THROUGH THEIR EYES: PART 2: Elizabeth the Encourager. Luke 1

Encouragement is such an essential part of growth. The growth of ourselves. The growth of others. The growth of our faith. The growth of mission.

We need encouragement to develop healthily. It shouldn’t be hard to do more encouraging or to become a better encourager, yet I think some of us struggle with it. Whether we blame our culture, our upbringing, our personality or whatever it is that holds us back from encouraging others we must challenge it. Encouragement is biblical. It turns our view outward rather than about ourselves. It reminds people to keep going, to keep fighting and to keep being different from the world.

The word encouragement is found in the New Testament 105 times. Biblical encouragement is more than a compliment or praise but rather it is about growing something in another person. For example, the meaning of the word encourage literally means to build courage, courage in God (Riser, S.C). It refers more specifically to telling people things that they need to hear (Arman,J, 2013).

I love the demonstration of encouragement Elizabeth shows us.

Encouragement knows no bounds:

The relationship between Mary and Elizabeth is inspirational. We see clearly that Elizabeth is drawn to encourage Mary. Mary knows who she can turn to when she miraculously conceives. She goes to Elizabeth where she finds encouragement and joy! Elizabeth’s response to Mary’s conception is one of praise and admiration. There is this image of unity here. God draws these two women together to support one another. No-one else could empathise with their situation, there would have been much joy knowing someone else was also on this journey.

With this bond the women are demonstrating the disappearance of barriers that could have prevented this friendship. These women are from completely different life stages, Mary likely in her teens and Elizabeth past her childbearing year, and yet they are drawn together to support one another. Christ came to bridge all of the gaps across our societies and here we see the diminishing of the generational gap (Oke,D, 2013).

Encouragement prepares the way:

Going on from the generational gap between these two women we also see the clear humility of Elizabeth. Although she was Mary’s elder she is blown away by the fact Mary carries her saviour. In fact when Elizabeth recognises Mary’s unborn child as her saviour she is actually making the first and female Christological confession within this gospel (Newsom & Ringe, 1998,p371). Elizabeth proclaims the transcendence of God over man.

The image of baby Jesus drawing these women together is such a stunning depiction of Christ’s body strengthening itself. These women are already living out the reality of the new covenant by encouraging one another, they are living out what we read in Hebrews 10; years before it was common knowledge. This also draws out the themes of this passage that are about looking to the future, Elizabeth is also seen doing that here, by recognising Jesus as the saviour.

Although Elizabeth here worships the unborn child she herself is an encouragement to Mary. She is carrying John who will go before Jesus. Elizabeth supports Mary in her early pregnancy mirroring the later image of John preparing his followers to leave him and follow Jesus (Tannehill, R, 2011). These women were preparing the way. Their actions are extremely significant and consequential. It demonstrates the intricacies of God’s plans and how encouraging it is to know that he deals in the impossible and yet it is so finely tuned and he chooses his workers carefully.

Encouragement lifts up:

In the Bible we see that Mary didn’t need to explain her condition to Elizabeth, she already knew. It is a clear depiction that in her words Elizabeth speaks such profound and beautiful truths over Mary. Mary knew she had to visit Elizabeth as we read she HASTES to see her not only would she understand but also because God had also worked the impossible in her too.

“God gave Mary the encouragement of Elizabeth’s miraculous old age conception not because Mary doubted but to provide an anchor for her faith” (MacArthur, 2009, p59)

Newsom & Ringe (1998,p371) remind us that in this context infertility was perceived to be the woman’s fault, a punishment for sin. We know that Elizabeth and Zac were righteous people and we have already learnt that Elizabeth knew barrenness was not God’s plan yet it doesn’t stop her from calling her barrenness “my disgrace among men” (Chapter 1:25) She may whisper her doubts but Elizabeth shouts her truths.

Yet, what an encouragement this image was to many women, Elizabeth’s conception was a depiction that it wasn’t her fault. More than that, God chose to use her to encourage Mary the mother of Christ and to also birth the child who would prepare the hearts of many of people to the coming of Jesus. Elizabeth incarnates the word encourage- to draw others to God, to draw courage. What an incredible God we have. He turned her shame into praise. She still refers to the shame of others and then we see her change in song when she sees Mary. She is a friend who Mary can trust and count on.

THROUGH THEIR EYES

Thursday, 6 April 2017

PART 2: Elizabeth the Encourager. Luke 1

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