Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
“No. He will be called John.”
This utterance from Elizabeth is striking. It is so emphatic. As biblical commentators point out, this phrase in the Greek should not be understood as some gentle correction. Instead, the “no” is better translated as “by no means.” Elizabeth has put her foot down. And Zechariah backs her up.
Taken out of context, that intervention might not make a lot of sense. But in the context of this first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, it makes a great deal of sense.
Notably, Luke’s Gospel (which, not surprisingly, focuses on the doings and sayings of men) opens with narratives that feature women. Two women, in particular: Elizabeth and Mary. These two women are, in one sense, opposites. Elizabeth is probably in her fifties. She and Zachariah had been trying to get pregnant for years, with no luck. Mary, by contrast, is a teenager. And single. The last thing she wanted to do was get pregnant!
Yet, they are so much alike. Both are incredibly faithful. Luke tells us that Elizabeth was righteous—she joyfully followed God’s prescriptions and limits. Not only that, when her chance to become pregnant presents itself, she goes for it. Doing the labor of childbirth when you’re twenty isn’t easy. In your thirties, it’s exhausting. In your forties, it’s nuts. At fifty or more, forget about it. And, of course, in those days all women knew full well that the labor of birth was life threatening, even for young women.
And Mary—my goodness—she is approached by Gabriel with a ridiculous question. Would she be willing to bring the Son of God into the world? By itself, that is a daunting question. But for Mary, like Elizabeth, the timing is terrible! She is so young, and she is betrothed to Joseph. How is that going to go? What will she be obliged to endure as she becomes visibly pregnant? What will people say? What will they think? Of course, she knows very well what they will think and what many will say.
It’s one thing for a man of their time to say yes to God. It’s by no means easy. But they’re men. They’re expected to have agency. To do things. Even crazy things. Not women. They’re expected to be passive, quiet, and above all to follow the rules for women, which were many and restrictive.
Not these gals. Why not?
Because they bought it. They bought it that their God was not simply a God of and for men. God was also about and for women. God knew that women also have a role in salvation history. And so they were asked by God to do something—something risky and hard—on behalf of God’s Kingdom. And they did it. Notably, they did it together. They spent months together in the course of their pregnancies.
I like to think about those months they spent together. What did they talk about? Being pregnant, for sure. How to be a mother, for sure. Going through labor, for sure Did they also talk about their role, women’s role, in salvation history?
If the Magnificat is any guide, such thoughts were undoubtedly on their minds. If we take Elizabeth’s strong response—“No. He will be called John.”—we know the answer. They knew. And they did what God asked them to do together. As women.
Thank you, Elizabeth and Mary, for showing us women and men that women are central to salvation history—in giving birth, in following Jesus, in witnessing first the evidence of the resurrection, and so much more. Amen.
- Susan Trollinger