39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:39–45, ESV)
Here we come to the second episode in which Elizabeth appears. It occurred after the angel Gabriel met with a relative of Elizabeth, Mary, telling the young virgin that she would give birth to the Messianic descendent of David, who would sit on the throne forever. Even without knowing a man sexually, Mary would bear the Son of God. And, since Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was also pregnant, Mary took a trip to visit Elizabeth. When Mary arrives, the muted Zechariah is nowhere to be seen, but Elizabeth comes forward. Mary isn't even showing yet, but when these two women greet one another, prenatal John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elizabeth's womb due to the presence of prenatal Jesus (41, 44). And Elizabeth begins to prophesy by declaring Mary and the baby within her are blessed (42). Elizabeth looked within both wombs and had spiritual insight into John's joy and Jesus' identity. And in humility, Elizabeth wondered aloud why she was granted a visit by the mother of her Lord (43). Then she extolled Mary for her belief that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord (45). This interchange is nothing short of majestic!
Elizabeth became God's voice of comfort, encouragement, and confirmation to Mary, who was on an impossible mission. Who else could Mary talk to about her predicament? Her other thirteen-year-old friends? Her parents? Yeah, right. There wasn't a soul alive that would understand—except Elizabeth. And when Mary came through the door, Elizabeth, by the Spirit, was ready. She flooded Mary's ears with words and truths that would fill the young girl with even more faith. If there was a doubt in Mary's mind, the fact that the aged Elizabeth could "see" the unseen baby in her womb and worship him as her Lord would have meant the world to Mary. Indeed, Elizabeth was the perfect friend in Mary's time of need. She was willing to serve as God's mouthpiece to a troubled young soul. She didn't pull the rank of her age, marital status, or even that she was much further along than Mary. Humbly, she served this young girl with the truth. And it was just what the young mother of the Son of God needed. In one robust study, researchers discovered that young people who have close friends at church have much more success engaging with their church, studying the Bible, and serving God. They found that "as the number of close friends (at church) gets closer to five, so does the likelihood" they will walk with God. This is why every one of us needs a friend like Elizabeth from time to time. So every one of us should be willing to be a friend like Elizabeth at all times. But we especially need godly friendships if we find ourselves in a Mary-like situation, freshly committed to a life dedicated to God. This holds up to the importance of friendship, as stated in Scripture. The Bible says:
"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice." (Proverbs 27:9, NIV) And: "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." (Proverbs 27:17, NLT) And as Pastor Tim Challies wrote, "Examine your friendships. Not all friendships are helpful because not all friendships are truly spiritual. Many Christian men spend all of their time with those who don’t know Christ, robbing their own soul of the benefits of a spiritual friendship. Examine your friendships to ensure you have friends who are wise and that you are not spending inordinate amounts of time with fools."