After Mary left, Elizabeth gave birth to a son as the angel had said she would. Zechariah was able to speak again and gave a great prophecy as to what his son John would do. As you read this passage remember what the angel had told Zechariah he was to name his son in Luke 1:13, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.” He is referred to as John the Baptist because he baptized Jesus and many other people who came to him.
Luke 1:57-80
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and 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.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the 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
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
John 1:6-9
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
What happened when Elizabeth said the baby was to be named John? (59)
What did Zechariah do when they asked him? (63) What happened after he wrote that? (64)
What did Zechariah say about John? (76-77)
What did he say about the coming Messiah? (68-79)
What does the disciple John say that John the Baptist came to do? (John 1:7)
THOUGHT QUESTIONS:
The name John (derived from the Hebrew) means “God is gracious.” Gracious means full of mercy and compassion. How does this name apply to John the Baptist and his ministry?
What is our greatest enemy? How did the Messiah rescue us from our sin?
PRAYER:
Thank God for being so gracious to us and sending his Son to bring us back to him and save us from our sins. Pray that you would understand and accept his gracious gift and fully recognize that your own sin is your greatest enemy. Pray that you would be filled with his Spirit so that you are able to overcome the power of sin in your life.
FOCUS VERSE: Luke 1:68-69
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.