JAMYE DOERFLER | CONTRIBUTOR

“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord’….So Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.” Luke 1:39-45, 56

Though it’s not specified in this passage, the baby that leapt in Elizabeth’s womb was John the Baptist. Every single gospel account connects the conceptions and births of John the Baptist and Jesus, stating that John’s ministry was to prepare people for Jesus’s ministry. How much more special is it that the two were related! In fact, as I reflect on this passage, I see a merciful thing God did by making them in the same family: he gave the beautiful gift of mutual support to these mothers.

Miraculous Pregnancies

Both Elizabeth and Mary became pregnant in miraculous ways. Prior to this passage, Luke tells Elizabeth’s story: her husband, Zechariah, was a priest, and he and Elizabeth were “both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statues of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). However, they had no children, and Elizabeth was now too old to conceive naturally.

An angel visited Zechariah and told him that his wife would become pregnant with a special child. This son, whom he was told to name John, would bring the people of Israel back to the Lord (Luke 1:13-17).

Mary, on the other hand, was a teenage virgin. The angel Gabriel also foretold of her pregnancy with a special child—the Messiah they had been awaiting. The son, whom she was to name Jesus, would be given the throne of David, and “His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:26-28).

Empathetic Relationships

When Mary found out she was going to bear the Son of God, though she wasn’t yet married, she probably had a lot of strong emotions about this news and chose to spend time with her relative who would understand her experience.

When Mary arrived at Elizabeth’s house and Elizabeth felt John in her womb “leap for joy,” it must have been an exceptional thing, different from the other movement she’d been feeling. Luke 1:41 tells us the Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth and revealed to her exactly what was going on—her baby was responding to the presence of the Messiah. Though Elizabeth was much older, she called Mary “the mother of my Lord,” which was a way of expressing honor to Mary and recognizing the significance of her role.

Not only did Elizabeth empathize with Mary’s experience, she celebrated it. Though the Bible doesn’t record it, we can expect that some people didn’t believe Mary’s story. Even Joseph first assumed she’d been unfaithful to him, so others probably did, too. But Elizabeth, who had been given the gift of a pregnancy well beyond natural years, celebrated the miraculous pregnancy Mary had been chosen for.

And I can’t help but notice that Luke—who was a physician—makes note of the timing in each woman’s pregnancy. Luke 1:26 states that Elizabeth was in her sixth month. Verse 56 tells us Mary stayed with her for three months right after receiving the news: Elizabeth in her last trimester and Mary in her first—typically the two most difficult trimesters. I can imagine how they might have also been a practical help to one another during those months.

God’s Perfect Timing

Reflecting on my own experiences brings to mind how God provided a special friendship for me as I went through challenges around pregnancy. Without knowing that I was struggling to conceive and having miscarriages, an acquaintance mentioned in a group that the baby she was carrying was conceived through a fertility clinic. Her honesty opened the door for me to approach her and get a referral to the doctor who ultimately performed the surgery that allowed me to conceive. Through that period of time, she became a trusted friend.

My son was only seven months old when I found out I was—surprise!—pregnant again! That friend was the first person I called to process my emotions. We were bonded by our shared experience. Though we have mostly lost touch today, I will always think of that friendship as a gift from God. He supplied precisely the relationship I needed in that season.

God showed his love for Mary and Elizabeth by giving them one another. In our own lives, God uses friends and family to comfort us when we need it. If he has done that for you at some point in your life, reflect on his faithfulness and thank Him for it. Pray for—and look for—your own opportunities to be the empathetic friend that could be the comfort someone needs.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash