My family is from Vancouver, Canada, and so we would frequently make an annual pilgrimage to see family and friends. That’s a 1,200-mile trip one way, a 24-hour road trip. I have endless memories of sitting in the back of our red 4Runner, watching the scenery roll by. I’d daydream the whole gamut of things as a kid. As I matured, I found myself doing more pondering and reflection. I loved those trips!
Today, we’re looking at Mary’s journey to Elizabeth’s place in Luke 1:39. The angel informed Mary of her very unique role in God’s plan. He also told her that her cousin was already playing her part. Scripture then skips the journey and tells us how the two women greet each other. I think there’s something wonderful buried in the inferences. We know Mary was in Nazareth, Galilee, and we can assume Elizabeth was in a town called Ein Karem. That is roughly a 100-mile trip, which would take four to five days by foot to complete. That’s a good amount of time for Mary to mull over Gabriel’s words.
Mary had extensive training in the Torah and was deeply aware of God’s hand in the world. Luke records for us that Mary treasured things in her heart. So the news of her new role as the mother of the son of God would have taken center stage in her heart and mind during the trip. All her knowledge of the Torah would have taken on a whole new dimension of meaning and power as she stepped into bringing THE messiah into the world.
There’s a lot to the Old Testament. She probably devoured any knowledge about it she could from then on. If she didn’t have her training, the Magnificat would have looked a lot different. Through knowledge of the Torah, Mary knew the significance of what was about to happen would reach into eternity. The trip was her first time to contemplate the endless ramifications.
I have found the times when life slows to a crawl. God will help me understand how principles from Scripture translate into real life. My life is different from Mary’s, obviously. But I, too, can ponder the richness of the Lord’s plan for me, and I have found immense peace in a tumultuous time of my life. God orchestrated a big four-day trip for Mary’s song to percolate. Next time we are alone with our thoughts, let’s see if we can unpack some of the bigger things God has for us.
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member