Don’t you just love laughing with old friends … or with new ones! I love laughter. I love laughing so hard my ears and stomach muscles ache. There are some old skits from WKRP which make me laugh so hard I shed tears (especially the thanksgiving turkey bombing one).
What got me laughing today was a rather skewed (probably) view of Elizabeth in Luke 1. When Mary came to visit, Elizabeth called her blessed for three reasons … Mary was blessed among women. Mary was blessed for the child she would bear. Mary was blessed for believing that what the Lord spoke to her would be accomplished. [Luke 1:39-45]
What got me laughing was my take on that meeting and Elizabeth’s last blessing of Mary for “believing what the Lord spoke to her”. I had just read the Song of Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband. Zacharias unfortunately did not believe what the Lord spoke and the consequences of that unbelief was that he was mute for nine months until John was born. In my imagination I could hear Elizabeth say to Mary … blessed are you for believing what the Lord spoke … all the while thinking … unlike this man of mine who didn’t and now sits over there unable to speak.
I’m not sure that is what Elizabeth really thought but it is what I would have thought! I wonder if it is something Elizabeth and Mary discussed in the months they were together … all the while Zacharias was looking on sheepishly quiet. We need to remember that the people in the Bible were real people, with thoughts and emotions just like us. They are not superheroes, they are people empowered by the Spirit of God, just like us.
We can learn from Mary’s example of faith and obedience what to do, and learn from Zacharias’ example of unbelief what not to do.
