Blessings

Hello everyone.

I'll continue my exegesis of Luke 1 with the story of a meeting between two pregnant women, neither of whom should be pregnant.  One is past child-bearing years and the other is a virgin.  Two miracles.  

So after the news from Gabriel, Mary goes immediately to the Judean hill country to see Elizabeth and to see the sign that God had given her of His ability to do the impossible. Upon entering the house, Mary offers Elizabeth her greeting, and this greeting brings responses from both Elizabeth and the child inside of her.  

As for John.  We are told by Gabriel in verse 15 that this child would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.  Here is evidence that John bares the Holy Spirit, because upon hearing Mary’s voice, John leaped within his mother’s womb. Implied here is that the Holy Spirit in the fetus was so excited that it jumped for joy. 

Elizabeth also responds to the greeting: It mentions that Elizabeth is also filled with the Holy Spirit here.  She states that Mary is blessed among women, implying all women, as the one who would give birth to the Lord.  She mentions the blessedness of Mary’s baby, as well, then wonders aloud why someone so important, the mother of her Lord, would be visiting her.  She also blessed Mary for her faith.  

Mary, as we have seen, has chosen to believe the impossible, that God would miraculously impregnate her with His son.  Elizabeth commended her for such faith.  

I notice that in English, Elizabeth uses the word ‘blessed’ three times. Two Greek words are often translated to ‘blessed.’  Εὐλογέω (eulogeo) is a verb that can mean to praise or to provide with benefits.  Both times Elizabeth uses the word here as participles, describing both Mary and Jesus as 'blessed.'  But which definition for a participle of Εὐλογέω does Elizabeth mean? Are they praiseworthy, or have they been provided with benefits?  The context would seem to indicate that that they praiseworthy. 

The other word that is often translated as 'blessed.' is μακαριον (makarion), which means ‘happy or fortunate.’ Μακαριον is used in verse 45.  So Elizabeth is saying something like, "Fortunate (or happy) is she who has believed that what the Lord has spoken will be fulfilled." Mary, in faith, has chosen to believe the impossible.  That makes her blessed in more ways than one. Elizabeth counts both Mary and Jesus as praiseworthy for the role that each would play in the redemption of humankind, and she, Mary, fortunate (makarion) for her faith. 

Ok, so what?  Well, we will not be blessed (eulogeo) in the way that Mary or Jesus were in their unique roles in salvation, but we can be blessed (makarion) like Mary.  She was called blessed because she believed that what God said would be fulfilled.  That, we can do. God calls on us to believe that His promises will be fulfilled in our own lives.  And if we do, we will be called 'fortunate,' as well. 

Tom