Mary went off to the hill country and visited Elizabeth and Zechariah. A notable feature of Luke is the prominence of women in his account. When Elizabeth heard Mary the baby in her womb leapt and was filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a fulfilment of the early promise to Zechariah in 1:15. It is also significant that the Holy Spirit is associated with Jesus. Jesus came so that we could receive the Holy Spirit. Luke places great emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth too was filled with the Spirit, and she declared a blessing over Mary.
Mary then bursts out in song. There are some similarities between this song and that of Hannah (1 Sam 2:1-10). This song is known as the magnificat. It declares the salvation of God. The fulfilment of God's plans is about to come into being. Mary is full of praise because the Lord has done great things for her, this blessing then spreads out to Israel and to many nations. God is going to overturn the power structures and set the oppressed free. His promises are going to be fulfilled.
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