The Birth of John the Baptizer

“When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 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 1:57-66 NIV)

 Mary remains in the background in this part of the narrative, but Luke has let us know in the preceding episode that she remained with her cousin for the last three months of Elizabeth's pregnancy, which means she was present at the birth. How excited she must have been to see God fulfilling his promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth, although since Zechariah was still mute, he may not have been able to communicate in writing everything that the angel had said to him about John's role of preparing the way for the messiah. Apparently (v. 60) he had been able to communicate to Elizabeth that the angel had ordered them to name the boy John (Yohanan).

The later Church followed the example of this passage to associate giving of the Christian name (i.e., the "first name") to infants at the time of baptism. There is nothing in the Old Testament mentions of circumcision to indicate that the baby's name was officially declared at that time, but apparently by Second Temple times the custom was established in Jewish circles. Luke brings all of this up—although otherwise it might seem a trivial detail—because it indicates Zechariah's obedience to the vision and faith in God's promise, and causes the return of his speech (v. 64). One is reminded of St. Paul's words in 2 Corinthians:

“But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak,” (2Corinthians 4:13 NRSV)

If we really believe what God tells us in his Word, God will open our mute mouths and help us to speak of it freely and naturally to others.

That Zechariah had been mute for nine months and then suddenly regains speech precisely when he confirmed the naming of his son was clearly a miracle and spread fear among the neighbors (v. 65) and the feeling that truly great things were in store for this child (v. 66). The "hand of the Lord" means miraculous things. If the boy's life began with miracles, it was assumed that it would always be accompanied by them. In fact, that was not the case. But what did accompany John as he grew up and during his brief adult life and ministry was to be filled with God's Holy Spirit, and what always accompanies that: moral clarity and outspoken criticism of all forms of disobedience to God's law. Such courageous attacks on sinful behavior is what led to his martyrdom at the hands of King Herod Antipas and his wife.

“His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1:67-75 NIV)

We now come to another in the series of prophecies (called "canticles" = "little songs", because the Church has thought of them as sung) pronounced by the main figures in the birth narrative. In all cases the ones prophesying are said to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" (v. 67). The Church liturgical versions are named for the first word in each in the Latin version. This one begins "Blessed (be the Lord)" and is accordingly called the Benedictus.

Although Luke throughout his gospel and the Book of Acts stresses the Lord's intention to incorporate gentiles in the people of God, and this gospel in its final form was written after it had become clear that most Jews were not going to accept Jesus as the messiah, yet here he faithful preserves the accurate form in which Zechariah blessed God: as "the Lord (Adonai), the God of Israel" v. 68). The mighty Savior whom God raised up was for "us" (i.e., the Jews, since Zechariah was a Jew, v. 69). And, although the goal of the Savior's deliverance of Israel is that they might "serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness," the fear that is to be dispelled is fear of pagan Romans, and the Savior will save them "from their enemies and … all who hate us (Jews)" (v. 71).

So although in retrospect readers of the gospel know that Jesus did not present himself as a political or military Savior, the Holy Spirit speaking through Zechariah (v. 67) presented him just that way.

All of this was as a fulfillment of God's promises made long ago to Abraham and by the prophets (v. 70, 73). We do not usually think of God's promise to Abraham of a "seed" as having anything to do with repulsing Israel's enemies, but there is at least one such promise which the Holy Spirit caused Zechariah to recall:

“I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies,” (Genesis 22:17 NRSV).

The last four verses of the Benedictus are spoken directly to the newborn Yohanan:

“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, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel” (Luke 1:76-80 NIV).

Gabriel had not given these specifics about the boy to be born, but the Holy Spirit now gave them to Zechariah. His son would be the Prophet of the Most High God (Hebrew navī El Elyōn). Here Luke quotes Zechariah as using "the Lord" (Greek kurios, Hebrew Adonai) for the messiah himself, whose forerunner Yohanan the prophet would be. By using the word "Lord" the deity of the messiah is hinted at.

As prophet, Yohanan would prepare the messiah's "ways" by calling the nation to repentance, and in identifying the messiah when he appeared, "to give knowledge of salvation to his (i.e., the messiah's) people by the forgiveness of their sins." There is some ambiguity here in the term "his people." It could refer to the entire Jewish people as God's elect covenant people, in which case the "knowledge of salvation" would only become effective if they believed. Or it might refer to the messiah's people as that smaller group of Jews who followed Jesus as his disciples, the first members of which came from "referrals" Yohanan gave from his own band of disciples. In that case the "knowledge of salvation" is seen as effective, because this group did believe.

The messiah—never called by that title explicitly here!—is portrayed here as like the dawn (NRSV; or the rising sun NIV) that gives light to those would were before in deep darkness, the very "shadow of death." All these things indeed were accomplished, just as the Holy Spirit allowed Zechariah to foresee.

Interestingly, Yohanan himself did not use these specific metaphors (deliverance from enemies, peace in which to serve God without fear, the tender mercy of God, the dawn or rising sun) in his description of the one whose coming he announced. Instead he used the powerful images of judgment: one who will burn up the chaff of sinners in supernatural flames. His was a message of warning, a call to repentance with no promise of deliverance from Rome.  But Zechariah's description nevertheless fits Jesus and what he brought to all who believed in him.

The final verse (v. 80) succinctly describes Yohanan's childhood and adolescence. It is instructive to compare and contrast it with the similar verse Luke later uses to describe this period in Jesus' life:

John:  “And the child grew and became strong  in spirit,  and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (Luke 1:80 ESVp)    

Jesus:  “And the child grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom.
And the favor of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40 ESVp)

Both "became strong;" being filled with "spirit" is similar to being filled with "wisdom." But the last line differentiates the two men. John grew up in the wilderness, apart from normal social contacts, while Jesus showed the "favor of God" in his interactions with those in his village and the countryside. this difference underscores what was perceived by Jesus' enemies later in his life. John was an ascetic, while Jesus was at home in banquets and entertaining others with his fascinating stories and parables. Each served God in the way that was intended, but they made quite a pair of opposites just in terms of appearance and mannerisms.

This will always be true of God's people. You will not be a carbon copy of any other believer. Nor will I. But hopefully we will all strive to live lives of obedience to God's word and love for others.