Anchor My Faith

Title: Mary Returns Home Pregnant (Luke 1:53-56)

Mary continues her song of praise: “he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53 ESV). As an expression of his mercy, God has provided food for the poor and needy who have come to him with humble hearts, but the rich who have all they need, come to him in their pride and seek more. Sometimes God not only withholds from filling the request of the rich, but he may actually take away from them through some disaster. We see this in Proverbs 23:5 (NLT): “In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.” From the time I spent living in China, it seems better to be poor and have to rely on God for our needs, than to be rich and forget to depend on him. There is so much we don’t learn about God and about relying on him when we have the resources to meet our own needs.

Mary continues: “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever” (Luke 1:54 – 55 ESV). When his people, the Israelites, were in danger of falling or being overthrown, he would come to them in their humility. This is clearly seen in Isaiah 41:8 – 9 (ESV): “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off.””

Mary visit with Elizabeth has lasted for some time and it is now time to return home and break the news that she is already three months pregnant. “And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home” (Luke 1:56 ESV). It was in the sixth month that Gabriel came to Mary and when she went to visit with Elizabeth. If Mary stayed for about three months, then Elizabeth would be nine months along in her pregnancy. What remains unclear, and is not answered in Scripture, is the exact time of May’s departure. Was it before or after John was born. If I try to think like a woman to answer this I would conclude that she stayed until after the birth.

The mention of three months for Mary’s pregnancy is important because that was the time period required by Jewish doctors to know whether a woman is with child or not. Mary is to return home with the knowledge that she is pregnant and surely Joseph, to whom she was betrothed, will perceive that she was with child and suspect that she had committed evil. We will learn in a future lesson that he had decided to put her away privately, but was informed by an angel of God, in a dream, of what had taken place and was advised and encouraged to take her as his wife, which he did.

Prayer

Father, what a special time Mary had with Elizabeth, but that is now over and she is going home three months pregnant and by faith she will have to trust you to keep her alive since everyone will think she has committed a sin while visiting Elizabeth that is worthy of death. Father, your assignment to Mary is a good example that some of your assignments do not come with safety and comfort that we are used to here in the west. You may ask us to go and do something with no guarantee of a safe return. Many in the middle east are sent out to witness who do not return.