LUKE 1:24 – 56: MARY AND ELIZABETH
© Rosemary Bardsley 2025
Luke reports that when Elizabeth became pregnant her response was gratitude to God for his grace to her in taking away her ‘disgrace among the people’ (1:24, 25). No longer would she feel unworthy and unblessed because she was childless.
A. GABRIEL AND MARY – 1:26 – 38
Because Luke is working through these events in chronological order the next thing he writes about in chapter one is Gabriel’s visit and message to Mary, which occurred in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
From verses 28 to 37:
What did Gabriel say about Mary?
What did he say about the identity of the child she would conceive?
What did he say about how this conception would take place?
A.1 About Mary
When Gabriel greeted Mary he said ‘you who are highly favoured. The Lord is with you’ – verse 28. Then ‘you have found favour with God’ – verse 30. As humans, we tend to assume that the angel is commending Mary for some worthiness or virtue that singled her out from everyone else, and that was the reason for God’s choice of her. But such a conclusion cuts right across the meaning of the verb and the noun that Gabriel used. Both are about ‘grace’ – about undeserved, unmerited favour, a favour that is a gift, not a reward:
‘you who are highly favoured ...’ uses the verb charitoo. ‘You have found favour with God’ uses the noun charis. Charis is the word Paul used repeatedly to refer to ‘grace’ – a gift freely given, something quite undeserved, unmerited, unearned.
From these words used by God’s messenger, we are to understand that Mary was chosen for this role and responsibility by God’s will, God’s choice, God’s pleasure. God had been preparing her – this descendent of Eve, of Abraham, of David, this inhabitant of Nazareth, since the beginning of time, for this time, this moment, this grace: to be the human mother of his incarnate Son, through whom he would accomplish the salvation planned from before the beginning of time.
Comparison and contrast: Mary and Zechariah – Luke 1:29 – 38; 12 – 20.
At first glance, there seems to be similarity between Mary and Zechariah when unexpectedly confronted by the angel Gabriel. But when we look more carefully we become aware of significant differences:
Zechariah’s response was to the angel’s presence; Mary’s response was to his words.
Zechariah was ‘troubled’; Mary was ‘greatly troubled’.
Zechariah was gripped with fear; Mary wondered what Gabriel’s greeting meant.
Zechariah doubted that what Gabriel announced would actually eventuate; Mary was puzzled as to how what Gabriel announced would eventuate.
Zechariah received a reprimand because of his unbelief; Mary received an answer to her question.
Zechariah was silenced; Mary responded with submission.
A.2 About Mary’s child
From Gabriel’s message and explanation we can list a number of truths about Mary’s child:
His name, that is, his human name, is to be ‘Jesus’ – this is a form of ‘Joshua’, which means God saves.
He will be ‘great’. This seems rather an understatement, but his greatness is still yet to be fully realised – when he returns in power and glory, and every knee bows, and every tongue confesses that he is indeed the Lord of all.
He will be called ‘the Son of the Most High’, ‘the Son of God’, because that is who he is, and that is what is proclaimed in the Gospel. In this the true and full deity of Jesus is affirmed. It is this truth with which Mark begins his Gospel (Mark 1:1), and it is the communication and proof of this truth that was John’s motive in writing his Gospel (John 20:31).
He will be in the line of David, and reign on David’s throne. His kingdom will be eternal. [Note that these link this child with God’s covenant with David.]
To Mary, it seemed impossible that she, a virgin, could have a child. She couldn’t understand how that could happen. But Gabriel’s explanation – that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would come upon her – included the addendum ‘Nothing is impossible with God.’ What Zechariah had doubted – that Elizabeth would become pregnant – was already six months underway.
B. ELIZABETH – 1:39 – 45
There are two miraculous occurrences in these seven verses:
[1] That Elizabeth’s unborn baby (John the Baptist) knew that he was in the presence of the Lord – he ‘leaped for joy’.
[2] That Elizabeth, empowered by the Holy Spirit, knew that the baby in Mary’s womb was her Lord.
And there are three levels of blessedness here:
[1] That Elizabeth considers herself ‘blessed’ because Mary, ‘the mother of my Lord’, has come to stay with her;
[2] That Mary is ‘blessed’ among women, that is, above all other women; and ‘blessed’ in believing what the Lord said to her would be accomplished;
[3] That the child in Mary’s womb is ‘blessed’.
C. MARY’S SONG – 1:46 – 56
Read Luke 1:46 – 56. What truths about God attract Mary’s praise?
Luke reports the words of the song that Mary sang in response to Elizabeth’s words, about God’s blessing her with the responsibility of bearing this child. It is a song of praise and thankfulness to God in anticipation of the salvation that would be accomplished through the child within her. So certain was Mary of this saving action of God that she spoke of it as already in place.
For Mary, salvation was largely understood in physical concepts, and in keeping with the Old Testament perception of physical blessedness for the physical descendants of Abraham. But even the Old Testament believers, including Mary when she sang this song, knew that there was a far greater blessedness than physical well-being. Far above and beyond such earth-bound blessedness was the blessedness of a right relationship with God, a blessedness that persists even in the absence of physical blessings.
As we think about Mary’s song let us look past the physical symbols of blessedness to spiritual blessedness they symbolise. Let us make Mary’s song our song ... a song of praise springing up out of the present and eternal blessedness that those who believe in him have in and through this child, this Saviour, Jesus Christ, son of Mary, Son of God.
C.1 Mary’s song and us
Because of this Child, this Saviour:
Our souls glorify the Lord. We know, in a way that Mary never knew when she sang this song, the grand and glorious plan of spiritual salvation that God has accomplished through this Child – through his sinless human life and through his substitutionary, sin-bearing death.
What do these verses say about this? (Luke 1:46)
Romans 15:6
1Corinthians 10:31
Galatians 6:14
Philippians 3:3
1Peter 2:9
Our spirits rejoice in God our Saviour. Without this Child, without the reconciling impact of his death, we were barred from God’s presence by our sin and guilt, and afraid of his just judgement. But now, because of this Child, we are no longer barred and no longer afraid. The way into his presence has been opened for us, and we have received from him a declaration of full acquittal.
How do these verses express this joy? (Luke 1:47)
Matthew 27:50,51
Romans 4:5
Romans 5:1,11
Romans 8:33
Philippians 3:1; 4:4;
Colossians 1:19-20
1Peter 1:8
God has been mindful of our helpless and hopeless state, and in an action of immeasurable compassion, fully understanding our personal inability to save ourselves, has in this Child done all that is necessary for our complete salvation.
How is God’s undeserved compassion on us described in these verses? (Luke 1:48)
Romans 3:19-21
Romans 5:6,8,10
Colossians 2:10
Because of what this Child has accomplished God himself calls us blessed, indeed he tells us that he has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. (Luke 1:48)
What do you learn about this blessedness from these verses?
Romans 4:6-8
Ephesians 1:3
So great are the things that he has done for us that we cannot fully understand and describe them, for they are beyond description, beyond the ability of our finite minds to fully comprehend.
What does the New Testament affirm about the greatness of God’s love and actions? (Luke 1:49)
Romans 11:33-36
Ephesians 3:8
Ephesians 3:17b-21
His mercy extends to us. The merit which we thought we had to provide, but knew we never could, has no place in our relationship with him. In his great mercy he himself provides for us what we ourselves could never provide: the perfect righteousness of this Child, this Christ, credited to us, and the total force of his wrath and condemnation borne for us by this Child.
What do these verses teach about God’s mercy? (Luke 1:50)
Luke 18:13-14
Romans 9:30-10:4
Ephesians 2:4,5
1Peter 1:3
1Peter 2:10
He has defeated the one in whose dark dominion we were held captive, rescuing us in and through the victory of this Child.
How is the victory of Christ over Satan described in these verses? (Luke 1:51, 52)
John 12:30-32
Colossians 1:13
Colossians 2:15
He has filled us with good things: for this Child whom he has given to us is the Bread of Life, and the fountain of living water, who permanently satisfies, so that spiritually, because we have received this Child, we never thirst and we never hunger ever again.
What do you learn about this spiritual sustenance and satisfaction from these verses? (Luke 1:53)
John 4:13,14
John 6:35, 48-51
He has helped us, the spiritual children of Abraham, who with faith like the faith of Abraham, are called ‘the Israel of God’, the recipients of God’s irrevocable mercy.
What does Paul say about the children of Abraham? (Luke 1:54, 55)
Romans 4
Galatians 3:6-14, 26-29
Galatians 6:16
Elizabeth said to Mary, just before she sang this song:
‘Blessed is she who has believed what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!’ (Luke 1:45).
We today know so much more than Mary did. We today know so much more about God’s eternal purpose which he accomplished for us through this Child, his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. How much more do Elizabeth’s words apply to all who by God’s grace believe in his Son:
How blessed are those who have believed all that the Lord has told us has been accomplished in and through this Saviour!