vs. 39, 40 

NIV:  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.

Mary left very soon after her interview with the angel.  Some versions translate it as 'a few days later' [New Living Translation] or 'Mary got up and went quickly' [New Century Version] or 'soon afterward' [Good News Translation]. We really do not know whether she was as yet pregnant.  The Biblical record leaves that detail to our imagination.  She may have become pregnant at the time of the angel's visit, right at the moment she accepted the will of God.  She may have become pregnant in the next few days or weeks.  It may have been while she was at Elizabeth's house.  Who knows?  I wonder if we are told of this hasty departure to visit Elizabeth so that we are left in no doubt that there would have been no opportunity for Mary to become pregnant in the normal way with Joseph. So it highlights the miraculous conception through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Why did Mary go so suddenly to visit Elizabeth?  

Did she want to check out that what the angel told her about Elizabeth was really true?  It would have been very normal for Mary to have had a few doubts after the angel was gone. In the excitement of the moment, we can all make enthusiastic decisions and later wonder about the wisdom of them.  Perhaps Mary was the same.  

There is nothing wrong with seeking to confirm a message we believe is from God.  It is wise to check out God's will for us and God has provided ways for us to do that:

• by checking it out through the Bible.  Is it in character with God?  Does it conform with God's promises or commands?

• through prayer - our own or of others

• by checking it out with other Christians.  

Did Mary want to rejoice with Elizabeth over Elizabeth's pregnancy after all those years of waiting?  Did she want to share with Elizabeth her own news?  There is no mention of Mary's own mother here.  It would have been understandable that Mary would want to confide her news, her doubts and fears with an older woman.  Perhaps, for her, Elizabeth was a mother-figure.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud 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, the child in my womb leaped for joy.

Elizabeth's baby must have given an extraordinary heave for her to think it specially significant.  Elizabeth joined the list of people associated with the coming of Jesus who were filled with the Holy Spirit for a specific purpose at a time when the filling of the Spirit was not yet universally available.  Zechariah, her husband was filled with the Spirit after the birth of John and prophesied about the coming of the Messiah and John's role as fore-runner.[ Luke 1: 67 -79]  Mary, of course was filled with the Spirit in order to conceive. [Luke 1: 35]  Simeon, the old man at the temple in Jerusalem was filled with the Spirit in order to recognize the baby Jesus as the promised Messiah.[ Luke 2:25]  Old Anna the prophetess was probably also filled with the Spirit to enable her to recognize the Messiah in this baby when he was brought to the temple. [Luke 2:36 - 38]  John the Baptist too was filled with the Spirit from the time of his birth [Luke 1:16] so he could prepare people for he coming of Jesus and recognize who Jesus was when he came to be baptised by John.

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

Luke shows Mary as a model for all Christian disciples. Her acceptance of the role God asked of her in becoming pregnant outside of marriage meant the possibility of the ending of her chance of marriage to Joseph and even danger to her life.  Yet she trusted that God knew best and would care for her.  She trusted that what God said, he would do.  That is the kind of trust and obedience that Jesus asks of his disciples.

We are told that 'blessed' means much more than simply 'happy' although this is how the word is sometimes translated.  It means something more like 'congratulations' or 'be congratulated'.  She, or he, who totally believes that God will do what he says and is obedient because of that belief no matter what the circumstances will truly be blessed - can be congratulated by God for that trust.