Women Of Christmas, pt. 1: Elizabeth (Luke 1)
For this Christmas season—Advent—over the next three Sundays, I would like us to consider some of the women of Christmas. All of them are found in Luke's gospel. First, we will consider Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary. Second, we will consider Mary, the young virgin who became the blessed mother of our Lord. And third, we will consider Anna, the elderly widow who daily waited for the Messiah in the Jewish temple and celebrated when she saw Jesus.
In some ways, these three women could not be more different from one another. Elizabeth had been happily married for many years. A settled and mature woman, she had found her niche in Israelite society. Mary was her opposite, very young and not yet married. She was still only around thirteen years old, but the short lifespans of that time meant women married and began having children much earlier in life, so she was already engaged to be married. And Anna was eighty-four, older than both of these women, having been granted an abnormally long life (for that era). She had been married, but her husband had died seven years into their marriage, and for approximately sixty years, she devoted her life to God. So we have an upper-middle-aged married woman, an unmarried teenage woman, and an elderly widow.
But for all their differences, they did have something in common. They all loved and were dedicated to God. They all hoped in him. They all waited for the Redeemer to arrive. They all craved the coming of the Messiah. They were all steeped in the Old Testament Scriptures. They all loved the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.
And they all lived in a dark period in Israel's history. By the time Luke tells the story, Israel's days of glory were only a distant memory, and their newest oppressor had a dominating grip on the entire world. God's people, who had at one time been delivered from the whips of Pharaoh and victors in the Promised Land, were now toiling as a vassal state under the watchful eye of the Roman Caesar. Even Israel's prophets had ceased speaking. For 400 years, God had been silent with them. In his last and final word with them, God said the prophet Elijah would return and prepare them for the Lord by leading them into a period of revival (Malachi 4). But, as the years ticked by, barely anyone held out hope that Elijah would come. And this is where the story began.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
A Trial In Any Era, A Devastating One In Hers
So here we have our first woman, Elizabeth, along with her husband, Zechariah (5). Zechariah was active as a priest. Both of them belonged to the family line of the priests. And both of them loved and served God, blamelessly walking in God's commandments (6).
But Luke is quick to point out their trial—they were advanced in years, but they had no child (7). This could be painful in any era, but it would have been an especially devastating in theirs. It was all about family in those days. Your children were your heritage, your safety net, your mission. But every time Zechariah and Elizabeth read Psalm 127's "the fruit of the womb is a divine reward," it would have stung. No matter what they tried, they could not conceive, and Elizabeth bore the blame (7, Elizabeth was barren).[^1]
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.” (Luke 1:5–23, ESV)
Her Husband's Story
Zechariah was given the rare opportunity to offer a priestly prayer in the temple. While there, he was visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel told Zechariah that his prayer had been heard—he and Elizabeth would have a child. And this child would have a special calling. He would come in Elijah's power and spirit, fulfilling Malachi's ancient predictions. He would be named John, and he would spark a revival in Israel. He would prepare the way for the Lord. And because his mission was important, John would live an ascetic life, never drinking alcohol of any kind.
Zechariah struggled to believe the angel's promise. And the angel struggled to believe Zechariah's doubt. So, partly as a punishment but mostly as a sign, Zechariah was muted until John's birth. For nine months, his last words were words of unbelief. When John was born, God would unleash Zechariah's tongue, and his next words would be a song of faith.
But now we come to Elizabeth:
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” (Luke 1:24–25, ESV)
There are three episodes in which Elizabeth speaks, and this is the first. After hiding herself for five months, she began to declare God's praises. We don't know her motivation for hiding at first. Perhaps she hid out of embarrassment, knowing it would have been awkward for her to claim to be pregnant at her age. Maybe she wanted to wait until it was obviously true. Many women in undeveloped parts of the world, without ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, suffer from pseudocyesis. It's a condition that happens when a woman wants a baby so badly that her brain begins tricking her body into responding as if she is pregnant—a false pregnancy.[^2] And maybe Elizabeth had seen (or even endured) such a thing and wanted to be sure the angel's prediction had come to pass.
1. She Committed To God (Luke 1:5-25)
But what I want you to see, from her words and her life, is that she had committed herself to God. Had she been like most, she would have abandoned God long ago. Instead, Elizabeth hoped in God, not only for a child but for Elijah's days of revival. In the darkness of her time, she cried out to God, right along with her godly husband, for God to revive his work among his people.
It is important to note that though they were righteous and obedient to God, they were not immune from trials. This is a far cry from modern, twisted versions of Christianity, where obedience to God must lead to health and prosperity. And though many have graduated from believing God will give you a private jet, big hair, and designer clothing, many still believe God owes them an Instagram-worthy life if they walk with him. At the very least, God, you could give me good abs.
But Elizabeth (and Zechariah) were godly and in a painful trial. And they might have wondered, "Why isn't God blessings us?" But God was blessing them.
The parents of John the Baptist had to be prepared for a responsibility that big. Like Hannah in the Old Testament, as the years of Elizabeth's infertility clicked by, she came to the point where she'd be willing to give God her child if he let her have one. A younger mother might not have as easily parted with her son went he went out to the far reaches of the wilderness to spend time with God—don't be so radical, son. There are other, safer ways to serve God. Join your father and me in the temple!
But, when the time came, Elizabeth would certainly commit John to God—she was that type of woman. We know this because even when things were very hard, she committed her own self and body to God.
Elizabeth's commitment to God stands out as an exhortation for us today. In times of personal or societal darkness, we must also remain committed to our Lord. We must do what she did. The last prophetic word had told them to obey the Scripture and to wait for revival and, ultimately, the arrival of the Son of God (Mal. 4:1-6). We can—and must—do the same. If we do, whether in this life or the next, God will take away our reproach from us (25).
James wrote:
"You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful" (Jas. 5:11).
Perhaps you haven't heard of the biblical character named Job. He was righteous before God, and his life was infinitely blessed. But God allowed all the external peace and safety and health in Job's life to evaporate. Job entered into the worst of trials. But he endured, and at the end of his story, God doubled the blessings he'd previously had. And James said, "you have seen the purpose of the Lord."
But what was the Lord's purpose for Job? Job's beginning is everyone's beginning. But Job's ending is not everyone's ending. Job's story had a beautiful beginning, a horrible middle, and an incredible ending. That is human history in a nutshell. We had a beautiful beginning, created by a loving God. And though there is much to love about life and love on this planet, we are living through the terrible middle right now. And, if we trust God—trust in Jesus' work on the cross—we can enjoy an incredible ending.
Brothers and sisters, like Job and Elizabeth, remain faithful. They were committed to God during the darkest days, and so should we, for the light is coming. As Paul said:
"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:17)
But let's jump forward to the second episode Elizabeth appears. It occurred after 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.
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)
This interchange is nothing short of majestic. 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).
2. She Transmitted For God (Luke 1:39-45)
In all this, Elizabeth transmitted for God. She became God's voice of comfort, encouragement, and confirmation to a young woman 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.
Truly, Elizabeth was the perfect friend in Mary's time of need. She was willing to serve as God's mouthpiece to a young and troubled soul. She didn't pull the rank of her age, marital status, or even that she was so 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.
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 of dedication to God.
Especially if we are young. 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. What they found is that "as the number of close friends (at church) gets closer to five, so does the likelihood" they will walk with God.[^3]
The holds up to the importance of friendship as state 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)
To men—and I think it applies to all of us—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."[^4]
So Elizabeth committed to and transmitted for God, but there is one more episode in which she speaks. It came eight days after John's birth. That was the day Jewish boys were circumcised, and at that ceremony, the parents would name the baby.
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. (Luke 1:51–66, ESV)
Something fascinating happened when it came time to name this miracle baby. Because Zechariah couldn't speak, the friends and family assumed they could name the baby (and you think you've got presumptuous relatives!). And even though it wasn't common to do such a thing in that culture, they decided to name the baby after Zechariah. Maybe they thought this baby would be a new Zechariah, serving in the temple instead of his disabled dad.
But Elizabeth spoke up and said, "No, he shall be called John," revealing that she and Zechariah had somehow communicated about what the angel had told him in the temple nine months earlier (60). She might've been wiped out from labor and a week of sleepless nights, but she was ready to put her foot down. No! He's not a Zechariah. His name is John!
3. She Submitted To God (Luke 1:57-66)
When Elizabeth said this, she was submitting to God. And she was submitting to more than the name God picked for her child, but the calling God picked for her child. She was an elder mother, and this baby satisfied a longing of many years. But she knew she could not keep him. He had to live a life in the Spirit, a life often driven into the wilderness. It had been years since Israel had a prophet. And Elizabeth knew what they did to prophets, but she resisted all urges to keep the baby for herself. She submitted to God's plan.
As I said earlier, God had prepared this woman for this level of submission. Her theology of pain was fully developed at this point. She was not expecting an easy life. She knew the light would eventually break through, but she was willing to embrace the hardship required to get to that point.
The Psalms say, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth" (Psalm 127:4). And Elizabeth was willing to see John this way—a weapon in God's hands!
I think she might have realized the wisdom of God in not allowing her a child in her "youth," but only in her older age. Because they were in their latter years, Zechariah and Elizabeth were likely long dead by the time John's public ministry was in full steam. They were probably spared from the news of his arrest, imprisonment, and gruesome death at the hands of Herod—things no parent should have to witness.
How about us? Are we willing to submit to God? When other voices collude to try to get us to do something in disobedience to him, do we put our foot down? Do we use the magic word Elizabeth used?—No! We should because we cannot say yes to God unless we say no to many things that will come our way.
Conclusion
So Elizabeth was a woman after God's own heart, a woman who lived in fear of the Lord, and through her body, the dawn of the gospel began to break. Her steadfast hope in God, her prophetic counsel as a messenger for God, and her determined obedience to God all paved the way for the Son of God.
Let's emulate Elizabeth by walking righteously even while still in the dark. This Christmas season, as we consider the beauty of the first advent, we still look forward to the second. All is not as it should be. And all is not as it will be once Christ returns. When he does, he will lift our reproach from us. Brokenness will not remain. We will be redeemed by our Lord.
One of the most celebrated facets of this time of year is the warmth and joy of friendships and family. Movies and music often portray, amid the darkness and cold, glowing lights and relational warmth. But it is getting harder and harder to believe the hype. We cannot forget the animosity, despair, and brokenness of our time. Nor can we forget our own disappointments, times when life is anything but what Hallmark portrays.
But rather than be disgusted by the hype, realize it is the guttural cry of humanity for something we cannot attain on our own. We want peace on earth. We want goodwill toward man. We want goodness and joy to permeate all things. And so does Christ. One day, he will return and banish sin, pain, brokenness, and injustice for his people. The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and he will reign forever (Malachi 4:2). So let's be like Elizabeth, faithfully walking with God while hoping in God, using this Christmas season as another signpost to a more glorious age to come.
[^1]: Higgs, Liz Curtis. The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna. Waterbrook Press, 2013. [^2]: Watson, S. (n.d.). False pregnancy (pseudocyesis): Causes, symptoms, and tests. WebMD. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/baby/false-pregnancy-pseudocyesis [^3]: Powell, Kara, et al. Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church. Baker Books, 2016. [^4]: Challies, Tim. Run to Win: The Lifelong Pursuits of a Godly Man. Cruciform Press, 2018.