The Birth of John the Baptist
Notes
Transcript
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.
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.”
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.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 The neighbors were all 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.
Introduction
Introduction
As we come to this passage, let us take note that this is a real life event, with real people and real emotions. Real expectations filled their minds. They had longings and desires. They had disappointments in life.
When we look at passages such as the ones we study today, we can often remove ourselves completely from the situation, and see it as a basic story. We can fail to recognise to reality behind what is taking place.
And very sadly, we can be led to a place where we see the working of God in the context of people back long ago.
As we work through this passage, we will see that God at work in the world and in the lives of these people. And this living God is the same God that is at work today in our real life situations. He’s a present God. He’s a God that is involved in our lives today, from day to day. And we must be encouraged by this.
So as we delve into this situation here, try and place yourself as a fly-on-the-wall in the life of Elizabeth and Zechariah, as their family and friends gather around to celebrate with them at the birth of this child. And as you do that, rejoice in knowing that God was moving here for our sake, and continues to move and work today for the sake of His people, for the glory of His name.
1. John’s Birth
1. John’s Birth
The first event in this passage is that of the birth of John the Baptist.
Recall that this was the one that was foretold would be the forerunner, the one who would lead the way of the Messiah coming into the world. Gabriel had stood before Zechariah in the temple, and had told him that his wife Elizabeth (who was barren) would have a son, even in her old age. And this child would be the one who would come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
And so now, about 40 weeks later, we read in verse 57...
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
Immediately, we must see the wonderful truth that God fulfils his promises. What had been told through the angel Gabriel has now come to fulfilment. Not only did Elizabeth have a child, but she had a son, according to the word of God.
As this son is born to them, it would have been a confirmation to them that God was fulfilling his promises. Here was the promised child who would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Here was the child that would mark the end of an Old Covenant era, and prepare peoples hearts for a New Covenant era.
God is at work, and Zechariah and Elizabeth are in the middle of this working of God.
In verse 58 we read...
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
Two groups of people come to hear now about the birth of a son to Zechariah and Elizabeth. You will recall that earlier it spoke about Elizabeth going into seclusion for five moths (Luke 1:24). But now, her neighbours all come and sit in on this event to behold and delight with her, and her family joins in with the celebrations.
Two things are noteworthy concerning this community - both family and friends. Firstly, we must see how Luke portrays for us what it is that they have heard about. He writes, they “heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy...”
They have not merely heard that Elizabeth has had a child, or even that Elizabeth has had a child against all odds. Rather, there is an understanding and acknowledgement of the powerful and merciful working of God. Literally, Luke writes that they had heard “that the Lord had magnified his mercy toward her.”
Luke is being very careful to demonstrate for us the mercies of God through all that is unfolding here.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”
God’s mercy is here on display.
Secondly, this display of mercy by God leads to great joy among this people. They rejoice with her. They come around her and celebrate with her the merciful working of God.
We see in this the rejoicing of Elizabeth herself. She is rejoicing, not only because she has had a child, but because she has had a child in fulfilment of God’s word to her husband Zechariah. Elizabeth rejoices not only because she’s had a child, but because she knows that God has given this child for special purposes.
And so the people rejoice with her. They too joined in her joy of God’s merciful working toward her.
Here is a picture for us of what the church should always be emulating. A community celebrating in joy at the merciful working of God.
My mind goes to the reality of the great rejoicing that takes place when our merciful God brings a lost sheep to Him.
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Christian life for us as a community of faith will be marked with such joy when we recognise the mercies of God abounding to us.
Here is a group of people gathered, and they are filled with great joy at this birth as they recognise with Elizabeth the mercies of God at work.
2. John’s Circumcision
2. John’s Circumcision
We see secondly from our passage, the circumcision of this child.
In verse 59 we read, “On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child...”
The circumcision of the Jewish sons was a well-known and very important custom of the people of Israel in that day. Recall that this was a covenant sign that was put into place through a covenant that God made with Abraham. We read of the establishment of this covenant with Abraham in the book of Genesis 17:9-14.
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
This was the covenant that God had established with Abraham, after he had promised to make Abraham into a great nation, and to give him an inheritance. And the covenant was sealed with circumcision.
Zechariah and Elizabeth, being devout Jews, and holding fast to the ways and covenants of God, take their eight day old son John to be circumcised according to the word of God to Abraham. Here is an act of obedience on the part of the parents.
3. John’s Naming
3. John’s Naming
But Next we must see the naming of the child - and this is where the focal point of this passage shines through.
This time of circumcision of John is the time that they are going to also name the child.
It is at this gathering of family and friends at this important, covenental moment in the family, that God is going to show to the family gathered there that He is at work in a significant way.
We see from verse 59 that “...they were going to name him after his father Zechariah...”
Now notice as we read this that Luke speaks of “They”.
The first question that this raises for us is “who is the they?”! Clearly this wasn’t Zechariah and Elizabeth. The parents both knew in their minds what the child was to be called. But in this case, it seems to be the neighbours, and probably more likely the family, that are now taking upon themselves the responsibilty of naming the child.
Usually it would have been the father that named the child. But you will recall that at this stage Zechariah is still unable to speak. He has been silent for the past 9 months.
And so under the circumstances, those who are present for the celebrations have taken it upon themselves to name the child, given that he was not able to speak.
And the name that they decide upon is Zechariah. They want to name the child after his father. This was not an uncommon practice, although it was certainly not a requirement. More often though, the child would be named after a grandfather, rather than the father.
But in this case, the family deems it better to name the child after the father Zechariah.
As they’re discussing this and finalising the decision, Elizabeth suddenly interjects. Verse 60...
60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
The response from Elizabeth is emphatic. It is as if she is saying, “no ways!!” - or “absolutely not!”
Intsead, Elizabeth says that He is to be called John. Here is a wonderful act of faith and obedience again from Elizabeth. Her faith is in the fact that this son born to her will indeed be who the angel had said he would be. Clearly, Zechariah had been communicating with her over the months of her pregnancy, and she is by now fully in the picture concerning this child.
But here is an act of obedience on her part.
And so she tells everyone around, don’t name him after his father!!
The name is to be John!
The people standing around are shocked at this moment. They evidently object to her assertion at his name. Verse 61...
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Clearly there was an expectation to name the child at least after someone in the family. They were certainly entirely shocked at her suggestion. Possibly they were indignant. Perhaps they thought that she was showing disrespect even to her husband Zechariah.
And so they turn their eyes to Zechariah the father, who all this time has been looking on without saying a word. But more than that, it appears that he also wasn’t able to hear… Look at verse 62...
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.
They start making signs to the father. It may simply be that they had forgotten he could hear, but simply not speak, and thus the use of signs. But more likely is the fact that he was both deaf and mute. This is a possible reading from the earlier verses where the angel afflicted him.
But they want to know his opinion on this. Surely he’s going to want the child to be named after him?!
Verse 63...
63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
The way in which John communicated to them was a writing tablet.
Young children, this doesn’t refer to a digital tablet.
The tablet of that day consisted of a wooden board that would have been covered in wax. The person would have used a stylus of sorts to inscribe his writing in the soft wax (something like writing in the soft sand on the beach with your finger).
And Zechariah writes on this tablet: “John is his name...” That is literally how it stands. John was the first word that he wrote. As Elizabeth was emphatic that his name was to be John, so was Zechariah emphatic that his name was to be John.
It was not a statement such as, “we’re thinking of naming him John,” or , “perhaps John is a different name to start including in our family line.”
It was an emphatic, “JOHN IS HIS NAME.”
Here was a declaration by Zechariah of obedience to God. Zechariah by this time has had nine long months to think through his actions before the angel, and his expressions of unbelief in God. All through those nine months, he would have seen his wife’s pregnancy progressing, and together with his own inability to speak, would have been reminded through this that I must believe in God. Even in those nine months, there would most certainly have developed within himself a resolve to obey God.
He had learned that it was not good enough to claim belief in God, but then contradict that belief in God through doubts when things in the physical world didn’t seem to add up.
As John is confronted in this moment with a group of people that want to name a child after him, he is prepared in his mind and heart to say, no! God has spoken, and I must act in faith in God. And so he expresses his submission to the will of God.
As he writes this, the response from all around him is shock. Luke writes, “...and to their astonishment...” They were astonished.
At this stage, the people around must have sensed that clearly something is going on here.
Philip Ryken writes:
“As we listen to the names in this story, we begin to sense that God is up to something big. Zechariah means that God remembers. Elizabeth means that God is faithful. John means that God is merciful. Then there is the sweetest name of all: Jesus, which means “God saves.” Luke is telling the story of salvation, and these people are part of the story. The faithful God who shows mercy to sinners has remembered his promise to save.”
Indeed, as the family looked on, they would have been wondering to themselves, why the name John. What is happening here? Recall that in that day, names were significant. Much more so that it typical of today.
As the people looked on, they would have been wondering to themselves what the significance of this moment was. But this wondering took on a completely new dimension when the next act of God’s powerful working unfolded before their eyes.
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
Now, pause for a moment here, and consider what was initially said to Zechariah back in verse 20. The angel Gabriel had said to Zechariah...
NOTE “Until the day this happens...”
20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”
The day this happens was clearly not the day of the birth of John, which might have been expected. Instead, the day that this happens would be the day that Zechariah truly confirmed his belief in the word of God, and acted in obedience to the will of God, by naming the child John, as he had been instructed. God waited until Zechariah acted in faith in God before opening his mouth.
As Zechariah acts in obedience, God worked Immediately.... there was no delay. At that very moment when he gave the name to child in accordance with the will of God, his tongue was loosed, set free! His mouth was opened up. After being silenced for 9 months, he was suddenly able to communicate again.
Before going further, let me encourage us all as believers that we as the people of God are called to act in faith in the God in whom we claim to place our trust. In other words, we are to act in obedience to Him. We cannot claim to believe in God, and then live continually in a lack of faith in his great promises to us.
When we live each day as if God does not do that which he has promised; when we live each day as if we do not actually believe what God has said is true; we are living in unbelief before God. I understand the challenges. I understand that our faith is at times stretched, and we may even have moments of doubting. We are weak and frail people.
But we truly do have every reason to believe in the promises of God, and are called to do so. To have faith in God, and then to act in obedience. To submit ourselves to what God instructs us, commands us, even when that is the more difficult path.
Turning our attention back to Zechariah, and his own display of faith in God through his obedience. His mouth is opened up, and his tongue is loowed. The question is, what will he say. What comes out of a mouth that has just been set free after nine months of silence?
He sang praises to God!!! His mouth opens, and the first thing that pours forth out of his mouth is praise to the Almighty God for his kindness!!
What a fitting response to the working of God.
One pastor said:
“A cold bare, obedience (even a repeated obedience) is not a particularly attractive thing and it is certainly not honouring to such a great and loving God. A cold, reluctant sort of obedience is the kind of obedience that a cruel tyrant imposes upon a subject people. And our God is no cruel tyrant. Consequently we are not surprised to find worship and praise upon the lips of a Zechariah who is now able to speak again.” (http://www.sunnyhill.org.uk/luke-1-57-66.html)
We will look further at the content of Zechariah’s praise next week, Lord willing. But for now, note that his automatic response to the working of God is one of praise and rejoicing.
But look also at the response of those who were looking on.
65 The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.
The people are filled with awe at the working of God. One Commentator writes:
“Literally we read, “And fear came on all them that dwelt round about them” (thus A.V.). The remarkable happenings filled the minds of the people with the conviction that God was present in their midst and was carrying out his plan on earth. They, as it were, trembled with holy awe because of his presence and deeds.”
At this great working of God, a deep reverent fear of God comes over the people. And the word begins to spread to all of those who live in the area. The fact that God is at work is beginning to be proclaimed, even before the arrival of the Messiah himself.
Verse 66 gives us a glimpse of what was on their minds:
Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
The people by now have a clear picture that this is no ordinary child. They had heard about Zechariah and his becoming mute. They had possibly heard about Elizabeth being pregnant (although she had lived in seclusion for most of the time of her pregnancy). They have now witnessed the birth of this child. But more importantly, they have beheld the work of God in their midst.
The text here literally says that they stored up these things in their hearts. What unfolded here has moved them to awe and to wonder.
The anticipation and the excitement is what shines through here. They knew that God was at work.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
I would like to just encourage us through some points of application for us today.
A.1. God Always Fulfils His Promises
A.1. God Always Fulfils His Promises
No matter the level of our faith, God will bring his promises to pass.
Even though Zechariah did not believe God when Gabriel spoke to him, and he had his doubts, nonetheless, God worked and brought to fulfilment all that he had intended, even through a man who lacked faith.
God will always accomplish his purposes.
When Joshua had led the people of Israel into the promised land, and God had given them what he had promised to them, Joshua exhorted Israel with these words...
“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you.
He went on to say to Israel these words:
Note: “...all the good promises...”
“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
The promises of God do not fail. The promises of God do not fail!!!!
A.2. Christian Joy Flows from Obedience
A.2. Christian Joy Flows from Obedience
While it is true that God will fulfil his promises, irrespective of our obedience or lack thereof, nonetheless, we must recognise that true Christian joy flows from obedience.
Zechariah and Elizabeth obeyed the word of the Lord, and God’s kindness was immediately evident to them. Let us be sure that the only way for us to experience the true joy that God desires for us is through obedience to His ways.
This joy flowing from obedience will be most evident as we repent of our sin and trust in Christ. It is in obedience to this command to repent and believe that God frees us from our sin and shame. Christ sets us free from every condemnation. Christ sets us free from bondage to sin.
Zechariah’s tongue was set free through obedience to God’s command.
Our entire lives may be set free to live in obedience to Him, as we confess with our mouths that Christ is Lord.
A.3. The Work of God must lead us to Praise
A.3. The Work of God must lead us to Praise
Zechariah had the most fitting response as his tongue was set free.
There is but one response that is fitting and appropriate as we are set free from sin. Praise to God.
Not only should we sing praise to God for his great mercy in redeeming us, but we should live a life of praise to Him for His wonderful sustaining grace, and the knowledge that all things will most certainly come to pass that He has promised.
Dear brother, sister, is this your reality today?
Perhaps I should ask, what are your circumstances today?
I know that there are many who face affliction.
I know that there are many who are hurting and burdened.
I know that there are times when you may ask, why Lord?
Or, how much longer Lord?
There are understandable questions in a world filled with turmoil and pain.
But let us remember that the God we serve is faithful, and His plans for us are ultimately for good.
If there is no reason to rejoice in the physical circumstances of our lives, let us at least seek to rejoice, even though it may be through tears, in the hope that is ours in Christ, for an eternity of glory.
Let me close with the words of a Hymn by William Cowper...
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill;
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.
May our good Lord encourage and strengthen you in this week as you rejoice in His daily grace to sinners.