Joel M Bradshaw

39In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”–Luke 1

1. Mary was pregnant, and she visited Elizabeth, who was also pregnant.
2. This is a rare scene in Scripture. The unborn baby John the Baptist is the focus of our attention.
3. I said the word baby on purpose, and the Gospel writer Luke agrees with me.
4. He used the Greek word brephos 4 times. 2 in this story to describe life in the womb. And the other 2 times in the Christmas story to describe Jesus in the manger. “You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes…”.
5. So, for the record, Luke used the same word to describe life both inside the womb and outside the womb. I do the same thing. I will ask a pregnant friend how her baby is doing. After her child is born, I still ask her how her baby is doing.
6. And in the Bible, the first person–yes, person–to recognize Jesus was an unborn baby inside his mother’s womb. The moment was so significant that Elizabeth processed everything theologically.
7. Luke considered both prenatal life and postnatal life to be worthy of the same word. Mary was pregnant with a baby and would give birth to a baby. Biological terms may make certain distinctions for developmental stages, but life is still life. Both the baby outside the womb and inside the womb are precious and should be protected. Elizabeth’s unborn baby celebrated Mary’s unborn baby. Such a unique moment in Scripture!–JMB