"Pregnant Mary catches first bus out of town" by Stephen M. Miller Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
UNMARRIED AND PREGNANT. Mary probably didn’t feel all that blessed after Gabriel told her she would get pregnant. First chance she got, she got gone. Painting by Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato.
IT STRIKES ME AS SAD what Mary does after Gabriel tells her she’s going to get pregnant somehow with the help of God’s Spirit.
Presumbably after the Spirit impregnates her, Mary does what unmarried pregnant girls have done all along.
Get out of town.
Go see Aunt Lizzie, Uncle Zeek, or anyone else far away from hometown gossips.
“As soon as she could, Mary got the dickens out of town. She took to the hills. She went to a town in Judea. There, she reached the home of Zechariah. Elizabeth welcomed her” (Luke 1:36, Casual English Bible ™).*
It’s about a week’s walk from Nazareth, where Mary lived, to the Judean town of Jerusalem. That’s where the priest Zechariah worked in the temple. It’s roughly 90 meandering miles (150 km).
As soon as Mary gets there, Elizabeth—who is a relative of some kind—recognizes that Mary is pregnant. “Elizabeth gave a glad cry… ‘Your child is blessed’” (Luke 1:42).
For more about Mary
- Mary’s Song: I took it personal
- Who’s Who & Where’s Where in the Bible, pages 306-307
- “Baby Jesus, from Bethlehem to Egypt,” A Quick Guided Tour Through the Bible, pages 155-159
- “Mary and Joseph Engaged,” Understanding Jesus, pages 30-43
- Free books for Christmas
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*Casual English Bible TM Copyright 2015 is a paraphrase I’m working on
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