Luke 1:57-80

John The Baptist is Born

My family and I would like to wish you and your family a very

Merry Christmas!!

58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

60 But his mother answered and said, "No indeed; but he shall be called John."

61 And they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name."

62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, "His name is John." And they were all astonished.

64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.

65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea.

66 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.

Zacharias's Prophecy

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant--

70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old--

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

72 To show mercy toward our fathers,

And to remember His holy covenant,

73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

To guide our feet into the way of peace."

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Birth of John The Baptist

If you have read the Bible and studied Hebrew history you'll find that family lines and family names were very important to the Jewish people. Everyone present just assumed the child would be named after Zechariah or at least be named after someone in his family.

 

So, the people present were shocked that both Elizabeth and Zechariah chose to name the boy John, as the angel had told them to do (See Luke 1:13)

 

Zechariah's relatives talked to him by gestures, because he was apparently deaf as well as speechless and had not heard what his wife had said.

 

Zechariah praised God with his first words after months of silence.

 

This passage is about John's birth but is also a story of obedience to God.

 

Most people having children do not even consult God when naming a son or daughter. The child receives a certain name because of the parents wanting that name for their reasons, not God's.

 

Zechariah was able to talk instantly after following God's will to name his child as the angel had instructed. He obeyed. The Bible is full of stories of people who obeyed God and were blessed. It is also full of stories depicting people who disobeyed God, bringing hardship and death to themselves and generations after them

 

Which will we choose to do when God asks something of us? I hope we can make the right choice as Zechariah did.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Christmas Story Contents

Luke 1:31-37 - An Angel Promises the Birth of Jesus to Mary

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