to Obed, grandfather to David.
The story of David the King thus also begins with two mothers, and by her devotion to Naomi Ruth is herself something of a miracle—certainly she is a blessing to Naomi, her mother-in-law!
Arguably, we could even include a third mother in that story, for the Book of Samuel, which relates the rise of David to the throne of Israel, begins with the longing of Samuel’s mother Hannah for a child, as she also had been considered to be barren. The Lord granted her a son, Samuel, whom she would dedicate to the priesthood, and who would go on to be one of Israel’s most influential prophets.
Jesus. John. David the King. Samuel. Each of these men is pivotal in the Biblical narrative, and each of their stories begins with a mother and with a miracle.
Consider this also: within most societies, we commemorate people’s birthdays. We celebrate the day a person’s mother gave birth, and brought them into this world.
Is not every birth in its own way a miracle? The creation of a new life, a new human being, surely must be counted as one of God’s greatest miracles, and it is made no less great by being a common and daily occurrence in the world. Every birth begins with a woman—begins with a mother—carrying the unborn child within her until the child is ready to take their place in the world. The miracle of life is first the miracle of motherhood.
It is a fitting start to the Gospel story of Jesus that we begin with Mary, and it is a fitting start to the Gospel story of His kinsman John the Baptist that we begin with Elizabeth. How could there be a better beginning to the greatest stories told of God than the greatest of God’s miracles, that of motherhood and childbirth?
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus into this world. One could draw an analogy between this season of Advent, with its expectations and anticipations of the Christmas holiday, and Mary carrying the unborn Jesus, with all the expectations and anticipations that doubtless were felt by Mary the young mother-to-be.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus into this world, we should pause to celebrate Mary’s motherhood as well.
The miracle of Jesus’ birth is also the miracle of Mary’s motherhood, chosen by God to deliver Jesus the Son of God into the world.
That John the Baptist stood ready to baptize Jesus into His ministry here on earth is a miracle, and it is also the miracle of Elizabeth’s motherhood, chosen by God to bring John into the world, that he might complete his ministry of preparation.
Two women. Two mothers. Two miracles. That is how the Gospel narrative of Jesus Christ begins.
It is a fitting beginning.
Without mothers, there are no infants, there are no children, there are no people.
Without Mary, Jesus would not be born as a man and raised up as a man.
Without Elizabeth, John would not be born and would not have stood ready to baptize Jesus into His minstry here on earth.
Mary is an essential first part to the story of Jesus.
Elizabeth is an essential first part to the story of John the Baptist.
The essential first part of every person’s story is the story of their mother. The promise and potential that is within every newborn is the particular gift of mothers everywhere to the world.
The miracle of Jesus’ birth is the miracle of Mary’s motherhood.
The miracle of John the Baptist’s birth is the miracle of Elizabeth’s motherhood.
The miraculous lives of both here on earth began, and were made possible, by the miracle that is motherhood.
Two women. Two mothers. Two miracles. That is how the Gospel narrative of Jesus Christ begins.
With Christmas Day almost here, with the day we set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus into the world nearly at hand, I wish to celebrate Mary, the mother of Jesus. I wish to celebrate Elizabeth her kinswoman, the mother of John the Baptist, whose destiny it was to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry here on earth. I wish to celebrate motherhood, without which we would have no miracles, no people, and no stories of any kind.
I pray that you also will take a moment to celebrate Mary, the mother of Jesus. I pray you also will take a moment to celebrate Elizabeth her kinswoman, the mother of John the Baptist. I pray you also will celebrate motherhood, and celebrate the miracle that is motherhood.
Christmas is the beginning of the story of Jesus, the Son of God. It is the beginning of the story of His ministry on earth. It is the beginning of the miracle of His death and Resurrection, by which all mankind is redeemed.
The Christmas story itself begins with the story of Mary. The Christmas story itself begins with the story of Elizabeth.
Two women. Two mothers. Two miracles. And so the story begins.
A beautiful account of Elizabeth and Mary. I love the part John jumping at the sound of Mary’s voice while Elizabeth is still pregnant. Oh, the details woven within. Only the touch of the creator. Psalm 8
Begins….
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Peace and Merry Christmas 🎄
In the quantum realm, energy interacts in many amazing ways. There is ‘action at a distance’, particles are ‘entangled’, and energy interacts with ‘consciousness’. To sum up boatloads of quantum physics, there does indeed appear to be pathways and mechanisms through which God’s intentions can be manifested, resulting in what we consider to be miracles. Maybe a great many of the results we experience are thus God’s miracles, and they are happening all the time. Some are for your benefit, Peter - I believe it!
Einstein reportedly stated that there are two ways to look at life: as if nothing is a miracle or as if everything is a miracle. I believe that if you trust in God’s plan, everything is a miracle.