John the Baptist’s Birth and the Dawn of Promise
For 400 years, God had been behind the scenes of history, setting everything in place for the arrival of His Son. But there was silence from God. Indeed, the oppressed Jews, weighed down by the heavy hand of Rome, must have wondered if God had forgotten them. Had God reneged on His promises? Were His prophecies reliable? Could He just give some encouragement? Silence. And then, one day in Jerusalem, in the fullness of time, something unusual happened: a breakthrough. The promised herald who would announce the coming of the Messiah was himself to be announced. Finally, the forerunner was about to arrive on the scene.
The story is told in Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:39-45, and 57-80. It happened this way: an older man named Zacharias, of the Jewish tribe of Levi, in the course of his normal job as a priest—a job that his fathers before him had faithfully performed for the past 1,000 years since the time of David—drew the lot to be the priest that year who would go into the hugely impressive temple of Herod. His job that day was to burn incense on the sacred altar inside the temple, where only priests could attend. It was an honor that fell to him by lot. A priest could serve his entire life and never draw this lot, but that day, Zacharias was selected to take some burning coals from the huge bronze altar outside the temple's front to the inside into the Holy Place and kindle the fire on the altar of incense. An act that we learn in Revelation 8:3-4, the smoke of the incense represents the prayers of the saints, the sweet aroma of our prayers ascending into the presence of God.
The story is told in Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:39-45, and 57-80. It happened this way: an older man named Zacharias, of the Jewish tribe of Levi, in the course of his normal job as a priest—a job that his fathers before him had faithfully performed for the past 1,000 years since the time of David—drew the lot to be the priest that year who would go into the hugely impressive temple of Herod. His job that day was to burn incense on the sacred altar inside the temple, where only priests could attend. It was an honor that fell to him by lot. A priest could serve his entire life and never draw this lot, but that day, Zacharias was selected to take some burning coals from the huge bronze altar outside the temple's front to the inside into the Holy Place and kindle the fire on the altar of incense. An act that we learn in Revelation 8:3-4, the smoke of the incense represents the prayers of the saints, the sweet aroma of our prayers ascending into the presence of God.
In fact, the whole story of the birth of John the Baptist is permeated with prayer. Elizabeth and Zacharias had been praying for years for a baby—month by month, then year by year, then decade by decade—prayers ascending to the throne of God. There was a crowd of people outside the temple that day; they were praying, especially as Zacharias became delayed, which would have been worrisome. Zacharias' duty that day was symbolic of prayer. The miraculous birth of John the Baptist was because of prayer.
Suddenly, the angel Gabriel appeared at the right side of the altar of incense. Gabriel is one of the two named angels in the Bible; the other is Michael. The only other time Gabriel is seen in the scriptures, other than in this chapter, is in Daniel 8 and 9, which occurred about 500 years earlier when he appeared to Daniel, bringing news about the end of this age.
When he saw Gabriel, Zacharias was understandably petrified, which is the usual reaction in the Bible when an angel appears. The idea we have of sweet baby cherubs with chubby faces and little wings is not the way angels are described in the Bible—their presence is awesome, and almost always, the reaction that people have to them is fear—holy, reverent fear. Interestingly, they are never women, although, for some reason, they are usually depicted as women in art.
In the Bible, angels speak; they appear and disappear. Hebrews tells us they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation—you and me. (When you see the word "minister," think of the word "serve.") Angels are sent to serve believers. In the Bible, we see them bringing protection and intervening on behalf of believers. Once, when Peter was in chains in prison, an angel had to shake him to wake him up before assisting in the jailbreak. Scripture also tells us that we are made lower than angels but that someday we will judge angels. And as majestic as they are, we are told never to worship angels.
Gabriel tells Zacharias that his prayers have been answered and that his wife will bear a son. Zacharias is incredulous; he essentially argues with Gabriel, knowing they are too old to have children and that Elizabeth struggled with infertility when they were younger.
I love Gabriel's answer. Have you ever sat before a campfire by night and then put on the same sweatshirt the next day, only to smell the smoke? Gabriel has just been in the very presence of God. He carries some of the majesty, transcendence, and atmosphere of God with him. How can Zacharias refuse to believe his word? "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news." Yet, Zacharias cannot believe Gabriel.
I can totally identify with Zacharias. We know from verse 13 that he and Elizabeth had been praying for a child for years, experiencing month after month of disappointment; he simply cannot believe Gabriel. This tells me that God doesn't answer our prayers because our faith is so great, but because our faith, as tiny as it may be, is in a great God. Interestingly, the name Zacharias in Hebrew means "God remembers.”
The name Elizabeth in Hebrew means "oath" or "covenant." God remembers His oath, His promise. What oath or promise could that be? Undoubtedly, it is the promise God made to Abraham and then to King David that His seed would endure forever and His throne would be established forever. That seed would be a blessing to the whole world. For 400 years, it must have seemed that God had forgotten His promise, but now God is on the move, and Gabriel steps onto the stage, announcing the birth of the forerunner promised through the prophets Isaiah and Micah. He would introduce the Messiah; God has remembered His oath.
From Luke 1:15-17, we learn from the angel Gabriel about the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist, before he was conceived: "He will be great in the sight of the Lord, he will drink no wine or liquor, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is even born, he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, he will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, he will return the hearts of the fathers back to their children, he will turn the disobedient to the attitude of righteousness, he will prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of His people." And he is going to do all of this through the powerful ministry of John the Baptist. All of this was promised before John was even conceived.
And you may know the story: Zacharias was struck mute because of his unbelief. He finished his two-week course in the temple, returned home, and indeed, his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant.
I love the example of Elizabeth when she learns she is pregnant. She doesn't immediately call her friends to share her news or post on social media! She doesn't rush to the village square; instead, she stays in seclusion, praising God. There is a Jewish feast in the spring called the Feast of First Fruits. At the sight of the first sheaves of barley, the priests would wave the sheaf before the altar, thanking the Lord and consecrating the entire harvest yet to come. This feast also models a wonderful principle for us when we receive an answer to our prayer: the sacrifice of thanks and praise. First, take the time to go to the Lord before you share your good news with anyone else. The Lord wants our first fruits as we draw near to Him with praise.
We aren't told much about this unusual pregnancy, only one incident when Elizabeth was six months along. One of Elizabeth's relatives came for a visit. Her name was Mary, and she had just learned that she was pregnant with Jesus. (Mary was there for the first three months to help Elizabeth with her last three!) When Mary walked in the door and said hello, John the Baptist, in utero, leaped in his mother's womb for joy. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed Mary. It's not a stretch to say that John the Baptist, who was three months away from being born, was the first person to recognize Jesus.
Did you notice the word "joy"? Many people think of John the Baptist as all doom and gloom, but joy was the hallmark of his life. In verse 14, when Gabriel told Zacharias about his son, he said, "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth." Here, the baby leaped for joy in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's voice. And when he was born, Luke says, "She brought forth a son, and her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her." Joy, gladness, rejoicing—the hallmarks of John's birth.
Eight days after Elizabeth delivered her son, their whole network of friends, neighbors, and relatives came to rejoice with the couple gathered for his circumcision. I love to imagine this scene; it feels so neighborly, with everyone knowing each other's business. They all assumed the child's name would be Zacharias, after his dad, but Elizabeth said, "No, actually, we are going to name him John." The friends and neighbors refused to listen to her and took the matter to the still mute father, Zacharias, who motioned for a tablet and scribbled out, "His name is John," and with those words, his speech returned. The name John means "God is gracious" or "a gift from God." God was gracious and gifted this formerly barren couple with a son.
When Zacharias found his voice, he was filled with praise and adoration. Nine months ago, he was a skeptic, refusing to believe the words of Gabriel, but now the praise is flowing. God has done a deep work in his heart. Verse 65 says, "And fear came upon all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them kept them in mind, saying, 'What then will this child turn out to be?' For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.”
Then Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, connected the dots. He understood exactly what was happening: God was breaking through and starting to fulfill His promises that began back in Genesis 3 about the Messiah. In Luke 1:68, he says, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, His servant." Remember—all the promises must come through the line of David: "Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy toward our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham, our father. To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." Do you hear Zacharias connect John the Baptist's birth as the beginning of God remembering His oath and covenant with Abraham? God is on the move!
Then he probably picked up that baby, holding him, and said, "You, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways. You will give the knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The child will grow into the man whom Jesus will declare as the greatest born of a woman. He will be used by God in an amazing way to prepare the hearts of the people to receive forgiveness for their sins through their Messiah. John was conceived and born all because of the tender mercy of our God.
Zacharias and Elizabeth—God remembers His oath. John, the gift of God. Four hundred years of silence, and suddenly, the long wait was over; the dawn has broken. The fullness of time has come. The herald was on the scene. The child continued to grow and become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance.
Suddenly, the angel Gabriel appeared at the right side of the altar of incense. Gabriel is one of the two named angels in the Bible; the other is Michael. The only other time Gabriel is seen in the scriptures, other than in this chapter, is in Daniel 8 and 9, which occurred about 500 years earlier when he appeared to Daniel, bringing news about the end of this age.
When he saw Gabriel, Zacharias was understandably petrified, which is the usual reaction in the Bible when an angel appears. The idea we have of sweet baby cherubs with chubby faces and little wings is not the way angels are described in the Bible—their presence is awesome, and almost always, the reaction that people have to them is fear—holy, reverent fear. Interestingly, they are never women, although, for some reason, they are usually depicted as women in art.
In the Bible, angels speak; they appear and disappear. Hebrews tells us they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation—you and me. (When you see the word "minister," think of the word "serve.") Angels are sent to serve believers. In the Bible, we see them bringing protection and intervening on behalf of believers. Once, when Peter was in chains in prison, an angel had to shake him to wake him up before assisting in the jailbreak. Scripture also tells us that we are made lower than angels but that someday we will judge angels. And as majestic as they are, we are told never to worship angels.
Gabriel tells Zacharias that his prayers have been answered and that his wife will bear a son. Zacharias is incredulous; he essentially argues with Gabriel, knowing they are too old to have children and that Elizabeth struggled with infertility when they were younger.
I love Gabriel's answer. Have you ever sat before a campfire by night and then put on the same sweatshirt the next day, only to smell the smoke? Gabriel has just been in the very presence of God. He carries some of the majesty, transcendence, and atmosphere of God with him. How can Zacharias refuse to believe his word? "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news." Yet, Zacharias cannot believe Gabriel.
I can totally identify with Zacharias. We know from verse 13 that he and Elizabeth had been praying for a child for years, experiencing month after month of disappointment; he simply cannot believe Gabriel. This tells me that God doesn't answer our prayers because our faith is so great, but because our faith, as tiny as it may be, is in a great God. Interestingly, the name Zacharias in Hebrew means "God remembers.”
The name Elizabeth in Hebrew means "oath" or "covenant." God remembers His oath, His promise. What oath or promise could that be? Undoubtedly, it is the promise God made to Abraham and then to King David that His seed would endure forever and His throne would be established forever. That seed would be a blessing to the whole world. For 400 years, it must have seemed that God had forgotten His promise, but now God is on the move, and Gabriel steps onto the stage, announcing the birth of the forerunner promised through the prophets Isaiah and Micah. He would introduce the Messiah; God has remembered His oath.
From Luke 1:15-17, we learn from the angel Gabriel about the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist, before he was conceived: "He will be great in the sight of the Lord, he will drink no wine or liquor, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is even born, he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, he will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, he will return the hearts of the fathers back to their children, he will turn the disobedient to the attitude of righteousness, he will prepare the way of the Lord in the hearts of His people." And he is going to do all of this through the powerful ministry of John the Baptist. All of this was promised before John was even conceived.
And you may know the story: Zacharias was struck mute because of his unbelief. He finished his two-week course in the temple, returned home, and indeed, his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant.
I love the example of Elizabeth when she learns she is pregnant. She doesn't immediately call her friends to share her news or post on social media! She doesn't rush to the village square; instead, she stays in seclusion, praising God. There is a Jewish feast in the spring called the Feast of First Fruits. At the sight of the first sheaves of barley, the priests would wave the sheaf before the altar, thanking the Lord and consecrating the entire harvest yet to come. This feast also models a wonderful principle for us when we receive an answer to our prayer: the sacrifice of thanks and praise. First, take the time to go to the Lord before you share your good news with anyone else. The Lord wants our first fruits as we draw near to Him with praise.
We aren't told much about this unusual pregnancy, only one incident when Elizabeth was six months along. One of Elizabeth's relatives came for a visit. Her name was Mary, and she had just learned that she was pregnant with Jesus. (Mary was there for the first three months to help Elizabeth with her last three!) When Mary walked in the door and said hello, John the Baptist, in utero, leaped in his mother's womb for joy. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed Mary. It's not a stretch to say that John the Baptist, who was three months away from being born, was the first person to recognize Jesus.
Did you notice the word "joy"? Many people think of John the Baptist as all doom and gloom, but joy was the hallmark of his life. In verse 14, when Gabriel told Zacharias about his son, he said, "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth." Here, the baby leaped for joy in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's voice. And when he was born, Luke says, "She brought forth a son, and her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her." Joy, gladness, rejoicing—the hallmarks of John's birth.
Eight days after Elizabeth delivered her son, their whole network of friends, neighbors, and relatives came to rejoice with the couple gathered for his circumcision. I love to imagine this scene; it feels so neighborly, with everyone knowing each other's business. They all assumed the child's name would be Zacharias, after his dad, but Elizabeth said, "No, actually, we are going to name him John." The friends and neighbors refused to listen to her and took the matter to the still mute father, Zacharias, who motioned for a tablet and scribbled out, "His name is John," and with those words, his speech returned. The name John means "God is gracious" or "a gift from God." God was gracious and gifted this formerly barren couple with a son.
When Zacharias found his voice, he was filled with praise and adoration. Nine months ago, he was a skeptic, refusing to believe the words of Gabriel, but now the praise is flowing. God has done a deep work in his heart. Verse 65 says, "And fear came upon all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them kept them in mind, saying, 'What then will this child turn out to be?' For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.”
Then Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, connected the dots. He understood exactly what was happening: God was breaking through and starting to fulfill His promises that began back in Genesis 3 about the Messiah. In Luke 1:68, he says, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, His servant." Remember—all the promises must come through the line of David: "Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy toward our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham, our father. To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." Do you hear Zacharias connect John the Baptist's birth as the beginning of God remembering His oath and covenant with Abraham? God is on the move!
Then he probably picked up that baby, holding him, and said, "You, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways. You will give the knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The child will grow into the man whom Jesus will declare as the greatest born of a woman. He will be used by God in an amazing way to prepare the hearts of the people to receive forgiveness for their sins through their Messiah. John was conceived and born all because of the tender mercy of our God.
Zacharias and Elizabeth—God remembers His oath. John, the gift of God. Four hundred years of silence, and suddenly, the long wait was over; the dawn has broken. The fullness of time has come. The herald was on the scene. The child continued to grow and become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance.