ALIVE: Chapter 104, Kissing Cousins

It’s about time. Lest anyone think that the Mary-met-Joseph story, and the conception of God come to earth was the beginning of a brand new novel like Dickens’ Great Expectations after Oliver Twist with new characters and a new plot, know this. There is only one story, and it’s His. His-story. ALIVE is His Story, from first Light to wherever the reader happens to be. 

God made time on Wednesday. On the fourth day He created the sun and moon and gave each a trajectory to produce a consistent rhythm of light and darkness with which days, and seasons, hours and minutes could be measured. Eight hundred revolutions of the earth around the sun occurred between the day that Isaiah pulled out his mystical telescope and said, “I see the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.” (Isaiah 40.3) and when it really happened. 

His-story is eons long. Like cactus flowers in the desert, the vast expanse of time is punctuated by magnificent events. Every human life should study this grand story, the biggest picture. Zoom in enough and the telescope becomes a microscope. Look hard enough and you can see yourself in there and look harder and see why you are there. 

Isaiah saw a man crying in the wilderness, warning the Jews to wake up, and look deep within themselves at their behavior and their attitudes because God was coming, and they had to be ready. Not since the ancient days when Adam and Eve spoke with God in the garden had such a visit occurred; Isaiah saw God coming, and then He did come, but first the people had to be readied. They had to roll out the red carpets to their hearts and clean the cobwebs of their minds.

When Isaiah’s telescope gazed eight hundred years into the future he saw John who was planted by God in the desert, but unlike the cactus flower, John attracted thousands of people to come to him there. He wanted to disentangle them from the world, the world of diapers, and money, and fixing fences, and sin, to tell some and remind others that each of them can someday see God. The scraggly young man, who obviously cared less about the body, than he cared about the soul, told each person in the crowd of people, to live as a child of God, or else some day suffer harsher than any suffering this life dares us to endure. But to be a child of God, he warned, a person first had to Repent! 

The message was loud and clear that it was no longer good enough for the lamb or goat to be burned at the stake wearing all one’s hateful thoughts, distrust of God, lascivious passions, and suddenly all would be forgiven and life could continue happily, until the next need to cook a goat. Humanity had finally matured enough to accept the responsibility for their own condition of soul. Baptism was brand new. 

Before God could send His only begotten Son to earth with the mission that He was given to annihilate death, His people, the sons of Jacob and their tribes, with whom God had made a covenant, had to be woken up. God was coming to visit! Everyone needed to clean the houses of their souls, get all the dust out of the corners. Wash the windows of their eyes. Change their minds to change their behaviors, like putting on a radiant white garment that spotlights even a flick of dirt.

The job to ready-humanity was given to John. Apparently the people were receptive to the message. They wanted better lives. They didn’t want to suffer any more than they already were suffering on earth with all their sinfulness. It was time to stop blaming others, the Roman authorities or the nasty neighbors for their misery. A person may not be able to get a better job, or a more beautiful house, or have a loving family and an abundant garden of succulent vegetables, but every person’s life can become happier and healthier simply by cleaning themselves from inside out. Over two thousand years ago, the people knew this. They walked for miles in the hot desert to listen to John, and then to be washed in the river. 

They came out in droves. The Jordan River welcomed them. Just as the Great Flood killed the filthy, this time the waters spit them back out clean and as good as new. To the extent that the vision of the flood drowning all of the people distressed God, and it did, it was a comforting sight for Him to behold His people rising from the deadly waters, more alive than ever. Seeing this, God imagined that they had died as in The Flood, and were born anew. What relief. What joy. Between the Flood and the Baptism, we think that many years went by, but for God it was as brief a time as it takes to turn the pages of Scripture. 

The need for the waters of baptism superseded the need for the fiery death of the sacrificial lambs. Cleansing became personal in a new way. To prevent experiencing the eternal fires of hell, the fires that charred the lamb and goat, one had to douse himself in water. Water. Water represents death, like the all-encompassing death of The Flood, but it also represents new life. Water generates and sustains life.

First God asked for fire to kill the sacrificial lamb that bore their sins. Watching the lamb burn as in hell was a powerful image for the consequence of sin. Then in another far sighted prophetic act, knowing that the temple would be destroyed, He called on water, waters of baptism to remit sins. It was a second chance. It was mercy. It was the dove with an olive branch in it’s beak. “Who warned you?” asked John the Baptist of the sinners. “God, the Father did.” replied the sub-consciousness of revived souls. 

God made John. God loves to do the impossible. It’s fun for Him. Once again, as with old Abraham’s son Isaac, as with Rachel’s Joseph, as with Joachim and Anna’s Mary, God opened the womb of a barren woman, Elizabeth, and her old husband the priest Zechariah and for the first time in their long and fruitless marriage He ignited the spark of new life for His purpose, to prove that this child was to be holy. He was a gift to Elizabeth and Zechariah but more importantly he was the forerunner of the Messiah. He ran ahead of Christ to prepare the people for His coming, and then He ran ahead into Hades, to let them too know that the Messiah was coming there too, to release them. But first, John had to be born. 

Once upon a time a priest named Zechariah was on duty in the temple because he drew the lot that day. The worshipers stood outside waiting for him to come out. This time it took much longer than usual and they were becoming inpatient not knowing that Zechariah was delayed by an angel. When the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, Zechariah was startled and afraid. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name of John. He will be a joy and delight to you and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. He will bring many people of Israel back to the Lord their God. He will go before the Lord in the Spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked how this was possible since he and his wife were so old.

The Angel replied that because he didn’t believe the message right away, he would become unable to speak until his son is born. (God had other reasons to silence John.)

When Zechariah finally emerged and couldn’t speak, but made signs with his hands, the inpatient people realized he had seen a vision. 

Sure enough, his old wife, Elizabeth, soon became pregnant. She stayed in seclusion in her home, perhaps because she was a little embarrassed. It isn’t every day that the villagers see an old pregnant woman and you know how villagers will gossip, nevertheless, she was thrilled that the Lord took away her disgrace.

In her sixth month, when her pregnancy was in full bloom, she heard a knock on the door. She figured it was her neighbor come to bring the mountain tea she loves so much. When she opened the door a saw her young cousin Mary, Her Aunt Anna’s daughter, she was overjoyed! In fact, apparently even her baby in the womb was overjoyed too because he started kicking. 

“Mary! Come in! Oh my what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here? How did you find me? Praise be to God!” As soon as Mary passed the threshold of the home, Elizabeth gave her a big hug and kiss on both cheeks. 

Mary returned the affection and smiled at her cousin, so full of joy. It was as if the sun had just risen after a cold dark night in the desert. She had so much to tell her. And she longed for Elizabeth’s love and guidance, as if Elizabeth was the substitute for her mother, now that she neither had her mother, nor her Mother of the Temple school to go to. 

“Oh Elizabeth, I am so happy to see you! Look at you! You are radiant!” said Mary. 

“You must be so tired after your journey.” said Elizabeth not wanting any attention given to her bulging body. “I will have the boy fetch you some water.  You must bathe while I finish making this stew. Oh joy! Here, let me take your satchel.”

“Oh no!” replied Mary, “You mustn’t lift a thing. Just show me where to set it down.” Mary was bursting with things she wanted to say to Elizabeth, and what she wanted to ask her, but they had to take care of the logistics first. Elizabeth couldn’t stop smiling as she guided Mary to the divan which would be her bed. Mary was glad to be offered the bath first and to settle down. She was indeed quite drained after the journey by camel into the Judean hills. She decided to stop at the Temple on her way back to Nazareth to visit Mother and the high priest. But for now, she planned to stay put for quite some time after such an arduous trip. She only hoped she would still feel strong enough to return to Nazareth when her pregnancy progressed.

With all the logistics out of the way, and the stew was stewing over the flames, and each cousin had her cup of tea and honey, the cousins were cozy and clean and finally ready to talk.

Elizabeth, full of questions began. “How did you find me? Did you know that I was pregnant? You didn’t seem surprised.”

Mary blushed as she said, “Honestly Elizabeth, an Angel of the Lord told me that you were pregnant and that I should come to you. It is the Angel who told me where to find you. I know that sounds strange, but it’s true! Joseph believed me, because he too was visited by an angel in his sleep, and so he allowed me to come here to you.”

Elizabeth gasped because she knew that such a fantastic explanation was probably true. The villagers told her that they were convinced that Zechariah was also visited by an Angel the day he lost his speech. “These are mysterious times” thought Elizabeth to herself. 

Mary wasn’t sure how to tell her the most important part of her visitation by the archangel. She took a sip of her warm and comforting tea and voiced Elizabeth’s thought. “These are mysterious times my dear cousin. So how are you feeling?” 

“I am well now. It was difficult at first, but now I am much better. Tell me, what else did the Angel of the Lord say to you? Surely, there is more to this story than that you should visit me.” Elizabeth casually said with a smile, but she was truly curious.

“Um, that’s true.” Mary hesitated, at first not sure how to break the news since beside Joseph and Misha, few knew that she too was with child. “Elizabeth,” said Mary meekly, “I too am with child.” 

“Oh how wonderful to hear! Joseph must be thrilled.” 

“Yes, yes he is, but he is not the father.”

Elizabeth tried to contain her surprise and waited for Mary to continue.

After Mary explained the visitation from the Archangel Gabriel and that she was with Child of the Holy Spirit of God, the infant in Elizabeth’s womb became hyper-active. Elizabeth was suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud exuberant cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, when I saw you at my door, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Now I understand why! And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 

Mary began to shed tears of joy and surprise. The emotions she felt were overwhelming. Elizabeth didn’t doubt her! 

Elizabeth started to cry with joy as well. Both cousins could hardly contain themselves. Elizabeth stood up and went over to Mary to hug her young cousin. Mary stood up too to receive the hug, and hugged her back. She had always felt an affinity for her older cousin and she had never understood why it was that she felt that way until this moment. 

When Mary sat back down she also became filled with the Holy Spirit and through her tears said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise He made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to His descendants forever.”

At the sound of these words Elizabeth bowed her head.”Could this be a dream?” she wondered, but it wasn’t a dream, it was real. “You have come to me, and I must take care of you dear cousin. Yes, truly amazing is our Lord, that He would select the lowliest, a girl from Nazareth, and so much less so, her cousin from Bethlehem. Surely my dear cousin you have rightly said, “All generations will call you blessed. Thank you for coming to me, thank the Lord! 

Zechariah walked into the house at that moment and saw the foreign young lady sitting with his wife. He glanced curiously at his wife. “My dear, this is my cousin Mary from my Aunt Anna. I don’t remember if you had met her before. She was raised in the temple and we would get together for Passover when my mother lived.”

Zechariah smiled and nodded as if to say that he vaguely remembered the cousin. Elizabeth stood up and fetched a bowl of stew for her husband. Mary smiled and nodded. “I am so glad to see you again Zechariah. Congratulations on your son!” 

Zechariah wondered how she knew it would be a boy, but of course, he couldn’t express that. He hadn’t even told his wife. Elizabeth too was a little surprised to hear that she carried a man-child. 

After Zechariah finished his lunch, he went to lie down for his afternoon sleep.

Mary helped clean the dishes even though Elizabeth tried to stop her. Then the ladies too, went for their afternoon rest, both ladies minds and hearts whirring with delight that they had each other to lean on and to help them during these intense days and miraculous days. 

Mary joined Elizabeth in her seclusion. She was happy to be away from the world again, even as she had been when growing up in the temple. It was a time for joy and prayer. It was a time for contemplation and worship, and not a time for speaking with many people, not even husbands or neighbors, or merchants, or tax collectors. The two ladies just had each other. Elizabeth felt so very blessed. Mary was simply comforted and peaceful. This still very young woman was able to adjust to her sudden pregnancy gradually with the guidance of her older, also pregnant and beloved cousin. Once again the Lord showed her how perfectly He orchestrated her life. With every passing month, with every situation, He showed her over and over again, to rest in Him, and to never ever fret. She had absolutely nothing to worry about. 

As the days and weeks passed, the spark of divinity deep within Mary was multiplying rapidly. As her holy Infant formed within her, Mary too oh so gradually that she didn’t notice, grew holy too. What does it mean for a human being to become holy you ask? It is to surrender the mind to love of God, to surrender the heart to peace and confidence and unspeakable joy, so that one needs nothing, wants nothing except to cling to the Lord. And in this sacred bubble she trusted God implicitly. Mary knew instinctively that she was created for this pregnancy and she was in awe of her condition. Both the physical transformation and the psychological and spiritual transformation of the temple girl, and the new young wife of Joseph into the mother of the Son of God occurred in this trimester. Just as the Baby was growing from a few cells a head and arms and legs, fingers and toes, Mary sensed that she too was growing in her spirit within the bubble that was Elizabeth’s peaceful home with her cousin and silent Zechariah. 

Elizabeth and Mary got into a rhythm. After the first few days, they didn’t even speak to each other very much. In quiet and stillness, they cooked and cleaned, rested, and prayed. Mary taught her cousin to chant in harmony as she had with her mother. They made beautiful music together that pleased the Lord and the holy angels that guarded the cousins. 

After three months, when Elizabeth was about to give birth Mary sensed that it was time to return to the world of Nazareth, but she was torn. Mary hated to leave her cousin, especially at this time. Especially since Zechariah was still unable to speak. What if Zechariah couldn’t call for the midwife? Wouldn’t it be best for Mary to be there? She also felt she should stay to help her when the baby came, but she also didn’t want to intrude during this sacred time in her marriage with Zechariah. One day she decided to stop feeling conflicted and simply asked Elizabeth her opinion.

“Oh Mary, my dear cousin. You have been away from Joseph long enough, and now you are beginning to show. You need to get to know his children better before your own baby is born. I will be fine. If you wait until the baby is here, it will be harder to leave, harder to lose you. There are women here who can help me. The journey back to Nazareth will not be easy, you best get going before you get too big.  I can’t tell you how wonderful these months have been for me. I love you so very much my dear Mary. I love our Lord more than ever through being with you in these golden months. Go with God my dearest sister, my little mother. Shalom.”

A week later, just as Mary was leaving she felt the first kick from her own baby Jesus saying farewell to His cousin who He wouldn’t see for another thirty years.

Elizabeth walked with Mary to the caravan stop as three huddled village women  peered at her and whispered their critique to each other. “Why had this young pregnant girl left her own home? Why was she leaving when her cousin needed her?” Zechariah trailed behind them carrying Mary’s satchel filled with the baby clothes that they had crocheted and sewn together. Oh so much fun they had. In the months to come, both ladies were able to savor these precious days when they dressed their baby boys in these outfits and fondly thought about and prayed to God for each other. 

After a big heartfelt hug Mary climbed into the coach, sitting beside a big man who was traveling on business. She waved to Zechariah and Elizabeth as they pulled away. Mary then closed her eyes and asked the Lord to bless her cousin’s delivery. 

Not a week went by since Mary left, that the rumblings of Elizabeth’s baby and the pains of birth came. Zechariah rushed over to the midwife’s house and signaled for her to come quickly. The midwife stopped cutting her vegetables and washed her hands in the bucket, grabbed her satchel and rushed over to Zechariah’s who was already back home by then, holding Elizabeth’s hand. It was a blessing because the labor was brief. The prophet John entered the world crying from the shock of cold. Still unable to speak Zechariah joined his infant son weeping. This was the proudest moment of his life. Zechariah had never seen a newborn before and he was in awe. 

Elizabeth was just relieved. She smiled watching her son in her husband’s arms and both of them with red faces and full of tears. “How much the baby resembles his father!” The midwife cleaned up and gave Elizabeth instructions about feeding the baby and then left the family to themselves. 

Some of the neighbors and relatives stood outside the door and waited for the midwife to emerge so they could go in and gawk at the newborn.

On the eighth day Elizabeth and Zechariah went to the local temple to circumcise the child. The friends expected  to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 

Then they began motioning to Zechariah as if he couldn’t hear as well as speak, to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 

Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and Zechariah spoke for the first time in nine months, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become, for indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.”

In reply, Zechariah spoke this prophecy:

 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. 

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 

that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, 

and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; 

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. 

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

This infant indeed grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.