Posted by Jay at 12:41 pm
In Luke 11:27 [+/-]Luke 11:27
[27]As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised
her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore
you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" (ESV)
, a woman declares:
“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
Back in Luke 1 [+/-]Luke 1
[1:1]Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a
narrative of the things that have been accomplished among
us, [2]just as those who from the beginning were
eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them
to us, [3]it seemed good to me also, having followed all
things closely for some time past, to write an orderly
account for you, most excellent Theophilus, [4]that you may
have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
[5]In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a
priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he
had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was
Elizabeth. [6]And they were both righteous before God,
walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of
the Lord. [7]But they had no child, because Elizabeth was
barren, and both were advanced in years.
[8]Now while he was serving as priest before God when
his division was on duty, [9]according to the custom of the
priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the
Lord and burn incense. [10]And the whole multitude of the
people were praying outside at the hour of incense. [11]And
there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the
right side of the altar of incense. [12]And Zechariah was
troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. [13]But
the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for
your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14]And
you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at
his birth, [15]for he will be great before the Lord. And he
must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. [16]And
he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord
their God, [17]and he will go before him in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to
make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
[18]And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know
this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in
years." [19]And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I
stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to
you and to bring you this good news. [20]And behold, you
will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these
things take place, because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled in their time." [21]And the people
were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his
delay in the temple. [22]And when he came out, he was
unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen
a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them
and remained mute. [23]And when his time of service was
ended, he went to his home.
[24]After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and
for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, [25]"Thus
the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me,
to take away my reproach among people."
[26]In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27]to a virgin
betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David. And the virgin's name was Mary. [28]And he came to
her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with
you!" [29]But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and
tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
[30]And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God. [31]And behold, you will
conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call
his name Jesus. [32]He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the
throne of his father David, [33]and he will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no
end."
[34]And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since
I am a virgin?"
[35]And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be
called holy--the Son of God. [36]And behold, your relative
Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this
is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37]For
nothing will be impossible with God." [38]And Mary said,
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me
according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
[39]In those days Mary arose and went with haste into
the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40]and she entered
the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41]And when
Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in
her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
[42]and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43]And
why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should
come to me? [44]For behold, when the sound of your greeting
came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
[45]And blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
[46]And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
[47]and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
[48]for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me
blessed;
[49]for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
[50]And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
[51]He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their
hearts;
[52]he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
[53]he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
[54]He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
[55]as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
[56]And Mary remained with her about three months and
returned to her home.
[57]Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and
she bore a son. [58]And her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they
rejoiced with her. [59]And on the eighth day they came to
circumcise the child. And they would have called him
Zechariah after his father, [60]but his mother answered,
"No; he shall be called John." [61]And they said to her,
"None of your relatives is called by this name." [62]And
they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him
to be called. [63]And he asked for a writing tablet and
wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. [64]And
immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and
he spoke, blessing God. [65]And fear came on all their
neighbors. And all these things were talked about through
all the hill country of Judea, [66]and all who heard them
laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this
child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
[67]And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy
Spirit and prophesied, saying,
[68]"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
[69]and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
[70]as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of
old,
[71]that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
[72]to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
[73]the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to
grant us
[74]that we, being delivered from the hand of our
enemies,
might serve him without fear,
[75]in holiness and righteousness before him all our
days.
[76]And you, child, will be called the prophet of the
Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
[77]to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
[78]because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
[79]to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the
shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."
[80]And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he
was in the wilderness until the day of his public
appearance to Israel. (ESV)
, Elizabeth had declared to Mary:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
Mary responded by saying:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, or he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed…”
Yet when Jesus responds to the woman’s statement of Luke 11:27 [+/-]Luke 11:27
[27]As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised
her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore
you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" (ESV)
, he says:
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Which leaves me confused. Not regarding the content or truth of what Jesus says, but rather the purpose of what appears to me to be a purposefully broken parallel between the two conversations. Why does Luke present such a sharp contrast between the two events?
For some reason this sequence reminds me of Jesus’ claim in Luke 7:28 [+/-]Luke 7:28
[28]I tell you, among those born of women none is greater
than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God
is greater than he." (ESV)
:
“I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Is the transition away from Mary blessedness analogous, that her blessedness is in the context of the shadows of night, and that in the dawning of the new day / new creation blessedness takes on a new order of magnitude, dwarfing that which came before? In other words, is the transition between Luke 1 [+/-]Luke 1
[1:1]Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a
narrative of the things that have been accomplished among
us, [2]just as those who from the beginning were
eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them
to us, [3]it seemed good to me also, having followed all
things closely for some time past, to write an orderly
account for you, most excellent Theophilus, [4]that you may
have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
[5]In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a
priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he
had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was
Elizabeth. [6]And they were both righteous before God,
walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of
the Lord. [7]But they had no child, because Elizabeth was
barren, and both were advanced in years.
[8]Now while he was serving as priest before God when
his division was on duty, [9]according to the custom of the
priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the
Lord and burn incense. [10]And the whole multitude of the
people were praying outside at the hour of incense. [11]And
there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the
right side of the altar of incense. [12]And Zechariah was
troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. [13]But
the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for
your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14]And
you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at
his birth, [15]for he will be great before the Lord. And he
must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. [16]And
he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord
their God, [17]and he will go before him in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to
make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
[18]And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know
this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in
years." [19]And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I
stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to
you and to bring you this good news. [20]And behold, you
will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these
things take place, because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled in their time." [21]And the people
were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his
delay in the temple. [22]And when he came out, he was
unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen
a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them
and remained mute. [23]And when his time of service was
ended, he went to his home.
[24]After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and
for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, [25]"Thus
the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me,
to take away my reproach among people."
[26]In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27]to a virgin
betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David. And the virgin's name was Mary. [28]And he came to
her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with
you!" [29]But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and
tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
[30]And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God. [31]And behold, you will
conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call
his name Jesus. [32]He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the
throne of his father David, [33]and he will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no
end."
[34]And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since
I am a virgin?"
[35]And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be
called holy--the Son of God. [36]And behold, your relative
Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this
is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37]For
nothing will be impossible with God." [38]And Mary said,
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me
according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
[39]In those days Mary arose and went with haste into
the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40]and she entered
the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41]And when
Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in
her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
[42]and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43]And
why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should
come to me? [44]For behold, when the sound of your greeting
came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
[45]And blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."
[46]And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
[47]and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
[48]for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me
blessed;
[49]for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
[50]And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
[51]He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their
hearts;
[52]he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
[53]he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
[54]He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
[55]as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
[56]And Mary remained with her about three months and
returned to her home.
[57]Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and
she bore a son. [58]And her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they
rejoiced with her. [59]And on the eighth day they came to
circumcise the child. And they would have called him
Zechariah after his father, [60]but his mother answered,
"No; he shall be called John." [61]And they said to her,
"None of your relatives is called by this name." [62]And
they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him
to be called. [63]And he asked for a writing tablet and
wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. [64]And
immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and
he spoke, blessing God. [65]And fear came on all their
neighbors. And all these things were talked about through
all the hill country of Judea, [66]and all who heard them
laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this
child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
[67]And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy
Spirit and prophesied, saying,
[68]"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
[69]and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
[70]as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of
old,
[71]that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
[72]to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
[73]the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to
grant us
[74]that we, being delivered from the hand of our
enemies,
might serve him without fear,
[75]in holiness and righteousness before him all our
days.
[76]And you, child, will be called the prophet of the
Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
[77]to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
[78]because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
[79]to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the
shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."
[80]And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he
was in the wilderness until the day of his public
appearance to Israel. (ESV)
and Luke 11 [+/-]Luke 11
[11:1]Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when
he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach
us to pray, as John taught his disciples." [2]And he said
to them, "When you pray, say:
"Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
[3]Give us each day our daily bread,
[4]and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation."
[5]And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend
will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me
three loaves, [6]for a friend of mine has arrived on a
journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; [7]and he
will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now
shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up
and give you anything'? [8]I tell you, though he will not
get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet
because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever
he needs. [9]And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to
you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened
to you. [10]For everyone who asks receives, and the one who
seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
[11]What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will
instead of a fish give him a serpent; [12]or if he asks for
an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13]If you then, who are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him!"
[14]Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When
the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people
marveled. [15]But some of them said, "He casts out demons
by Beelzebul, the prince of demons," [16]while others, to
test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. [17]But
he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom
divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided
household falls. [18]And if Satan also is divided against
himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I
cast out demons by Beelzebul. [19]And if I cast out demons
by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore
they will be your judges. [20]But if it is by the finger of
God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you. [21]When a strong man, fully armed, guards
his own palace, his goods are safe; [22]but when one
stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes
away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
[23]Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does
not gather with me scatters.
[24]"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person,
it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and
finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which
I came.' [25]And when it comes, it finds the house swept
and put in order. [26]Then it goes and brings seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell
there. And the last state of that person is worse than the
first."
[27]As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised
her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore
you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" [28]But he said,
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep
it!"
[29]When the crowds were increasing, he began to say,
"This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a
sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of
Jonah. [30]For as Jonah became a sign to the people of
Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
[31]The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment
with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she
came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is
here. [32]The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment
with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at
the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than
Jonah is here.
[33]"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or
under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may
see the light. [34]Your eye is the lamp of your body. When
your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but
when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
[35]Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
[36]If then your whole body is full of light, having no
part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with
its rays gives you light."
[37]While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to
dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. [38]The
Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash
before dinner. [39]And the Lord said to him, "Now you
Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish,
but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. [40]You
fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside
also? [41]But give as alms those things that are within,
and behold, everything is clean for you.
[42]"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and
rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of
God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the
others. [43]Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best
seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
[44]Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and
people walk over them without knowing it."
[45]One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, in saying
these things you insult us also." [46]And he said, "Woe to
you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to
bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one
of your fingers. [47]Woe to you! For you build the tombs of
the prophets whom your fathers killed. [48]So you are
witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for
they killed them, and you build their tombs. [49]Therefore
also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and
apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'
[50]so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the
foundation of the world, may be charged against this
generation, [51]from the blood of Abel to the blood of
Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the
sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this
generation. [52]Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away
the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you
hindered those who were entering."
[53]As he went away from there, the scribes and the
Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to
speak about many things, [54]lying in wait for him, to
catch him in something he might say. (ESV)
pointing to the turning point in redemptive history when the word became flesh and dwelt among us?
