Luke 1:57-80

Butler's Comments

SECTION 5

Paean of Redemption (Luke 1:57-80)

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a Song of Solomon 5, Song of Solomon 58And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother said, Not so; he shall be called John. 61And they said to her, None of your kindred is called by this name, 62And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, His name is John. And they all marveled. 64And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; 66and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What then will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

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

68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71that we should be saved from our enemies,

and from the hand of all who hate us;

72to perform the mercy promised to our fathers,

and to remember his holy covenant,

73the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

75in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77to give knowledge of salvation to his people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

78through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high

79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Luke 1:57-66 Birth of the Forerunner: Not much excitement ever came to break the monotony of daily routine in the little town where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. But when Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy the whole town was excited. Neighbors and relatives came to help them celebrate. At last Elizabeth and Zechariah knew the fulfillment of parenthood. Now they would have someone upon whom they might shower parental love.

On the eighth day after his birth, friends and kinfolk came to the child's circumcision. Circumcision of male children (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3; Exodus 4:25) and keeping the Sabbath were the two most distinguishing practices that set the Hebrew people off from all the other people of the earth. They were the two most important signs of covenant relationship to Jehovah. Originally the father performed the circumcision (periternein in Greek, meaning literally, a cutting round,). In exceptional cases any adult could perform the rite, even a woman (Exodus 4:25). The child was named at the time of the circumcision ceremony. It made the Hebrew male-child an official member of the covenant and ideally guaranteed him (and his wife and family) his portion of the material blessings Jehovah promised the nation. Old Testament prophets often reminded the Israelites that the outward rite, to have any real efficacy with God, must be accompanied by a circumcision of the heart (meaning faith in God and obedience to His commandments; see Deuteronomy 30:6; Leviticus 26:41; Ezekiel 44:7; Jeremiah 9:25-26).

Some of the kinfolk were just about to officially declare the baby's name Zechariah in honor of its godly father, but the Lord had already told the parents the name was to be Yokhanan (Hebrew) or Ioannes (Greek) or John (English). The name has been a favorite of all languages (Jean, Fr.; Juan, Sp.; Ivan, Russian; Giovanni, It.). It means God has given; God is gracious. Elizabeth stopped the well-meaning kinfolk and insisted the baby must be named John. Not taking her word for it, they made signs to the mute father who confirmed his wife's instructions by writing on a tablet (probably of wax or clay), His name is Yokhanan. There was no doubt in the father's mind that he had better follow God's instructions about this child, for it was now evident to him that the direct hand of the Almighty was involved in every aspect of the baby's birth (cf. Luke 1:18 ff). So Zechariah's written instruction proved that he now believed God could do the impossible. Immediately Zechariah's speech was restored and he began blessing God. The mysterious, miraculous happenings struck awe into the hearts of the kinfolk and neighbors gathered. Is God so rigid that when He tells a father and mother exactly what name to give their child, He expects implicit obedience? Indeed, He is! Man may not always understand God's explicit commands (and God probably does not want man to understand), but God expects man to trust Him enough to obey to the letter. Man certainly has enough recorded evidence that God's rigid commands are all for man's good. Of course, God has not told all parents what to name their children, but He has told all parents how to rear their children!

The miracles surrounding the birth of John were talked about through all the hill country of Judea. Those who witnessed the miracles agreed, ... the hand of the Lord was with him. No doubt there were many who remembered these testimonies when John began preaching 30 years later and repeated them to the younger generation so that great multitudes (Matthew 3:5) went out into the uninhabited Jordan river valley to hear him. After all, there had not been a bona fide prophet of God among the Hebrew people for over 400 years.

Luke 1:67-80 Benediction of the Father: A benediction is a solemn blessing and dedication to God. This is what Zechariah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, pronounced upon his son, John. This beautiful benediction furnishes one of the most significant keys in the New Testament to understand that much of the messianic language of the Old Testament is times-coloring. In other words, Zechariah shows that when an Old Testament prophet predicted the Israelites would be saved from their enemies in the distant future, the prophet was probably referring to the days of the Messiah (whose forerunner was Zechariah's son).

The Lord visiting His people to redeem them is messianic language (cf. Isaiah 29:6; Zephaniah 2:7; Psalms 8:4-6; Hebrews 2:6; Acts 15:14). The horn of salvation is messianic (cf. Psalms 132:17; Psalms 148:14; Ezekiel 29:21); horn is symbolic of power, so the Lamb is pictured with seven horns in Revelation 5:6. Of course, the house of David is messianic (cf. Amos 9:11; Acts 15:15-18; etc.). It is interesting to tabulate the figurative phrases which according to Zechariah are to be fulfilled in a spiritual way in the Messiah and His kingdom:

a.

visited and redeemed his people.

b.

raised up a horn of salvation for us.

c.

we should be saved from our enemies,. and the hand of all who hate us.

d.

perform the mercy promised to our fathers.

e.

remember his holy covenant. which he swore to our father Abraham.

f.

being delivered from. our enemies. we might serve him without fear and righteousness.

Now note especially that Zechariah's son is to be the prophet of the Most High in order to prepare the way of the Lord (Messiah) who will come and accomplish all the above. Whereas the above promises in the Old Testament appear to be future physical blessings, Zechariah makes it plain they will actually be spiritual blessings such as, (a) knowledge of salvation; (b) forgiveness of sins; (c) mercy of God; (d) light; (e) peace. Peter made it plain that the blessings to come through the Messiah predicted by the O.T. prophets found fulfillment in turning every one of you from your wickedness (Acts 3:17-26), and not in physical battles, enemies, warfare, crops, lands and temples. Alfred Plummer notes that as the Magnificat of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) was modelled on the psalms, so the Benedictus of Zechariah was modelled on the prophecies.

The Greek aorist epeskepsato translated visited is from the verb episkeptomai and is the word from which we get the English, episcopacy, which means literally, over-sight, government, rule. The same Greek word, episkopos, (Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25) is translated overseer, bishop, elder. The word is used by Zechariah again in Luke 1:78 and might be literally translated, ... by the passionate mercies of our God, there will visit (episkepseiai) us a Dayspring (or Branch) from the height. The Greek word anatole means literally, a rising up of the sun or stars or east (Matthew 2:1). The Greek anatole word is used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew word Tzemach and is translated Branch or Shoot (see Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12). Zechariah is definitely predicting that his son, John, is to be the prophet and way-preparer for The Branch (the Messiah) who is coming to deliver His people from their enemy, set up His kingdom, fulfill Jehovah's covenant, and rule. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit speaking through this aged Hebrew priest, predicts that the dawning of this messianic age will bring light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death which is undoubtedly a paraphrased quotation of Isaiah 9:1-7 (cf. Matthew 4:12-15). Zechariah's prophecy goes beyond the provincial confines of the Jewish people and includes the Gentiles. All men who are prisoners of the enemy (Satan) and who walk in darkness are going to be given a Ruler (Micah 5:2) who will deliver them and guide them into the way of peace. Isaiah said this Ruler was to be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah also said people of his day did not know the way of peace (Isaiah 59:8; see comments, Isaiah, Vol. 3, Butler, College Press). Peace in the Hebrew language (shalom) means wholeness, prosperity, usefulness, soundness, harmony. It probably has the same meaning in Greek (eirene) (see the connection between eirene and wholeness in 1 Thessalonians 5:23). In the Septuagint shalom is often translated soteria (salvation) (Genesis 26:31; Genesis 41:16, etc.). The peace-offering of the Old Testament is often called the salvation-offering. So the son of Zechariah, John the Baptizer, was born to be the prophet and way-preparer to the Visitor from Heaven, the Ruler-Prince of Peace. No wonder Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist, (Matthew 11:11).

John the Baptist lived in the wilderness until the day of his manifestation to Israel. He began his ministry about 26 A.D. in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (cf. Luke 3:1-3). The Greek word eremois (deserts) is like the Hebrew word midhbar which means a place for the driving of cattle, The wilderness of Judea is not totally arid. The area in John's day was simply uncultivated and mostly uninhabited, yet suitable for pasturage. John's parents probably died when he was a youngster and from then on he lived a very solitary life. Evidently he had little contact with other people until he was over 30 years of age. He lived an austere and ascetic life, eating locusts and wild honey, drinking no wine or strong drink, and wearing a garment of camel's hair with a leather girdle (Luke 1:14-17; Matthew 3:1-6). He was descended from Aaron, but there is no evidence that he ever practiced priestly duties. Some think he belonged to the sect of the Essenes, an ascetic, communal group of Jews who lived in the Qumran community just west of the Dead Sea. There is no evidence for that whatsoever. As Hobbs says, Other than his ascetic life and his opposition to the status quo of Judaism there is no resemblance between them. Indeed, in many ways they were quite the opposite of one another. Plummer notes two vital differences: John preached the kingdom of God; the Essenes preached isolation. The Essenes abandoned society; John the Baptist sought to reform it. Luke infers that John lived and roamed through these uninhabited hills from childhood and there he kept on growing stronger and stronger in both physique and spirit. It is not said of John, like Jesus, that he grew in favor with man! John did have disciples, however the picture we get of John (Matthew 3:1-6; Luke 3:1-3; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:6-8; John 1:19-36; John 3:22-26; Matthew 11:2-19; Luke 7:18-35; Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-20; Luke 9:7-9) is of a tough, austere, hermit-like, fiery-tempermented, booming-voiced, righteously-indignant preacher, with no close friends. People were awed by his demeanor and swayed by his preaching. Many followed him trying to learn (disciples) all they could from him. His light burned brightly and penetratingly, but only for a moment. It quickly faded in favor of the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:1-6) and was then extinguished by the wicked Herodias. This child born to Zechariah and Elizabeth was a true child of destiny!

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

Why were Elizabeth and Zechariah so insistent that their child should be named John? What difference would it have made if they had called him Zechariah?

2.

Does God really intend that men follow His directions minutely when He specifies details?

3.

Would the miracles surrounding John's birth be of benefit to anyone other than his aged parents?

4.

Does the figurative language of Zechariah's Benedictus help you understand the way Old Testament prophets used figurative language? It should!

5.

How do you know that the visit of the Lord to man is more than a social thing?

6.

Do clothes make the man? Would John the Baptist be turned down by most modern pulpit committees because he tended to be a loner and had no out-going personality? Is his behavior and personality really the pattern for preachers? (See Matthew 11:16-19.)

Applebury's Comments

Elizabeth Gives Birth to a Son
Scripture

Luke 1:57-80 Now Elizabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

67

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

68

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people,

69

And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David

70

(As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old),

71

Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72

To show mercy towards our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant;

73

The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father,

74

To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies

Should serve him without fear,

75

In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76

Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High:

For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;

77

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people

In the remission of their sins,

78

Because of the tender mercy of our God,

Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,

79

To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death;

To guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.

Comments

the Lord had magnified his mercy.Zacharias and Elizabeth had been childless for a long time. The Lord showed mercy on them, and Elizabeth brought forth a son as the angel promised Zacharias. These godly parents considered it a privilege to rear a son to serve the Lord. Many parents feel the same way about it today, A revival of that wholesome attitude toward family life is needed in many instances today.

The angel of the Lord had instructed Zacharias to call him John. The name means the Lord is gracious. It was to remind all who knew the facts about his birth that God's favor was soon to be made known through Christ, the One of whom John was to be the forerunner.
All who heard about these unusual things were filled with a sense of reverence for God. It was only natural that they should ask, What then shall this child be?

prophesied.Zacharias was a devout man; but the expression filled with the Spirit refers to the fact that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit as he spoke about the mission of John and of Jesus.

He praised God who had provided redemption for His people, Redemption means release, and the New Testament it usually means release from the slavery of sin. Christ redeemed His people by His blood (Ephesians 1:7). He is also the horn of our salvation, for it is by His power that salvation is brought to all who believe, whether Jew or Greek (Romans 1:16). This horn of salvation was raised up in the house of God's servant David. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes this truth: Christ was born of the seed of David. See Psalms 89:3-4; Jeremiah 23:5; Romans 1:3-4.

prophet of the Most High.John was the last of the prophets who prophesied before Christ. Jesus, speaking about John, said that he was more than a prophet. He had the privilege of presenting Messiah to Israel. They had been waiting for Him so long (Luke 7:26; 1 Peter 1:10-12). His coming was like the dawning of the new day. It brought light and life to those who sat in darknessthe darkness of sin and death.

the child grew.The reference suggests the normal growth and development of the child. Nothing is known about his life or his parents during the period between his birth and his appearance to Israel. It is natural to suppose that the parents who were old when he was born had died before he began his ministry. Perhaps his seclusion made his appearance in the wilderness as a prophet all the more startling to Israel.

Summary

Luke was ready to write to Theophilus. His papyrus roll was on his writing table. Before him were the records of his investigation into the thrilling story of Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Man. Perhaps Mark's Gospel and maybe Matthew's too were there before him. He was eager to write the whole story, for he was convinced that it would give Theophilus the confidence he needed in these things in which he had already been instructed.
As he thought of all the things that might be written and looked at the one papyrus roll, he knew that it would never hold all that he wanted to say. He would have to write a second letter to Theophilus, but just now he would tell about all the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach and bring the story to a climax with the account of His crucifixion, the evidence of His resurrection, and the story of His ascension that took place just after He had told His disciples to preach the gospel to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. In the second letter he would tell how the apostles preached the gospel of Christ in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and finally how Paul and his companions of whom Luke was one brought the gospel to Rome.
His first problem was to determine the point at which to begin. He probably knew how Mark had plunged into the story of the ministry of Jesus without telling about the birth of John or the birth and childhood of Jesus. He may have known that Matthew began with the birth record of Jesus Christ the son of David and the son of Abraham. But as he thought of Theophilus, who like himself was a Greek, he decided to begin at the first of the story and tell about the birth of John and the birth of Jesus who, as he had become thoroughly convinced, was the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Theophilus would need to be fully assured that the birth of Jesus was the result of a miraculous conception. He made his point clear with the presentation of the facts about which he had made careful investigation. And to make this even clearer, he told about the birth of John. John's parents were a childless elderly couple, but God showed His mercy toward them and sent the angel to tell Zacharias that Elizabeth was to bear a son and that he was to name him John. But Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, The angel told her that although she knew no man, she would conceive and bear a Son and name Him Jesus. The power of God exercised by the Holy Spirit would accomplish this. For that reason, the child would be called the Son of God.
Luke wanted Theophilus to be able to read the words of praise spoken by Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, as she thought of God's mercy toward her and toward His people. Her words magnified the Lord. He also told about the words spoken by Zacharias the father of John. He praised God for His tender mercy and for the light that was to shine upon those who sat in darkness waiting for the new day.

Questions

1.

Why did Luke undertake the task of writing the Life of Christ?

2.

How did he prepare for the task?

3.

What was his aim in writing?

4.

Who was Theophilus?

5.

At what point did he begin his record of the Life of Christ?

6.

Who was Herod?

7.

What did Luke say about Zacharias and Elizabeth?

8.

What was Zacharias doing when the angel appeared to him?

9.

What did the angel say about the mission of John?

10.

What is meant by the spirit and power of Elijah?

11.

What effect would John's message have on the fathers?

12.

What happened to Zacharias as a sign by which he knew that the promise of the angel would be fulfilled?

13.

What evidence does Luke present to show his conviction that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary as the result of a miraculous conception?

14.

What was Mary's relation, at the time of the angel's announcement, to Joseph?

15.

Why, when, and how did Jesus receive the throne of David?

16.

What was said about the duration of His kingdom?

17.

Why was Jesus called the Son of God?

18.

Where did Zacharias and Elizabeth live?

19.

What did Luke mean when he said that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit?

20.

Why was Mary to be called blessed among women?

21.

What did Luke say about Mary's response to the announcement of the angel?

22.

What promise made to Abraham was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus?

23.

How does Luke carefully distinguish between the facts about the birth of John and the facts about the birth of Jesus?

24.

What did the people say when they learned about the birth of John?

25.

How is their question answered by the words spoken by Zacharias as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit?

26.

What is known about John from the time of his birth to the time of his appearing as a prophet to Israel?