Today we come to that portion of the broader Nativity
account known as “The Visitation.” Mary,
as soon as the Angel Gabriel is done with his announcement concerning the birth
of Christ, and as soon as Mary finishes singing her joyful “Magnificat”, she
hurries off to the hill country of Judea to visit her relative Elizabeth.
You can imagine young Mary had a lot on her mind. The words of the angel, the implications of
this pregnancy, not only for her own life, for her betrothal to Joseph, what
her friends and neighbors would think - but also the meaning of the angel’s
words – that this child would reign on the throne of his father David
forever. It was all so much, so much to
take in, and you can imagine why a young woman might seek out the company and
counsel of a trusted older relative.
And humanly speaking, Elizabeth would have been a good
person to call upon. After all, who else
could Mary go to for sage advice on an unexpected, miraculous pregnancy
foretold by an angel? These two women,
each with a miracle baby in her womb, they had a lot to talk about. And Mary did end up staying with her about
three months.
But perhaps most amazing about this visitation is there’s
another person involved – besides the two mothers and the two unborn babies –
you also see the Holy Spirit in action. And
with his work and his testimony, there’s so much more going on here than what
might outwardly appear. It’s not just
Mary visiting her relative for some good advice in an unusual situation. It’s God visiting and redeeming his people,
and giving a testimony to the incarnation of his son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
There’s no small talk.
From the moment Mary enters the door and says her hello, the action
begins. Elizabeth testifies to it:
“Behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy”
The baby Jesus isn’t even born yet, he’s barely been
conceived in Mary’s womb, and he’s already being recognized – and by another
unborn child, even!
Notice, Mary doesn’t first explain what has happened, she
didn’t send word ahead of time. She couldn’t text Elizabeth first and fill her
in, “hey the strangest thing happened to me….”
And unborn baby John certainly had no way of knowing any of
this. But by the power and working of
the Holy Spirit, even in the womb, he recognizes the Christ.
His faith is expressed in joy! He doesn’t just kick or twitch. Joy is the reaction of the faithful when the
Christ has come! So John begins his work
of pointing to Christ, which he will continue as an adult – preparing the way
for the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that many others may
see, hear, believe and rejoice!
You and I, along with every other Christian, also recognize
Jesus only by faith. We can’t understand
or explain how a virgin can conceive and bear a child. We can’t say why we are so blessed that our
Lord should come to us, except that it is by his grace. We, too, are called by the Holy Spirit,
working through the gospel, and sustained by the same. And we, too, rejoice at his coming, celebrate
his birth, and testify to others that we are blessed by his gracious
visitation.
That faith comes by hearing, and that hearing by the word of
God, and it is the Holy Spirit working in that word that does these great
things!
The Holy Spirit, who also filled the heart of Elizabeth and
gave her blessed words to say, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb!” Like John
himself, and like so many others, the Spirit testifies to Christ, in whom we
are blessed. He does it through the
words he gives to his various prophets and preachers, and even here through
Mary and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, also by the Holy Spirit, asks an important
rhetorical question: “And why is this
granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Embedded in this question is a confession, at least by
implication, of Elizabeth’s unworthiness, even of her sin. She is not deserving of this visitation, not of
the Lord, nor even of his mother. It
reminds us of when Zaccheus felt unworthy to receive the Christ, but Jesus
nonetheless declared, “I’m coming to your house today!” Or Peter, saying, “God away from me Lord, for
I am a sinful man!” But Jesus comes with
grace and mercy.
The whole world could echo Elizabeth’s question, “why is it
granted to us, that our Lord should visit us?”
Why, indeed! Why should God
bother to send us his son? Why should he
consider us at all? Why shouldn’t he
blot us out and be done with all our foolishness? Why not send the judgment we deserve?
But instead, by grace, from the foundation of the world, he
planned to pay us a visit. He provided
for our salvation. He sent his best, his
only son, the bright jewel of his crown – to be conceived of a virgin, born in
humble fashion, to learn and grow and work and serve, and to suffer and die and
rise – to visit and redeem his people.
As one Lenten hymn puts it, “Oh who am I, that for my sake,
my Lord should take frail flesh and die?”
But that is just what he has done.
And when the sound of it reaches our ears, our hearts,
filled by the Holy Spirit with faith, join John the Baptist and Elizabeth and
Mary. We rejoice. We sing for joy.
In fact, that’s what we are about here, at Messiah. Hearing, with joy, the Word of God, by which
the Holy Spirit works. Wondering that our
Lord would visit among us, sinful and lowly though we are. Receiving his gracious visitation in his
word, and in the meal of his presence, with his very own body and blood given
and shed for us, here, under humble forms of bread and wine. Blessed is the fruit of his cross! And blessed are we to receive it! For therein we have forgiveness, life and
salvation.
Who am I, that the Lord Jesus Christ has visited me? Blessed is the one who believes his word, and
receives his gracious visitation with joy!
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