The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 19

In the bnckgronnil Mo.r:v enbmitted herself the mighty f,,rernnner of the King or whom or lwr own free will to what sho felt we.a the the prophets had written I will 1111cl wish of her Goel. Ver. 43.-And whence is this to me, that Ver B!J.-Me.ry arose in thoH days, and the mother of my Lord should come to me 1 wont into the hill oountry with he.ate. llut the Holy Gl.tost (ver. 41) rnisecl Eliaa- lkl ween the unnunoiELtion and this journey beth's thoughts yet higher. Not only die! sho or l\fary to visit her oousin Elisabeth, we bless the mother of the coming 11-Ieaaiah, hnt mnet interpose the events no.rre.ted in St, the Spirit opened her eyes to see who that l\ltttl hew's Goepel, viz. the nntuml suspicion coming Messiah really was. Very vngno of hc:r botrolhed future huaho.nd, Joseph; indeed was the conception of the c1,mi11g his 1wtio11 iu the 1mitter; aud then the clream Messiah in Israel. The truth was, perliaps, of Josuµh, in which her innocence was vindi- revealed, and in re.pt moments received by cutud. As we believe thnt St. Luke's etery men like Isaiah ancl Ezekiel; and now bore wo.e deri vcd from Mary's own ne.rrative, and again men like David; Daniel wrote we ~e.n uncleratand well that these details, dow11 visions and revelations respecting the relatecl by St. lllo.tthew, were scarcely Coming One, the true p~porL of wbicb touched upon, e.ncl the mother would hurry vision they scarcely grasped. Generally the on to the real points of interest in that Messianic idea among the people pictured eventful past of hers. The hill country here e. hero greater than Saul, e. conqueror more e.llude,1 to is the elevated district of Judah, successful than David, e. sovereign more Benjamin, o.nd Mount Ephre.im, in contra- magnificent than Solomon. They pictured distinction to the low maritime plain on ever the glorious arm sustaining the coruing the east-the old Philistia. Into e. city of Hero-King; but few, if any, dreamed or the lude., There is no such city known e.s "glorious arm" belonging to tl1eir future "Juda." Somehe.vesupposed that the text Deliverer. Bot here the Spirit in a is corrupt here, and that for "Yucla" we moment revealed to the happy wife of the should read "Jutta," which, according to priest Zacharias that the Bo.be to be oorn Josh. xv. 55, was e. priestly cfty in the of her young kinswoman was not only the hill country. There is a rabbinice.l tradi- promised Messiah, but was the awful Son tion in the Te.lmud which places the resi- of the Highest I Think, reader, what these dence of Zacharias at Hebron. It is very simple word, we are considering signify 1 probable that Hebron, the great priestly Why am I so favoure,l "that the mother city, is here signified. of my Lord shoulcl come to me" ? "The Yer. 41.-Elisabeth was filled with the contrast leaves no room for doubt," well Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit-that Spirit argues Dean Plumptre, "that she used the of prophecy, s'-'. often mentioned in the Old worcl' Lor<l' in its highest sense. •Great' ns Testament-ee1zee her, And she so.lutes her her own son was to be (rnr. 15) in the sight young kinswoman, Mary, as the mother of of the Lorcl, h, re was the mother of Oue the coming Messioh. yet greater, even of the Lorcl hiuisclf." Ver. 42.-And she spo.ke out with a loud Vers. 46-56.-The hymn of Mary, com- . voioe, e.nd so.id, Blessed art thou among monly called the Mognificat. women (see Judg. v. 24). The words which Ver. 46a.-And Mary so.id. Tbere is a clothed the thoughts in these ecstatic ex- great contrast between the behaviour of the pressions of intense joy and thankfulness on two women when they met in l,;lisnbeth's the part of the two favoured women, Mary house. The elder was full of a new strange and Elisabeth, are in great measure drawn ecstutic joy. "She was filled with the Holy from hymn and song contained in the Old Ghost" (ver. '12), o.nd spoke her words of Testo.ment Scriptures. The song of Hannah, lofty congratulation with "e. loud voice" the hymn of Deborah, many of the psalms, (ver. 42). Mary, on the other hand, wa.s the songs of the Cnnticles, the more glorious not conscious evidently, on this occasion, of of the prophetic utterances, had been ever any special presence of the Holy Spirit. familiar to both l.bese true women of the Since the hour of the annunciation and her people; and they could find no language so own meek faithful acceptance of the Lord's litting as the words of these loved D£1tiono.l purpose, she had been dwelling, so to speuk, songs to express the intense joy, the deep under the immediate influence of the Spirit awe lllld gratitude of their hearts. Thiuk of the Lord. Her cousfo'a inspiration seems what must he.ve been the feeling of the two- to have been momentary and transitory, the one finding herself the chosen out of while hers, during that strnnge blessed o.ll the thousands of Israel, after so many season which imme,liately preceded the cen turit·s of weary waiting, to be the mother Iuco.rnatiou, was enduring. Heuce the quiet of the J\fossinh; the other, long after any introduction to her hymn," And Mary sai,l." reasonable hope of any offspring 11t all hud It is, of course, posirible that slw had com- faded o.w11y, to oe the mother of \\lesaiah's mitte,l tho beautiful thoughts to writing; clluson frioucl, his hcmlcl, aud his preacher. but porhaps, in giviug tl.icrn to Luke 01  lJ TITE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO ST, LUKE. [c11. r. 1-80,