Luke 1:57-80

Turn to the first chapter of Luke. Luke’s gospel, moving chronologically, goes back and forth between the birth of John and the birth of Jesus. It started with the announcement of John’s birth to Zechariah and then an angel appears to Mary to tell of Jesus’ birth. The first chapter ends with the birth of John and the second chapter begins with the birth of Jesus.

57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. (Luke 1:57-58)

The angle had already told Zechariah that Elizabeth would have a son so this wasn’t any surprise to them. When word spread that an expecting mother was in labor, neighbors would gather round for a party. They would invite musicians. They were rejoicing with those who rejoiced. They understood that children are a blessing from God and not an inconvenience. That’s the way Elizabeth saw it.

“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” (Luke 1:25)

Zechariah saw the birth as a blessing from God as well. Verses 68-79 are the expression of his joyful praise to God for this birth. Of course, when most work was done at home, children were also a way to add to your labor force making children a necessity. So, at the word of Elizabeth’s delivery, her relatives and neighbors gathered to celebrate with her.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” (Luke 1:57-61)

By law, every male was to be circumcised on the eighth day. This also became the time when he would be named. It might be up to a month before girls were named. So, as they gather for again for this important event, it was assumed the child would be named after his father. Really, it made sense. Because of the advanced age of his parents, his birth was undeniably the work of God. Zechariah’s name meant “remembered by God” or “remembered by Yahweh.” Elizabeth’s bareness had been seen as a curse from God, but now it was obvious God had not forgotten about the couple and given them a son. Therefore, God remembers seems like a fitting name. But Elizabeth would have nothing to do with it. She insisted he be named John.

The name John comes from the Old Testament where it is found two dozen times. The name means “Yahweh has graced.” It is a reminder that grace comes from God. It’s a fitting name too, but the custom was to name your children after a parent or relative. Neither Zechariah nor Elizabeth had any relatives named John. To them, it made more sense to name him after his father. Of course, they didn’t have the inside information Zechariah had. Zechariah had been instructed to name his son John. I think it would be safe to assume he had been able to share that information with Elizabeth. That’s why she was so insistent that her son be named John. But the neighbors didn’t know this and when they didn’t like the mother’s answer they asked the father.

62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” (Luke 1:62-63)

Most translators say only that Zechariah was deaf. Because of his lack of faith, the angel told him he would not be able to speak. The word used to describe his condition can mean either an inability to speak or an inability or hear, or both. Because his neighbors were making signs, it would lead us to believe he was both mute and deaf. For nine months Zechariah was unable to speak to Elizabeth or hear her.

Mary Anne shared with an info-graphic giving the average amount of time different people talk to each other on the phone.

One guy will talk to another guy for about 59 seconds

A guy will talk to his mother for about 50 seconds

A guy will talk to his dad for about 30 seconds

He’ll talk to a girl for about an hour-and-a-half

A girl will talk to another girl for five-and-a-half hours

A husband will call his wife for about three seconds

A mother will talk to her married daughter for almost eleven hours

However, when a wife tries to call her husband she gets fourteen missed calls

So maybe it wasn’t such a big problem.

Can you imagine being unable to talk or hear for nine months? My guess is he learned a lot in those months of not being able to talk or hear. Those months of silence left him with a lot of time to think and pray. He probably learned more about himself and God than he thought imaginable. He was probably ashamed of his unbelief. Like Job, he may have thought:

5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:5-6)

Zechariah’s life had to have been forever changed after that experience.

64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. (Luke 1:64)

All it took to restore his speech and hearing was to write the name John. That’s what worked because it was God who had taken them so it was only God who could restore them. And what’s the first thing he did when he was able to speak? He gave praise to God. Would that have been your first reaction?

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the movie “Fiddler on the Roof.” If you’ve never seen it I would encourage you to watch it if you get a chance. It tells the story of a Jewish man named Tevye and his family living in Russia in 1905. The movie is about Tevye trying to preserve the Jewish traditions and culture from outside forces. It’s very good. However, Tevye does a lot of complaining. He believes in God and trusts God, but he complains to God a lot. I imagine if Tevye was deaf and mute for nine months the first thing he would do when his hearing and peach were restored is complain to God for allowing it to happen.

We may be like that as well. God can handle our complaining but we should be careful. That’s what Job was doing when God showed up. And again, what was Job’s reaction after hearing from God?

5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:5-6)

Job suddenly realized he should not have been complaining so much.

But this wasn’t Zechariah’s response. He immediately began praising God and he had a lot for which to offer praise.

65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. (Luke 1:65-66)

Luke tells us that everyone was talking about what happened to Zechariah and about his son John. I’m sure it did. News, especially news like that, spreads fast. And with such a beginning, everyone wondered what John would be like. It was obvious God had played a role in his birth. God had plans for John and they all wondered what they would be.

I like the last sentence in verse 66:

For the Lord’s hand was with him. (Luke 1:66b)

The NLT says:

For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way. (Luke 1:66b, NLT)

The Bible talk’s about God’s but it also says that God doesn’t actually have a hand since he is spirit. Luke is telling us that God was with John, empowering and blessing him. Isn’t that what all parents want for their children, to know that God’s hand is upon them?

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. (Luke 1:67)

Luke has already told us that John would be filled with the Spirit. The angel had told that to Zechariah. Gabriel told Mary that the Spirit would come upon her. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting she was filled with the Spirit. And now Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is mentioned five times in this first chapter. I told you, Luke mentions the Spirit more than any of the other gospel writers.

I should also add that when we read about the Spirit filling someone it has nothing to do with their salvation. It has to do with God empowering the individual to carry out that which God has called them to do.

The next twelve verses contain the prophecy of Zechariah. The prophecy is referred to as the Benedictus which is Latin meaning “blessing.” It is the word from which we have the word “benediction.” Some worship services will end with a benediction. That’s what it means. It’s a blessing on those who attended. The most famous one is the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6.

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. 27 So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

There are blessings in the New Testament as well. Here is a popular one from Jude.

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)

This prophecy of Zechariah (and we know it’s a prophecy because that’s what verse 67 called it) begins with the word “bless” or “praise.”

It has two parts. The first part (verses 68-75) is a prophecy concerning the Messiah and the second part (verses 76-79) is a prophecy concerning his son John. It’s only right that he start with Jesus. The birth of John is important but only as it relates to Jesus.

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us – 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1:68-75)

The horn of salvation is an interesting term. It’s one we saw in Psalm 18. David refers to God as the horn of his salvation. What does that mean? They believed the strength of an animal came from its horn. Horns became synonymous with strength. When biblical writers talk about a horn they are talking about strength. Therefore, God is the strength of our salvation. Our salvation comes from God.

Note too, that this salvation comes from the house of David. The Messiah would be a descendant of David, of the tribe of Judah.

We are reminded that this is what was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. They talked about the Messiah and his relationship to David.

Zechariah talks about the Messiah delivering us from our enemies, but notice who those enemies are. He refers to those who hate us. Zechariah was talking about a physical deliverance from a physical enemy. We think of our salvation in the spiritual sense, a deliverance from our sins. If I were to ask you to describe the reason Jesus came to earth you’d probably talk about him dying on the cross for our sins. It is a spiritual salvation. But Zechariah was talking about a physical deliverance of the Jews from their enemies. For the Jews of that day the enemy would have been the Romans. The Romans didn’t like the Jews any more than the Jews liked the Romans. The Jews looked for the day when they would be out from under Roman rule. So, Zechariah talks about a deliverance from enemies but that won’t happen until Jesus returns. This part of the prophecy hasn’t happened yet.

There is an Old Testament prophecy that talks about this as well. What’s really interesting is the name of the prophet is Zechariah.

3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. . . . 8 On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:3, 8-9)

The prophecy of the first Zechariah helps explain the prophecy of the second Zechariah, John’s father.

Zechariah says that this deliverance will fulfill the promise of God, the promise given to Abraham, the promise to remember that covenant to show mercy. God will not forget the promise he has made. That promise had been made some two thousand years earlier. For two thousand years the Jews had been waiting for God to fulfill that promise.

Have you ever noticed that God moves much slower than we would often hope? We want God to act on our behalf today. David prayed that God would answer him quickly. That’s because God is often slower than we might wish. As a result, there were probably many Jews who were wondering if the promise God made to Abraham would ever be kept. Maybe Abraham just misunderstood. Or perhaps God had given up on his people because of their many sins. Either way, it didn’t look like God was going to keep those promises. But Zechariah declares that this was the time when God was going to keep that promise he made to Abraham.

There are those who feel the same way about the second coming of Jesus. It’s been almost two thousand years since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. When is he coming back? They begin to wonder if we really understood what Jesus was saying. Maybe he meant something else. People give up because it’s been so long. I think we need to remember the words of Peter when he wrote:

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:8-10)

God will always keep the promises he makes.

We talked about the means of Zechariah’s name. Elizabeth’s name means “the oath of God.” John’s name means “God gives mercy.” Zechariah’s name means: “Yahweh remembers.” Zechariah reminds us that God will remember the oath or promise he made to his people, a promise to bring mercy to his people. We see the meaning of all three names in this prophecy.

Notice the reason God delivers us. It is so that we might serve him. But we do so without fear. Sometimes in the Old Testament there was fear in serving God. There was certainly fear for the priests and especially for the high priest. Once a year he would enter in the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood on the ark. He entered the Holy of Holies with a rope around his ankle in case something happened to him. If he did something wrong and God struck him dead the other priests could drag him out. But in Jesus there is no fear. The author of Hebrews, talking about the work Jesus has done for us then says:

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

There is no reason to fear.

Now we come to the second part of the prophecy, the part about John.

76 “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:76-70)

John’s purpose is to prepare the way. We find this prophecy in the Old Testament as well.

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3)

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)

Zechariah says that these prophecies of one preparing the way for the Messiah will be fulfilled in John.

Additionally, John will give the people knowledge about salvation for their sins. Previously, Zechariah had talked about a physical deliverance but now he talks about a spiritual one. How will John bring them knowledge about salvation for their sins? He’s going to talk to them about their sins and call them to repentance. Think about that for a minute. He only had one message for his entire ministry: Repent. Many will listen to John’s message and respond but there will also be many who will resist that message. John would eventually lose his head because of the message. People generally don’t like be reminded that they are sinners needing to repent.

However, there was a second part to the message. In God we can find forgiveness. In God we find mercy.

Mercy is an important word in this chapter. The word is found for times.

Mary sang about God’s mercy in verse 50

The people rejoiced over the mercy God showed Elizabeth in giving her a child in verse 58

Zechariah prophesied about God keeping his promise to show mercy in verse 72

And then Zechariah talks about the tender mercy of God in verse 78

The word mercy means kindness of goodwill. Compassion means to feel empathy towards someone in need but mercy reaches out and helps them. God shows his love to those in need.

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5a he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:4-5a)

We talk about God’s mercy and his grace. There’s a big difference between the two. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve but mercy is not getting what you do deserve.

The Greeks saw mercy or feeling compassion for someone as a weakness. But Judaism and especially Christianity changed the meaning. It is an attribute of God.

Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19)

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

And mercy is an attribute God’s people are expected to exhibit.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

We are even called to show mercy, even to our enemies. After telling the parable about the good Samaritan, Jesus asked:

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

Of course the ultimate example of mercy was Jesus who identified with our weakness and suffered for our sins.

The chapter then ends with this description of John:

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. (Luke 1:80)

Again, God’s hand was upon him. This sets the stage for the birth of Jesus.