Knowing The Word in Luke 1:13-17

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Comments

The angel tells us that Zechariah has been praying for a child. The tense indicates he prayed his request once and not continuously over time. (Perhaps Zechariah knows that God hears us and thinks it is best not to be nagging in prayer but believe God hears us and will answer our prayers in his good time.) That the child would be a son means the family line would continue. However, we know that John never married or had children, meaning John was the last of the family line. John, then, is the fulfilment of the line Zechariah. Then the angel gave Zechariah the boy’s name: John, which means “the Lord is gracious.” The timing after his parents cannot naturally have children and John’s name make clear that he would be God’s servant who would do great things. That he may not drink anything alcoholic associated him with those whom God sets asides for his purposes, such as Samson who did great things for the Lord.

Then the angel explained an entirely new situation. No one else in the Old Testament was said to be filled with the Spirit from birth except King David. This pronouncement confirmed that God chose John from the beginning and equipped him for his work to turn the hearts of many, but not all, of God’s people back to God. He would have the power and influence of one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, Elijah.

John’s ministry would resemble Elijah’s in its calling of rebellious people back to their loving God. The fulfillment of prophecy and the comparison with Elijah emphasize the greatness of John, yet he was still a forerunner. What it means to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just is not overly clear, but the important result of his ministry was that people will be ready for the Messiah to appear.

Application

What do you know about the Holy Spirit? This blog posting may be helpful to you: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/five-truths-about-holy-spirit/

Prayer

Lord Jesus, your Father prepared your arrival through your cousin John, who was not only obedient to him but also submitted himself to you. Help each of us today through your Spirit to be obedient to your commands to love God and neighbor, as we die to our rebellious nature and submit our lives to you for your good purposes.