Prepare the way…
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.
When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior[h]
from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[i]
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Luke 1:13-20, 57-66
The first of the verses above are a recap of when Zechariah had an angelic account; an angel visited Zechariah and told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would prepare the way for the Lord (Jesus). Because Zechariah doubted the angel, he lost his voice until the proper time.
Yet Elizabeth did indeed become pregnant and give birth to a boy that they named John, who was to become John the Baptist. When Zechariah’s voice returned on naming the infant “John”. Jewish family and friends were in awe at the miraculous birth and loss of/regaining of speech by Zechariah. God moved Zechariah to spontaneously prophesy about both John and Jesus.
Over the last weeks, we have watched the story unfold for Zechariah as he journeyed through doubt, anticipation, hope, and then finally belief. Can you imagine their joy at having a child when they didn’t think they ever could…and that child, filled with the Spirit and the honor of preparing Israel for coming Messiah?