The Testimony of the Two Mothers

For with God nothing will be impossible.

Luke 1:37

I love December and the focus it brings on the story of Jesus. I wish the world would pay as much attention to the cross as it does the manger; but, the story of God's intervention in human history begins in the first chapter of the gospel of Luke. It is the story of two women who are cousins. One is old and well past child bearing age. The other is a young virgin. God intervenes in the lives of these two women to declare and affirm his arrival through, not one; but, two miracles. It was not the first time that an older woman well past her prime had born a son with God's help. Issac was the child of Sara and Abram that was born of the promise of God's covenant to bless all of mankind through their seed. Sara thought this was so funny she laughed at God's revelation. Later, her laughter created the name for her son, Issac, which means "he laughs". Issac later went on to become the father of Jacob whose name was changed by God to "Israel".

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, hid herself for 5 months when she discovered her pregnancy as foretold by the angel Gabriel to her husband, Zechariah. It was Gabriel's revelation to Mary that is quoted in Luke 1:37 above. I find it humorous that God chose two women to bear his testimony. One old and one who was very young. And, lest we think that women cannot testify, the Bible says that each of them was "filled by the Holy Spirit" and spoke prophetically in Luke 1:41-55:

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, 52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."

The promise made to Abraham was fulfiled in the birth of the Messiah. And, the promise of God to Abraham that through his seed all nations of the world would be blessed was initiated by the acceptance of Mary to do what God asked. The reality is that each day every person who lives upon this planet called earth is asked by God to do His will on earth as it is done in heaven. In this age, we don't have an angel who delivers that message. Indeed, the message of the gospel has now been entrusted to the apostles and the church to be proclaimed among all the nations upon earth. But, when one accepts the message of the kingdom within one's heart, the believer will experience the same spirit of God that rejoices and is magnified within the soul of every individual believer who repents and confesses the name of Jesus as both Lord and Savior. Elizabeth and Mary were very special servants of God. But, they were humans just like us. The miracle of birth is repeated in every generation. Yet, these two women experienced something very different that punctuates God's intervention in the history of the world. Away in a manger, the story begins to unfold.