Advent: December 4th
Luke 1:5-17. “ 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. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 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.”
Why include this information about Zechariah and John the Baptist in the Christmas story…? The stories are linked, it is even the same angel that appears to both Zechariah and Mary. Here the angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife (who is past child birthing years) will bear a son that will be an important person to God. He also gives him some instructions; the angel tells Zechariah to name him John(which was NOT a family name and would have gone against the customs of the time), but he also specifies what kind of life he is to live. The angel tells Zechariah that John was not to drink strong drink in his lifetime, referencing the vow of a Nazarite. The most famous Nazarite in the Bible to this point would be Samson, though he was a very poor example since He broke all three of his vows, but a Nazarite was to abstain from consuming alcohol, cutting their hair and touching dead bodies. (Numbers 6:1)
Gabriel then makes an even bolder claim: that John would receive the Holy Spirit even while he was still in his mother’s womb. He will have a successful ministry in turning many of the hearts of Israel back to the Lord their God and that he will have the spirit and power of Elijah. Elijah lived in a time when the majority of Israel were not faithful. He challenged the evil, pagan leaders of his day, and did great miracles to prove God’s power and way. Yet John would be more successful in many ways. He would preach repentance and be even more successful in preparing the hearts of the Jews to receive the Christ -Jesus- who would come right after him. John’s ministry was foretold 400 years previous to this by Malachi, who wrote, “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Jesus himself confirms that it was John the Baptist who was foretold to come before him, but adds that the people did not recognize the fulfillment of the scriptures. (Matthew 11:7-19, Matt. 17:11-13)
Luke 1:18-25 “And Zechariah said to the angel,' ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.’ And the angel answered him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.’ And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.’”
Two miraculous pregnancies are part of the Christmas story, one with Elizabeth and the other with Mary. Zechariah questioned the more probable pregnancy(Elizabeth’s) which might be surprising given he was serving in the temple as a priest. He would have had the respect of others and be considered a wise and devout man. We are told that He and Elizabeth were righteous before God, so we can be sure he had lived a long, faithful life according to scripture. However, when it came time to believe the angels’ news we find him to be less trusting than Mary! Zechariah’s answer to the angel reads innocently enough, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” But there comes with it a lack of reverence. As a consequence, Gabriel tells Zechariah that he will be unable to speak, “Until the day these things take place.”
John the Baptist is known as being the greatest of the prophets. He most certainly had a unique and special calling, he was equipped and faithful, but what makes his role particularly special is that fact that he was Christ’s contemporary. How many prophets would get to meet the Savior of whom they spoke?….Only this one, John. The man who saw with his own eyes and touched with his very own hand the fulfillment of thousands of years of prophecy. God’s Spirit stirred in him urgency and moved him to preach repentance boldly, with power. If this were the case for John the Baptist, who was preparing the people to receive Christ, how much more for us on this side of the cross? For us who have been freely given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who have read the accounts of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, his resurrection, and ascension shouldn’t our hearts be overcome with awe, devotion and obedience? May we be moved this Christmas season to share the good news of what Jesus has done, and help those around us to know him.
Let every heart prepare him room.
Here is an outline to help you as we read through the stories of Christmas. If you’re not sure where it is found just reference the information below.
Matthew
Chapter 1
The genealogy of Jesus
The birth if Jesus
Chapter 2
The visit of the Wise Men
The flight to Egypt
Herod kills the children
The return to Nazareth
Chapter 3
John the Baptist prepares the way
Mark
Chapter 1
John the Baptist prepares the way
Luke
Chapter 1
Dedication
Birth of John the Baptist foretold
Birth of Jesus foretold
Mary visits Elizabeth
Mary’s song of praise: The Magnificat
The birth of John the Baptist
Zechariah’s prophecy
Chapter 2
The birth of Jesus Christ
The shepherds and the angels
Jesus presented at the temple
The return to Nazareth
John
Chapter 1
The Word became flesh
The testimony of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God…”
