Reflecting on Luke 1:39-45
"As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:44)Today I am reflecting on the ripple effect of experiencing Jesus.
Jesus in Mary, through Mary’s greeting, affects Elizabeth.
Not only Elizabeth, but the unborn baby in her womb.
It seems that Jesus in the womb was already Spirit-powered.
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:1-3)
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
As we saw earlier, the Spirit of God breathed Adam and Jesus to life.
To be fully human, as God designed us, is to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-anointed.
It is to have the character and presence of God working in and through us.
This partnership between God and humans, by His Spirit, is our ideal.
This is what makes it possible for us to rule God’s creation well.
And it is our loss of this partnership that robs us of this good spirit.
Our impact on others and the world is the opposite of the Isaiah quotes.
Mary surrendered to the Spirit of God at work in her.
The Spirit of God, in Jesus, flowed through Mary to Elizabeth and her baby.
Elizabeth experienced the fruit of this Spirit – joy – through Mary.
Many people experienced this same response with Jesus too, and with his disciples.
They experienced the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. of God.
Everyone experienced it in Jesus, but not everyone was pleased by it.
The selfish spirit in some people was agitated by Jesus’s Spirit.
They accused Jesus of being filled with, powered by the spirit of evil.
Yet it was that spirit in them that responded so negatively to Jesus.
Many will experience the leap of joy within when they meet Jesus.
But not all, not if their own spirit resists the fruit of God’s Spirit.
We are called to surrender to the Spirit of God in Jesus too.
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Romans 8:5)
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation — but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” (Romans 8:12-14)
As we set our hearts and minds on Jesus’ Spirit, He works in and through us.
The Spirit of love, joy and peace impacts us, and those that meet us.
I am making it a point to dwell on the fruit of the Spirit this year.
Some christians insist on focusing on the 10 Commandments.
I think this is backwards; focus on the fruit and you will not break the 10Cs.
We should set our minds on what the Spirit desires, not on what it rejects.
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
The Spirit helps us to produce the good, and the bad is displaced.
I want to experience the fruit of the Spirit in me.
I want others to experience the fruit of the Spirit through me.
I want to experience the leap of joy, and help others experience it too.
Today again I am encouraged and inspired to surrender to the Spirit of Jesus.
This Spirit may not please everyone, but it will please God, and many others.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, may my spirit leap for joy, and experience all the other fruit that comes from encountering God in You by the Spirit. And may my leap of joy have a positive ripple effect on those I meet, as they experience the fruit of God and Jesus through the Spirit in me!
In my weekly Binle study groupwe are looking at the book of Acts – a book of the working of the Holy Spirit. Think of the lame man, healed and leaping and jumpig for joy – Spirit filled. The house later on shook since the Spirit was at work. And more . . . and the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy . . . We are living epistles read by all and they need to see that fruit by our words and deeds. In this way I too am an instrument of His peace.