Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me.’
Luke 1:42-43
Much of our church history is centred round Mary, the mother of Jesus but not so much about Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. It was not even Elizabeth who had the vision from the angel but her husband, Zechariah. The first she knew that anything miraculous was happening was when her husband returned from the temple, mute., and she wonderfully became pregnant.
She had the joy of a visit from Mary and together they praised God, two miraculuously expectant mothers. After the birth of her son, she had the wisdom and strength to declare ‘No, he is to be called John.’ As a mother she watched and waited while her son turned to a nomadic life, preached about the coming of the Messiah and baptised many, including Jesus.
Then there was that fateful day when the news reached her of the brutal murder of her son. Her heart was broken again when she heard the news of the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Bible it seems nothing more is heard of her. What a life of highest honour and deepest sorrow she had to suffer!