Luke 1:43

By "Lord" Elizabeth meant Jesus, not the entire Godhead. Consequently the Bible never ascribes the title "Mother of God" to Mary. She was the mother of Jesus, who was Elizabeth’s Lord, since He was God.

Luke used the title "Lord" 95 times out of its 166 occurrences in the Synoptics. [Note: Gaston, p. 76.]

"The use of kurios in narrative to refer to Jesus is distinctive of Luke." [Note: Marshall, The Gospel . . ., p. 81.]

This title has a double meaning. It is the word the Septuagint used to translate the Hebrew "Yahweh," and the New Testament writers used it the same way. As such, it implies deity. It also means "master" in the sense of a superior person, specifically the Messiah. This usage does not necessarily imply that the person using it believed that Jesus was God. Elizabeth apparently meant that Jesus was the Messiah at least. Luke evidently used the term "Lord" frequently because for Greek readers "Christ" or "Messiah" had little meaning. The pagan Gentiles referred to Caesar as "Lord" Caesar, meaning that he was their divine sovereign. "Lord" had the same connotation for Luke’s original readers. Jesus is the divine sovereign for Christians.

Elizabeth considered herself unworthy that the mother of Messiah should visit her (2 Samuel 24:21; cf. 2 Samuel 6:2-11). John the Baptist did not understand that Jesus was the Messiah until Jesus’ baptism (John 1:32-33). She had done nothing to deserve this honor. Her inspired words reflect the superiority of Mary’s child over her own son.