We have been thinking about the question, “Where have all our heroes gone?” As we look for heroes who have endured, we find that in the Biblical narrative they are often the most unlikely people. We have looked at Daniel and now we look at Elizabeth and Mary in the light of two Biblical texts – Isaiah 7:14 -15, which reads:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.”
And also Luke 1:39-56, which includes the Song of Mary, known as “The Magnificat”:
“And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. And his mercy is unto generations and generations On them that fear him. He hath showed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. He hath put down princes from their thrones, And hath exalted them of low degree. The hungry he hath filled with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath given help to Israel his servant, That he might remember mercy (As he spoke unto our fathers) Toward Abraham and his seed for ever. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house.”
One of the common themes in the literature of heroes is that heroes bring out heroism in others. We have already seen how the Daniel story inspired the Hebrew people to resist the ravages of Antiochus Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire (168 BC). It seems that there is a connection among heroes and that in the literature of heroes we often find different characters assuming one of three different roles by providing:
• The heroic deed that shows possibilities
• The heroic words that inspire action
• The heroic act that breaks new ground
In fact, when we previously looked at international heroes from the 1960s we can see exactly this pattern among three of the individuals whom we mentioned:
• The heroic deed that shows possibilities: Yuri Gagarin – 1st person in space – 1961 – Hero of the Soviet Union
• The heroic words that inspire action: John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963) – “…this nation should commit itself to … landing a man on the moon.” [May 25, 1961]
• The heroic act that breaks new ground: Neil Armstrong – July 21, 1969 – “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”
The heroes in Luke’s Gospel, whose stories are writ large in the text are John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. Each undertakes the heroic acts that break new ground and are willing to lay down their lives to fulfill their heroic tasks. And so we might ask that if John and Jesus undertake “the heroic acts(s) that break new ground”, then who is it in Luke’s Gospel who fulfills the other roles? Who undertakes “the heroic deed that shows possibilities” and who speaks “heroic words that inspire action”?
Enter Elizabeth and Mary! The build up to today’s =narrative shows that:
• Zechariah – Elizabeth’s husband – is a priest (1:5)
• Elizabeth is “of the daughters of Aaron” (1:5) and hence an acceptable wife for a priest.
• “They had no child … both were advanced in years” (1:7); c.f. Sarah; Hannah
• Gabriel appeared to Zechariah (1:11-23)
• Elizabeth conceived and “hid herself for 5 months” (1:24)
And then , in the sixth month:
• Gabriel appeared to Mary, “a virgin”, in Nazareth (1:26)
• Mary was “betrothed” to Joseph (1:27)
• Gabriel told Mary she “will conceive … bear a son … call his name Jesus” (1:31)
• Mary questioned Gabriel as she “has no husband” (1:34) and is reassured (1:35); c.f Leviticus 20:10
• Gabriel told Mary about her “kinswoman”, Elizabeth (1:36)
And so Mary went to see Elizabeth in “the hill country” … “a city of Judah” (1:39) [c.f. Samuel’s parents described as from “the hill country” of Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1)] Mary greeted Elizabeth and when Elizabeth heard, the baby “leaped in her womb” and she was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (1:40-41):
• “leaping” – a way of expressing joy. c.f. King David “leaping and dancing” (2 Samuel 6:16)
• In the Hebrew worldview, unborn children were seen as responsive to stimuli, able to respond and even sing . c.f. Rebekkah’s unborn twin’s Esau and Jacob, “struggled in her womb” (Genesis 25:22)
• “filled with the Holy Spirit” – an expression associated with prophecy, divine illumination and insight; the Essenes associated this idea with God’s purification of his people in the fullness of time
So what Elizabeth said next was prophetic in nature… “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!” (1:42). Those familiar with the Catholic tradition will recognize here the origins of the “Hail Mary”:
“Hail [Mary], full of grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
The first part is from Luke 1:28 and 1:42 while the ending was added much later, probably at the Council of Trent (1545-63).
Elizabeth made reference to “the mother of my Lord” (1:43) and it is noteworthy that Lord (kyrios) was used in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) to translate “YHWH”, the name of God.
Mary’s response is “The Magnificat”, which has parallels with the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) and appears to contain at least 15 quotes from and allusions to various Psalms.
E. Stanley Jones, the famous American preacher wrote, “The Magnificat is the most revolutionary document in the world”. He, and others over the years, have seen it as a manifesto for:
• A moral revolution
• A social revolution
• An economic revolution
The call for a a moral revolution is seen in, “He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts” (1:51):
• Pride as a source of sin
• Foreshadows the teachings of Jesus on servanthood and humility
• Opens a door to a new way of being
The call for a social revolution is proclaimed as, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree” (1:52):
• A comment on the fate of the Roman rulers of Israel
• Foreshadows the teachings of Jesus on “the first shall be last”
• Restores dignity to the downtrodden
And the call for an economic revolution is revealed i
n, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (1:53):
• A comment on the structure of Roman society
• Foreshadows the teachings of Jesus on “worship of Mammon”
• Restores hope to the poor
We see here the “the heroic words that inspire action” and the two women engaged in this exchange were of course those who undertook “the heroic deed that shows possibilities”. They bore and raised John and Jesus and the echoes of their “manifesto” are seen clearly in the words and actions of John and Jesus as they assume responsibility for “the heroic act that breaks new ground”. See the pattern set in The Magnificat as it reappears in the words/deeds of John:
• A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (3:3)
• “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (3:4b)
• “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (3:11)
• He “preached good news to the people” (3:18)
And then again in the words of Jesus:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (4:18-19).
It seems our call as Christians is to follow the example of Elizabeth and Mary:
• Like Elizabeth and Mary – carry the light into the dark places of the world
• Like Elizabeth and Mary – speak words that inspire and motivate others
There are many dark places in the world and many ways to carry the light. The example is set for us by a teenage girl and an elderly woman. Carry the light – speak the word!