The Birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-80)

So the unexpected day came in the small town in Judea where Zechariah and Elizabeth, the devout old couple, lived and she gave birth to a son. It was unexpected for many of the neighbours because Elizabeth had not advertised the fact that she was expecting a child. They may not have believed her in any case, even if she had told them. We can imagine what they would have said if she had. No doubt, some would have suggested she was losing the plot. But once the baby was born, it was public news and others could get involved.

Perception on life

It is not surprising that Luke informs us that Elizabeth’s neighbours and relations shared her joy at the birth of John. But it is interesting how Luke describes the birth – he says it was an act of great mercy by the Lord on behalf of Elizabeth. We might prefer to call it a great miracle, which undoubtedly it was. Yet there is something noteworthy in looking at the birth as an expression of divine mercy.

Firstly, divine mercy is a reminder that the giving of such a child was undeserved. Elizabeth had been a devout woman all her life, nevertheless her devotion to God did not mean that she could merit a blessing from God. All that she had received from God was based on his mercy.

 Second, mercy is an expression of the goodness and kindness of God. It is the way his goodness is shown towards the undeserving. Jeremiah reminds us that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning. The number of mercies that we receive every day is large and each one is an expression of the kindness of God.

Third, this particular expression of divine mercy was connected to the precise role that John would play as the forerunner of the Messiah. John was to become a spokesman for God’s mercy. He was an expression of mercy in the sense that in him God kept his promises about a forerunner and through him God would extend his kingdom.

It is good to have this perception on life, otherwise we will become proud, imagining that somehow or other we are contributing to what we have. Everything good in each of us is an expression of the mercy of God and should be used to give honour to him. Of course, some acts of mercy are higher than others. It is mercy to have physical health, but it is a greater mercy to spiritual health.

God’s mercy is free and cannot be merited. It can be obtained through prayer and when we receive one aspect of God’s mercy there will always be links to other aspects of it. Thomas Watson observed that with humans one act of kindness to a needy person is often the limit to which they will go. There is not a link from it to other actions. But with God, it is so different. He is full of mercy, and one expression of it is a door into another experience of it. We can think of this in many ways: forgiveness leads to adoption which leads to prayer which leads to receiving grace which leads to changed living which leads to spiritual actions which lead to all manner of ways of involvement etc.

Piety in life

We have already been told by Luke that John’s parents were pious people and that their piety was expressed in lives of obedience to the commandments of God. One aspect of their piety was connected to the family activity of celebrating the circumcision of a new-born son. The activity was important because it was a public declaration that they wanted their son to belong to the people of God.

 They did this despite the fact that God’s cause was very low at that time. There were many suggestions that could have been made about the pointlessness of such an action. Surely it would be more sensible not to link him with a religion that was obviously on the way out! Yet that was not the outlook of John’s parents. They wanted him to serve God, even if no-one else shared their convictions.

They did this despite having great divine promises about the baby’s future. The Lord had told them that their son would play the most important role possible for a sinful human, that of being the forerunner of the Messiah. Yet they did not assume that his future contribution negated their present responsibility. Their role was to bring him up in the ways of God and they could not do so, if he was not circumcised.

They did it with their eyes on God and not on tradition, even although their family and friends wanted to stick with the tradition. The custom of their acquaintances would have resulted in the baby being called Zechariah, but such an action would have been disobedience to what God had told them. If they had bowed to peer pressure, they would have lost the blessing of God. 

James Stalker observes that, ‘As a rule, the naming of children takes place in haphazard fashion, the child receiving a certain name simply because some relative has borne it before him or because the sound has pleased the fancy of father or mother, or for some similar reason. But on this occasion the name was divinely decided beforehand; and this was another indication that this child was created for a special purpose. The name John signifies The Lord is favourable, or, put more briefly, The Gift of God. He was a gift to his parents, but also to far wider circles — to his country and to mankind.’

Prospects for God’s kingdom

The prophecy of Zechariah is in three parts. Verses 68-75 focus on the faithfulness of God, verses 76 and 77 describe the particular ministry of John the Baptist, and verses 78 and 79 speak about the growth of God’s kingdom. As we look at his words, we can see that they are saturated with Old Testament themes and language. In other words, his statement is biblical. There are two possible sources for his usage of words. One is his own memory and the other is the direct communication of the Spirit. If the first is the source, then we can see the importance of familiarising ourselves with the Bible. If the second option is the source, then we can see that the Spirit loves to use biblical themes in his communications, which is not surprising given that he is also the author of the Old Testament.

Another detail that comes over in Zechariah’s words is that his hopes were shared by others, even if only by a small remnant. Stalker notes about them: ‘Thinly scattered throughout the population they yet knew one another, and, as occasion allowed, blew into flame the fire of hope and devotion in one another’s hearts. They were for the most part poor and obscure, like Joseph the carpenter or the shepherds of Bethlehem; but they looked for changes which would reverse the judgments of the world by which they were condemned to neglect and contempt.’ He continues by describing the effects on them of the arrival of the two infants – John and Jesus: ‘In these stories of the childhood of Jesus we see how, in a moment, the sadness of those who were clinging to principle and waiting for the kingdom of God can be turned into joy, and their silence and sighing become hymns of praise. From Mary to Zacharias, from the shepherds to Simeon and Anna, the inspiration passed; and their closed lips were opened to hail the good time that had come.’

In the first part, Zechariah praises God for remembering the promises made to the forefathers of Israel, particularly through Abraham and David. And he begins by focussing on an unborn Saviour (vv. 68-69), whom he describes as a Redeemer and a King (the horn was a common way of speaking about royalty). We might regard the old man’s enthusiasm as premature. After all, if the Saviour is not even born, how can Zechariah rejoice in the salvation he will provide? The answer to that question is that when God begins something he will complete it. Because the Saviour is now in the womb of his mother, the other stages will follow in due course. We speak about Jesus in a similar way when we call him the Saviour even although we have not experienced full salvation yet.

Zechariah rejoiced that the salvation that the unborn King would provide would be deliverance from all enemies. Probably Zechariah did not grasp the fullness of what he was saying because we know that the last enemy that will be destroyed is death (1 Cor. 15:). Nevertheless he knew that God’s promised Deliverer would provide a complete deliverance from all dangers. We can identify them as the world, the flesh and the devil, each of which is an enemy we cannot defeat as individuals or together. But God’s Deliverer will defeat them.

Zechariah further rejoiced in the blessings that deliverance would bring, which are to ‘serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days’ (vv. 74-75). The great outcome of salvation is to live peacefully in the presence of God in ways that are suitable to his character and to do so for ever. Sometimes we ask, ‘What should I do or say when I meet him or her?’ We ask the question because we realise the importance of the individual and do not want to offend him or her. How much more should we be concerned about what we say and do in the presence of God! There is a sense in which we are before him because of his omnipresence, although I don’t think that is the type of presence that Zechariah has in mind. He wants us to think about living in the gracious precious of God, which will be a foretaste of heaven.

In verses 76 and 77, Zechariah speaks to his infant son. What emotions must have been in his heart as he spoke about days that would come long after he had left this earth! His words tell us where his heart was – it was anticipating the good things that would happen when his son’s ministry began. It is worth stopping and asking ourselves whether or not we are people of anticipation. Do we think about the glory that is ahead, for example?

Anticipation is one of the keys for understanding the ministry of the apostle Paul. There are many examples, but think of how he regarded a possible visit to Rome? He writes in Romans 15 about various matters that he had to tidy up before he could make the trip. Having mentioned them, he then says in verse 29: ‘I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.’ That’s anticipation, is it not? And he wanted his readers to have great anticipation as well, for he writes in Romans 15:13: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.’

Of course, anticipation must be based on the promises of God. There are promises about personal concerns, there are promises about great movements within the kingdom of God, such as the future conversion of the Jews, and there are promises about the new heavens and new earth that should fill our vision and fill our hearts with hope. Anticipation is an attitude of the heart and not of the mind, although an informed mind is essential. But we anticipate what we love and want to happen. Zechariah anticipated with joy what God would do through his son John.

The old priest also affirmed that his son John would be unique. He did not say about John that he would be ‘a’ prophet of the Most High; instead he said that he would be ‘the’ prophet, the greatest prophet, the most privileged prophet. The reason why he would be so great is the incredible role he would play as he prepared the way of the Lord. This is a reference to his preaching. It was customary when a great person was travelling to make a road for him so that his journey would be as comfortable as possible. John’s preaching is likened to this road – by his message he was making a path for Jesus to travel on when he arrived. Zechariah also highlights the deity of Jesus. The old man knows that the Messiah is currently in the womb of his wife’s relative Mary and yet here he calls him Lord.

The message that John declared involved the knowledge of salvation of God’s people, especially the forgiveness of their sins. He spoke about a kingdom in which the members repented of their sins at the border crossing from their old world, a kingdom that focuses on complete deliverance from the power of evil. It is important to note the stress that Zechariah places on forgiveness of sins. Pardon freely offered was John’s message and it rejoiced the heart of his father.

In verses 78 and 79, Zechariah by the Spirit describes the kingdom of Jesus. He likens it to a day, with the imminent birth of Jesus being the dawn of that day. During that endless day, there will light for those who were previously in darkness. The dark night of sin was over and the Sun of Righteousness was about to rise with healing in his wings. Travellers, because of the clear daylight, would now know the way to find peace.

The consequence

The little group that had gathered in the room, or perhaps in the temple courts for the circumcision, went home. Inevitably news went out about the remarkable child that had been born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Not that the people saw much of him because he was spending the years in solitude, preparing for his role.

This sermon was preached on 13/5/2012