Luke 1:57-80 Explanatory Notes (Birth of John the Baptist)

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Tintoretto

The Birth of John the Baptist
1:57 And the time was completed for Elizabeth, for her to give birth, and she begat a son. 58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord magnified his mercy with her and they were rejoicing with her.
Love rejoices with those who rejoice (Rom. 12:15). The promise to Zechariah is fulfilled. The miracle reaches its culmination in the birth of John the Baptist. The disgrace of Elizabeth being barren in that culture is removed and is replaced with great honor and favor from God. Notice again the way that Luke tells about the role that women play in the good news, something very striking for that day. 

59. And it happened on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling it by the name of his father Zechariah. 60. But, answering, his mother said, "No, but he will be called John." 61. And they said to her, "[There is] no one from your kindred who is called by this name."
According to Leviticus 12:3, a Jewish male was to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (cf. also Gen. 17:12). In keeping with a general theme in Luke-Acts, the family of John the Baptist are law-observant Jews. Everything is done decently and in order.

The tradition would have been to call the son after the name of the father. Different cultures have different practices with regard to naming. In some cultures, the name of the grandfather is passed on to the grandson. In American culture, there are no regular naming practices. Luke indicates that it would have been conventional for Zechariah to name his first-born son after himself. At the very least, the son should have been given the name of a relative.

Those at the temple are thus puzzled that they would name him John, but they are following the instructions of the angel (1:13). As we mentioned above, the name John indicated that God is gracious. God was gracious to Elizabeth and Zechariah in giving them a son when they were unable to conceive. And God was being gracious to Israel by giving them an opportunity to repent before the judgment. The gift of repentance was the gift of salvation, and John was its first messenger. 

62. And they were signaling to his father in relation to what he would want it to be called. 63. And having asked for a tablet, he wrote saying, "John is his name." And all marveled.

The story does not indicate whether Zechariah was aware that they had already asked Elizabeth about the name of the boy. We should probably assume that the two had communicated previously about what the angel had told him. Elizabeth and Zechariah are in complete agreement. The boy will be called John. Perhaps they expected Zechariah to countermand her. Perhaps they questioned whether the woman would be correct or have such a say. Both Elizabeth and Zechariah are in full submission to God, and it would seem she is taking the spiritual lead here, with Zechariah keeping up.

It is the nature of human society to establish rituals and patterns. It would be impractical to "reinvent the wheel" every time we came to a decision. The tendency of most people toward "conserving" the way we have always done things often protects society from the potential dangers of experimentation. It would seem God has implanted in humanity just the right proportions of "conservative" to "progressive," with most slowing things down but a sizable proportion moving things forward.

We see God intervene at various times in both ways. God often reminds us of his nature from all eternity, which will never change. We must hold on to that eternal past. At other times God shakes things up. He keeps us from getting stale. He moves us forward. Things are constantly changing. We will not thrive if we cannot adjust and adapt.

John the Baptist was God's interruption of the status quo of Israel, not least because the status quo was on the wrong track. God graciously stepped into history once again and shook things up. And the name of the boy that first symbolized that was "John."

64. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue, and he was speaking, blessing God. 65. And fear came on all them living nearby, and in the whole hill country of Judea all these words were being talked about.

Zechariah has been punished sufficiently. The time for repentance is over. The time for rejoicing has arrived. Zechariah is now free of his doubts. The barren is now fruitful. She who was disgraced is now blessed. 

The power of God is a frightful thing. An elephant may like us, but its power can still squash you. God of course does not step on people by accident. Power is scary when we understand how vulnerable we are next to it. It is no wonder that the angel tells both Zechariah and Mary not to fear when he appears.

Rumors spread when there are omens of this sort. If Zechariah and Elizabeth live in the country already, the rumors did not have long to travel. Judea is the southern region of Israel where Jerusalem is. This is the area that Luke centers so much of his narrative around.

66. And all those who heard were themselves putting in their heart saying, "What then will this child be?" For even the hand of the Lord was with him.

As we already mentioned, the events surrounding a child's birth and youth were seen as indicators of what would happen in a person's adult life. When the people realize the spectacular nature of John's birth, they assume that God had great plans for the child in life. They would assume that God would do great things through him as a man.

Zechariah's Song

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

The action of the Holy Spirit is a key theme of the Gospel of Luke as well as the book of Acts. One of the activities of the Holy Spirit is to bring words of prophecy to the people of God. Prophecy in this case is not about the far distant future but the future of those to whom the prophet speaks. In this case, the prophecy is not only for Zechariah and those around him, but for the early church through the voice of Luke.

Note that Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit even before the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. W remember that the Holy Spirit was active in Old Testament as well as New Testament times. The Spirit comes on various individuals in the Old Testament (e.g., David in 1 Samuel 16:13; the prophet in Isaiah 61:1). The difference is that being filled with the Spirit becomes the norm of all God's true people after the Day of Pentecost. In the Old Testament, the Spirit seems to fill people more selectively for specific purposes.

68. ... "Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel, because he looked upon [us] and made redemption for his people. 69. And he raised a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, his son, 

Zechariah's Song is sometimes called the "Benedictus" because it begins with the word "Blessed." Remember that Mary's Magnificat was also named after the first words of her song. To bless someone is to give it honor. Obviously, God does not need our praise, and we can add nothing to him, but we can honor him. To bless God is to give God the honor that it his do. Of course when God blesses us, the benefit is much more substantial!

Zechariah honors God for being faithful to his people. God's people needed to repent so that they could be reconciled to him. God was under no obligation to take them back. Yet, predictably because of his love, he has set in motion a plan of redemption again. They are in bondage again and need to be freed. God would "redeem" and free them again.

However, this redemption would be a final redemption. It would be a final salvation or rescuing of them from the consequences of Israel's sin. The "horn of salvation" would be the Messiah, the Son of God, the promised descendent of David. The phrase comes from 1 Samuel 22:3 and Psalm 18:2. Zechariah thus echoes the promises there. The worthy Lord would save Israel from its enemies.

70. just as he spoke through the mouth of the holy ones from the age of his prophets, 71. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72. to do mercy with our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73. the oath that he swore to Abraham our father...

The salvation whose beginnings start with John was not unanticipated in the Old Testament saints and prophets. The echo of David is an example. Those with the eyes of the Holy Spirit, as they read the Scriptures, could have anticipated that God would raise his king and save his people from their enemies. Salvation for Luke is again far more corporate than individual. It is the salvation of Israel collectively and concretely that is in view. It is rescue from the political and spiritual enemies of Israel. 

In Acts 1:6, Jesus does not tell his disciples that they are wrong to look for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. We would be wrong to think Luke (or Paul for that matter) believed God had forever abandoned them. It is rather a question of the timing. "It is not for you to know times and seasons that the Father set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7). 

The faithfulness that God is showing to the present and future generation of Israel is God keeping faith with the earlier patriarchs and fathers of Israel, even back to Abraham. The relationship that God had with Abraham continued with Isaac and Jacob down to Moses and God's people to David and beyond. There is a continuity of God's people from age to age. God saving Israel is God keeping his promises to Abraham and David. 

God made a covenant with Abraham, a solemn commitment to bless his descendants. God keeps his promises. God made an oath that he would bless Abraham's seed. Hebrews 6:13-14 also mentions this oath, and Romans 4:13 remembers this promise. It is an act of God's mercy, since Israel does not deserve such grace.

74. "... to give to us to serve him without fear, having been rescued from the hand of enemies, 75. in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

After rescue from their enemies, Israel could return to serving God without fear of judgment. What is the path that is without such fear? It is the path of holiness and righteousness. Righteousness for Luke is a life that actually walks right with God. 

Luke 10:27-28 make it clear what such a life of righteousness looks like. It is a life where one loves God will all his or her heart, soul, mind, and strength, as well as loving one's neighbor as one's self. When asked who one's neighbor is, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, indicating that one's neighbor is the person in need, even if it is someone to whom we do not want to show love.

If one belongs to God, one is holy, set apart to him. Only those who walk in righteousness are holy to God. To walk with God in righteousness as God's belongings is to walk in holiness.

Luke-Acts make it clear that walking in righteousness involves loving one's neighbor in very concrete ways. The Good Samaritan helps the man who has been mugged and needs physical help. The gospel is "good news for the poor," "freedom to prisoners," "sight for the blind," and the oppressed set free (Luke 4:18). Walking in righteousness for Luke certainly includes doing these sorts of things.

76. "And you, child, will be called, 'prophet of the Most High,' for you will go before the Lord, to prepare his ways, 77. to give knowledge of salvation to his people by forgiveness of their sins...

Mary's child will be called "Son of the Most High" (Luke 1:32). John the Baptist is then the "prophet of the Most High." The Most High here is presumably God the Father rather than Jesus, as it was in 1:32. The mention of preparing the way of the Lord is an allusion to Isaiah 40:3. The Lord in this case is thus Jesus. 

The way John prepares for Jesus is by leading the people of Israel to repent of their sins so that they might find forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins is the path to salvation from Israel's enemies. John the Baptist will show them the way.

78. "... through bowels of mercy of our God, in the [days] the dawn from high will visit us, 79. to shine upon those in darkness and to those sitting in the shadow of death, to guide their feet into the way of peace."

As we look at the "psychology" of the New Testament world, we see pictures from their day that are metaphorical to us today. We think today of the heart as a muscle, a pump that provides the body with blood and thus oxygen. But the biblical metaphor sees the heart as the center of our character and intentionality.

The bowels were the center of our longings and desire. Our bowels are the location of our kindness and compassion (e.g., Col. 3:12). Paul actually calls Onesimus his "bowels" in Philemon 12, an indication of his affection toward him. In Zechariah's Song, it is God whose "bowels" show Israel his affection. The result is God's mercy on them, giving them a chance for forgiveness.

The sun is currently down for Israel. They are in days of darkness. But John the Baptist signifies the coming of the sunrise, the dawn of light on God's people. 1:79 is an allusion to Isaiah 9:2: "The people walking in the darkness see a great light." Matthew also sees the mission of Jesus as fulfilling this passage in Matthew 4:16.

The path out of darkness is a path to peace. It is a path from the hostility and oppression of Israel's enemies to freedom and peace. The expression, "the way of peace," is probably an echo of Isaiah 59:8, a passage that Paul also echoes in Romans 3:17. Isaiah 59 is bemoaning the sins of Israel that have separated it from God. "None is calling for righteousness; none is pleading for truth" (Isa. 59:4). 

In short, Isaiah 59 says, they are walking in darkness. But the promise is that "the Redeemer will come to Zion" (59:20), a promise that Paul also echoes in Romans 11:26. The Redeemer will turn transgression away from Jacob. [1]   

80. And the child increased and was becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the deserted [places] until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

John the Baptist was destined to be manifested to Israel. His task would be to "prepare the way of the Lord," to prepare for the introduction of Jesus, the Messiah (cf. Luke 3:4; 7:27). Like Elijah, he would be a person who dwelt in the desert (Mal. 4:5; Luke 1:17). He was a Nazarite, who did not drink wine or strong drink (1:15). 

God prepares John for this mission. As he grows, he becomes stronger and stronger in his spirit, as well as his body. The child "increases." John was no doubt willing to serve God in the way God wanted him to serve. John was a willing participant in God's plan. God would not have chosen him if he had not known he would accept God's calling. 

[1] The Hebrew reads that the Redeemer will come "to those who turn from transgression in Jacob." Paul follows the reading of the Greek translation: "he will turn ungodliness from Jacob."