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Luke 1:57-80 (Zechariah prophecies over John)

INTRODUCTION: We are now just a few days away from Christmas, and we have been preparing for Christmas this year by looking at the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel together. Let’s take just a minute and review the main people we have met so far.

First, of all, we have Zechariah and Elizabeth. They are a godly, elderly couple without any children. Zechariah is a priest, and both he and his wife are descended from Aaron.

Then there is Gabriel. Gabriel is God’s messenger angel who stands in the presence of God. Gabriel is sent first to Zechariah in the temple to tell him that he and Elizabeth will have a son in their old age. And then he is sent to Mary to tell her that she will also give birth to a son.

Mary is a young virgin descended from the house of David. She is pledged to be married to Joseph who is also from the house of David. And now in today’s passage we are about to meet another key person as John the Baptist is born into the world. (Read Luke 1:57-60 and pray)

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You might wonder what the birth of John the Baptist has to do with Christmas. Don’t we usually focus on the birth of Jesus at Christmas? Well, yes, but the story of John’s birth is an important part of Jesus’ story, too.

In fact, as we have gone through Luke’s gospel, you may have noticed how Luke has carefully intertwined these two stories. He begins with Gabriel’s announcement to Zechariah about John, and then proceeds with Gabriel’s announcement to Mary about Jesus. Then he shares about Mary’s visit with Elizabeth as the two mothers actually come together for a season.

Today’s passage shares about John’s birth, his circumcision, the prophecies made about him after his birth, and then a quick summary of his growth and maturity. Luke will then share about Jesus’ birth, his circumcision, the prophecies made about him after his birth, and then a quick summary of his growth and maturity. And all this is preparatory to Luke chapter three where Luke picks up John’s story as an adult and his ministry before jumping into Jesus’ story as an adult and his ministry.

This is one of the ways that Luke emphasizes John’s role as the forerunner to the Messiah. He shares about John first, then Jesus. Then he shares about John again, and then Jesus. Always John first, and then Jesus. John is the forerunner. He is the one who goes before Jesus and prepares the way. And so, Luke brings this truth out even in the way that he structures his narrative.

The events surrounding John’s birth are marked by joy, surprise and prophecy and leave all the townspeople wondering just what is this child going to be? And it all begins with the birth and naming of John.

I. The birth and naming of John (57-66)

   A. Rejoicing at John’s birth (57-58)

First, we see the rejoicing at John’s birth in verses 57-58: “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.” (Luke 1:57-58)

There is great rejoicing at John’s birth, as there is with the birth of any baby. In John’s case not only his parents rejoice, but all the neighbors and relatives rejoice with them. And their joy is rooted not just in the birth of John but in the great mercy that God has shown Elizabeth in giving her and Zechariah a son in their old age.

God’s mercy, his favor and his grace have been an important theme throughout these chapters and will continue to be an important theme throughout the birth narratives of both John and Jesus. Even John’s very name means “God’s grace or mercy.”

   B. A conflict over names (59-63)

Although there was actually some conflict over John’s name as we see next in the next verses: “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.’” (Luke 1:59-60)

Circumcisions were a big deal back in those days, similar to baby dedications and christenings even today. This was not just a medical procedure done in a back room by the doctor with no one observing. This was a family affair and part of the covenant that God had made with Abraham and his descendants. The whole family would gather. Neighbors and relatives would be there, too. The circumcision was usually performed by the head of the household but sometimes by a woman in the home. According to God’s covenant with Abraham and the law given to Moses, all Jewish boys were to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3). And so, on the eighth day, family and friends gathered together for John’s circumcision.

Now at this time, remember, Zechariah still could not speak. You may recall that when Gabriel appeared to him in the temple and told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son, Zechariah had trouble believing this and asked for a sign. And Gabriel told him: “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.” (Luke 1:20)

You might be wondering why he still couldn’t speak. Hadn’t all these things now happened? Well, actually all these things had not happened yet. Because Gabriel had also told him, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.” (Luke 1:13) The son had been born, but the name had not yet been given.

The father would usually name the child, but remember, Zechariah still can’t speak. So, apparently the nosy neighbors and relatives decide to take it upon themselves to give this child a name. Luke tells us that they were going to name him Zechariah after his father, but then Elizabeth spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

How did Elizabeth know his name was supposed to be John? The angel gave this instruction to Zechariah, not Elizabeth. And Zechariah couldn’t speak when he came out of the temple. I think we can safely assume that Zechariah wrote down what happened in the temple for Elizabeth. I am sure Zechariah and Elizabeth went over the experience in the temple together many times together as they awaited John’s birth. The angel said nothing about keeping it a secret, and the fact that Elizabeth knew that they were supposed to name him John would seem to confirm this.

Of course, the nosy neighbors and relatives still don’t understand. Look at verse 61: “They said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives who has that name.’” (Luke 1:61)

Children were usually named after a relative in those days. In fact, a son was usually named after his grandfather rather than his father. So, when Elizabeth comes up with this name, John, the neighbors and relatives are left scratching their heads trying to think of anyone in Zechariah’s or Elizabeth’s family with that name, but they are drawing a blank. So, they make an end run. They bypass Elizabeth and go straight to Zechariah.

Look at verse 62: “Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.” (Luke 1:62) Now we know that Zechariah was mute, that he couldn’t speak after he came out of the temple. However, it is possible that he may also have been struck deaf. This would account for why the people are making signs to him instead of just talking. Or they may just have assumed that he was deaf because he couldn’t speak. Or they may have just made signs to him because he couldn’t speak back to them. You know, sort of like talking louder to someone who speaks a different language than you. It doesn’t make sense. Volume isn’t the issue, but we do it anyways.

Either way, they make signs to him trying to get his input because he’s the father, so his word carries authority. We find Zechariah’s response in verse 63: “He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, ‘His name is John.’” (Luke 1:63)

I love that. Short and concise, which makes sense when you are writing on a tablet, you don’t want to go into a lot of elaborate detail. There is no possibility of misunderstanding, no room for negotiation, no place for debate. “His name is John – period!” Notice Zechariah does not say, “I name him John,” but rather, “His name is John.” That’s because John had already been named, and not by his parents.

Have you ever thought about the significance of naming someone or something? Naming often signifies ownership or authority in some way. For example, Rosi and I recently got our new dog, Coco. But his name wasn’t Coco when we got him. It was something else. But we liked the name Coco better, so we changed his name. Now we couldn’t have done that if he still belonged to the previous owner. We can’t change the name of your dog, and you can’t change the name of ours! We could only change his name because he was our dog now.

It’s the same way with children. Parents get to name their children because their children belong to them. God named John, because John belonged to God. Now in reality, all of our children belong to God, not to us, but John belonged to God in a special way. He was set apart as a Nazirite from birth. He had a special mission from God. Jesus said that John was the greatest born among women, other than Jesus himself of course.

So, Zechariah resolves the conflict about John’s name. His name is John, and everyone is astonished at this strange name that both parents have picked apparently out of nowhere.

   C. Able to speak again (64-66)

And then, just to add to all the surprise and wonder surrounding the birth of this child, all of a sudden, after nine months of silence, Zechariah starts to speak again! Look at verse 64: “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.” (Luke 1:64)

Immediately after Zechariah finishes obeying God’s command and gives his son the name John, he is able to speak again. Luke will tell us exactly what those words were in a moment, but notice for right now that they are words of praise to God.

Now you and I have probably never gone nine months without speaking, but if you did, what would be the first words out of your mouth? What are the first words out of your mouth each morning when you wake up after just a night of silence? Like Zechariah after his long silence, may the first words of our mouths always be praise to our wonderful God.

Luke finishes up this section by describing the neighbors’ reaction to all this. Once again, there is more wonder and surprise. Look at verses 65-66: “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 1:65-66)

You know how news spreads in a small town? Well, the news about this child spreads everywhere, and everyone is wondering what in the world this child is going to be.

II. Zechariah’s prophecy (67-80)

Now, if they listened carefully to Zechariah’s words of praise, which we’re going to look at next, they would have a very good idea what this child is going to be. We mentioned last week that there are five “songs” or prophetic utterances that we find in these first two chapters of Luke. Last week we looked at Elizabeth’s and Mary’s songs. Now we come to Zechariah’s prophecy or song.

We saw that John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit even from his mother’s womb. Earlier Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit and prophesied. Now Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit, and he prophesies too.

Zechariah’s song has two main sections to it. In the first section he praises God for coming to redeem his people. And in the second section he commissions John in his role as the forerunner to the Messiah.

   A. Praise to God for coming to redeem his people (67-75)

First, Zechariah praises God for coming to redeem his people. Look at verses 67-68: “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.’” (Luke 1:67-68) Zechariah sees in John’s birth that God has come to redeem his people. It is not that John is the redeemer. But as the forerunner to the Messiah, John’s birth means that Messiah is coming, and so God’s promise of a redeemer is being fulfilled even as John is born into the world.

In verse 69 Zechariah speaks of God raising up “a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” (Luke 1:69) Now Zechariah was not from the house of David, and neither was John. Zechariah is speaking about Christ here, the Messiah who did come from the house of David. He says that God has raised up a horn “for us,” that is, for God’s people. The horn is a symbol of strength. Since animals defend themselves with their horns, the Jewish people used the horn as a symbol of strength and might, and so Zechariah is saying that God has raised up his Messiah, the mighty one who will bring salvation and deliverance for the people of God.

Zechariah acknowledges in verse 70 that this is in agreement with what God “said through his holy prophets of long ago.” And then in verse 71 he speaks of this salvation in terms of “salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” (Luke 1:71)

The world has always taken its stand against the people of God, whether the Jewish nation and all that it represents, or the Christian church and its devotion to Christ. That’s why a different John writes in 1 John 3:13, “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13) Jesus himself said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

Zechariah goes on to speak of this salvation in terms of God’s mercy and God’s remembering his covenant with Abraham. Look at verses 72-73 which says: “to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham.” (Luke 1:72-73)

This verse is particularly fascinating because this prophecy takes place immediately following the naming of John, and the three main words here – mercy, remember, and oath – all correspond to John’s name and his parents’ names. John’s name means “grace (or mercy) of God.” Zechariah’s name means “remembered of God.” And Elizabeth’s name means “oath of God.”

Now remember, this was a culture that put a lot of stock in names. They were always playing around with the meaning of names and pondering the meanings behind the names of various persons and places. I imagine when Zechariah and Elizabeth first got married, they recognized that their names put together meant something along the lines of “God remembers his oath or his covenant.” They probably talked about it over the years. And when Gabriel told Zechariah they were to name their son John, they would have added John’s name to the mix. Not just, “God remembers his covenant,” but “God remembers his covenant of grace.”

I am sure Zechariah reflected on that often during his long, nine months of silence. And now that he can speak again, this precious meaning comes out in his prophecy for all to hear. God has remembered his covenant of grace. He has shown mercy to his people.

And what was this mercy that God was showing through the birth of John at this time? Simply this, verses 74-75: “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 1:74-75) Now that is an example of the longings and desires of a godly man. Why does Zechariah want to be rescued from the hand of his enemies? So that he can serve God without fear – in holiness and righteousness all of his days.

Is that your desire this morning? To serve God in holiness and righteousness all the days of your life? Many Christians do not have the freedom to serve God without fear of persecution from their enemies. But we do have this freedom. Do we use it to the maximum benefit? That was Zechariah’s desire, and now that Messiah was coming, he looked forward to the time when he could serve God without fear of persecution for his faith.

   B. Commission to John as forerunner to the Messiah (76-80)

So, first Zechariah praises God for coming to redeem his people. And then, in the last part of Zechariah’s song, he switches from praising God to commissioning his newborn son.

He tells John two things about his role as forerunner to the Messiah. First, he will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him. And secondly, he will give God’s people the knowledge of salvation.

      1) He will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.

First, he will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him. Look at verse 76: “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.” (Luke 1:76) Gabriel told Mary that her son Jesus would be called the Son of the Most High. Now we learn that John will be called a prophet of the Most High. This was John’s major role in life: to go before the Lord and prepare the way for him.

The Old Testament background to Zechariah’s words are found in the books of Isaiah and Malachi. Isaiah 40:3 spoke about “a voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’” (Isaiah 40:3) John, living in the wilderness, would later identify himself as this voice preparing the way for Christ.

Malachi 3:1 says: “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” (Malachi 3:1) And then Malachi 4:5 identifies this messenger as none other than the prophet Elijah: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.” (Malachi 4:5)

Earlier, the angel Gabriel said this about John: “And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)

And so, John was the voice in the wilderness, the promised messenger, the Elijah to come, the one who pointed God’s people to Jesus the Messiah.

      2) He will give God’s people the knowledge of salvation.

And how would John prepare the way for Jesus? That is the second part of his commission. He would give God’s people the knowledge of salvation. Look at verses 77-79: “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.” (Luke 1:77-79)

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. His baptism prepared the people and pointed the way to Christ through whom we can receive the forgiveness of sins. Remember what John said when he saw Jesus coming toward him? “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Notice the emphasis in verse 78 on God’s mercy once again. This is now the fifth time Luke has spoken of God’s mercy in just this one chapter. And then he speaks of God’s light which will come to us from heaven and shine on those living in darkness. This refers back to the great Christmas prophecy of Isaiah 9:2 which said: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2) And how would this light come to dawn? Isaiah went on to say in verse 6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Jesus Christ is the child who was born for us. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the light of the world who came into the world at Christmas to bring light to those who were in darkness. Even now, when you put your faith in Christ, he will bring you out of the darkness of sin and guilt and shame. As you follow him, he will guide your feet by his light into the pathway of peace.

Luke finishes off John’s birth account by giving us a one-verse summary of John’s life from his birth up to the time of his public ministry. Look at verse 80: “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” (Luke 1:80) Luke will come back to John’s story again in chapter 3. But first he will relate Jesus’ birth and childhood for us in chapter two.

CONCLUSION: And so once again, Luke continues to go back and forth between the stories of Jesus and John. In fact, their stories are so intertwined that you cannot make sense of John’s life apart from Jesus. John’s whole birth and purpose of existence was to testify to Jesus Christ.

You and I are not so different from John. Yes, John had a special mission as the forerunner to the Messiah, but just like John, the story of your life and the story of my life do not make any sense apart from Jesus Christ. God created you so that you could know him and love him. And it is only through Jesus Christ that you can be brought back into relationship with God. The whole purpose of your existence is to bring glory to God by loving him and by loving others. But you can only do that when you commit your life in faith to Jesus Christ.

We are preparing for Christmas. It is only a few days away now! If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, what better way to celebrate Christmas than to accept God’s Son as your Savior today?

© Ray Fowler

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