Luke 1:37-38

“For no word from God will ever fail”. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.’

Every time, we meet John the Baptist and Jesus in the Bible, there is a divine connection. In fact, the Holy Spirit is revealed as presence, purpose and power in their lives. Let us look at their recorded meetings in the Scriptures. 

Firstly, God the Father knew them, set them apart and appointed them over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow and to build and to plant as prophets before they were even conceived echoing the words of Jeremiah 1. The Holy Spirit’s purpose was revealed even before they were even born as their conception represented the fact that God’s word will never fail (Luke1:37). God had kept his promise to his people.  John and Jesus had joint roles in representing God on earth.  God used the same messenger angel Gabriel who stands in His presence to speak to both families to emphasize his point.  More importantly, when Virgin Mary had been told that she would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit, in the same breath Angel Gabriel told her that her cousin Elizabeth had become pregnant with a son in her old age, even though people use to say she was barren. Isn’t it Interesting that what others see as barren is often a God timing issue.  God needed Elizabeth to be six months pregnant with John at the precise time when Mary had been divinely conceived with Jesus so that both would be intimate with divine encounters while sharing in the newness and blessings of being pregnant together. God is intentional in his purpose extending his mercy to each generation and keeping his promise no matter how long it takes, how it appears to others looking on and no matter what pressure we are facing. 

Secondly, a few days after her angelic encounter, Mary left Nazareth to the hill county of Judea to Zechariah’s house. As soon as she entered the house and greeted Elizabeth, the sound of the greeting caused John in Elizabeth’s womb to leap which probably felt like the excitement that accompanies when your team has won the game. God’s presence manifested and connected John and Jesus through the Holy Spirit with each other and the presence of God.  Once Mary and Elizabeth were in each other’s presence, God showed up in a grand way.   God wants to show up in our lives, grace us with his divine favour, divinely connect us with others so that we can feel his presence and carry out his purpose.  Sometimes, we don’t realise what God is doing in our lives because these interconnections are often invisible to our human eyes. Let us ask God to open the eyes of our hearts that we can feel and display his presence to the word.

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit’s power in John and Jesus was exposed as soon as Mary greeted Elizabeth, filling Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit.  This empowerment of meeting Jesus, face to face in the Spirit, was the preparation John needed from the womb to begin his divine encounter with God, getting his instructions of preparing the way for the Lord and his salvation.  The Holy Spirit’s power was fully demonstrated when Jesus was baptised by John. Luke 2 tells us that while Jesus was praying the Holy Spirit descended on him in the bodily form like a dove and God himself affirmed him: “You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). God wants to empower us to carry on the mission that he has assigned us to do even as we connect with others showing his love and his pleasure with us.

Finally, the Holy Spirit’s connection of God’s purpose, presence and power between Jesus and John was so strong, that when John was killed, Jesus withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.  Jesus knew that once John’s divine earthly mission was over, His earthly ministry would soon be over too, but He would walk the painful path just like John to the bitter end to save mankind from our sins.  What about us? Are we willing to do what God has called us to even when it is painful, bitter and even appears pointless?  Remember that the same God has known us since the womb, set us apart, appointed us to transform the world, will give us his purpose, presence and power to do what it takes to do so.  So let us march on forward, not shrink back as we serve him today.

Prayer:

Father God, may we be blessed not only because we believe that you Lord would do what you said, but we will walk in your purpose, presence and power to carry out the ministry you have assigned to us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.