The Life of Christ
The Birth of John the Baptist
by
Rev. Mark Perkins, Pastor
Denver Bible Church
326 E. Colorado Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80210
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This begins our study on the people who waited - in the
right way - for their Messiah.
We know the situation in Israel at this time; we know the history;
and we know that the Messiah is going to come. It is a great
thing to look at the lives of those who waited. In a sense we
all wait for the coming of the Lord - for the Lord's righteous
activities in our own lives. It is a fine thing to look at those
who waited in the right way, and to find out how we might wait.
READ Luke Chapter 1
There is a stylistic change in the Greek of this passage and
the one which follows. Luke changes from the strongly idiomatic
classical Greek to one that is quite Hebraistic. Since Luke was
a Greek by birth, and his language is very Greek, the speculation
is this: that Luke records here the memories of Mary, the mother
of Jesus.
Introduction
Luke 1:5-7, "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, living without blame in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Lord. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days."
Luke goes out of his way in his usual way to put forth the background
of these two people; their general lineage, and of more importance
their spiritual status.
They were both of the priestly tribe of Levi. This was a tribe
of prestige and prosperity - and also the tribe of the Sadducees.
This religious group came into being about 300 years before Christ.
They are characterized by their aristocracy, their cultural surrender
to the Greeks and others, and their opposition to everything
Pharasaic.
The name "sadducee" comes from the Aramaic Sadduqim,
which meant 'righteousness'. However, those who were in opposition
to them called them saddiqim, which meant 'destruction'.
They came from the ranks of the priests and high priests of Israel,
during the time of the Greek occupation. Their desire was to
give in to the Hellenizing influences of the Greeks, and thus
retain their favor.
The Sadducees had a lot to lose to the occupation forces of the
Greeks, because they were mostly prosperous, aristocratic people.
In order to maintain their lifestyles and possessions, they placated
the Greeks, giving in to their cultural and even religious influences.
Due to the double tyranny of the Pharisees and king Herod, the
Sadducees had made a great comeback not long before the birth
of Christ. Let's face it: the Pharisees were no fun at all.
Zacharias and Elizabeth had resisted the temptation to become
Sadducees, and neither did they become Pharisees by reaction.
They found a true relationship with God through the ritual system.
They lived in all the righteous requirements and commandments
of God. The commandments included much more than the ten commandments.
The commandments definitely included the greatest commandment
- to love the Lord with all their heart and soul and might.
They did so without blame. Without blame does not mean that they
were perfect. It does mean that when they sinned they took care
of it with the proper sacrifice and the mental attitude that
went along with it. Without blame does not mean that their execution
of the ritual plan was perfect - they were after all human. They
did their best and maintained a good relationship with God.
Elizabeth was barren. Whenever a woman of God is barren it means
that God has something special in mind for her. The Greek word
for "barren" is STEIRA, and it definitely indicates
that she was physically incapable of bearing children.
In Elizabeth's case, this condition was in addition to her being
past menopause. She was quite old, but this was not the reason
for her barren condition. The two are separate in the original
language.
Complicating the situation was Zacharias' advanced age. He could
not have gotten Elizabeth pregnant even if she were able.
This situation was identical to that of Abraham and Sarah, some
two thousand years before. It is worthwhile to note! The covenants
to Adam, Abraham, and David are about to be fulfilled, and this
birth will bring the messenger to prepare the way.
Luke 1:8-10, "Now it came about, while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering."
There was a great number of priests. Because of this, it is likely
that each priest would get to render his service once in a lifetime.
The priests were chosen by lot to do so, and with God there are
no accidents.
As a righteous man, no doubt Zacharias had big expectations for
this day, and in some ways he may have looked at the event as
the culmination of a good life. It was Zacharias' turn to burn
incense at the incense altar in the Holy Place.
The incense altar represented the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
the righteousness produced by His perfect life.
The incense burned twenty four hours a day - a tribute to the
uninterrupted righteousness of Christ's life. Zacharias merely
went in to put on new incense, so that the burning might be perpetuated.
The aroma that the incense gave off was designed to be a pleasing
one - representative of the pleasure that Christ would give to
God.
The position of the altar in that holy place showed the source
of that righteousness - the Spirit and the Word. The golden lampstand
was a symbol of the ministry of the Spirit - it illuminated the
table of showbread. The table of showbread represented the Word
of God. When illuminated by the Spirit it produces righteousness.
Thus the Holy place taught even the doctrine of kenosis.
The great multitude of people may indicate that there was a feast
or that this was a holy day - but we can only guess at that.
Zacharias encounters a surprise...
Luke 1:11,12 "And an angel of the Lord was seen by him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. And when he saw this, Zacharias was troubled and fear fell upon him."
There is little doubt left in Zacharias' mind that this is an
angel of the Lord. He did not think it was a practical joke;
he did not wonder if this happened to all the priests. He had
an immediate reaction.
Zacharias knew that this did not happen every day. Furthermore,
this angelic being had an imposing appearance, because fear is
a universal reaction to the visible manifestation of angels.
They are awesome indeed!
The angel stood at the right hand of the altar. This is the place
reserved for Jesus Christ - Luke records it because it is significant
- this angel stood as a direct representative of Christ Himself.
Zacharias knows that this is a grave moment - something great,
and perhaps terrible is about to happen. But he does not suspect
in the least what it is all about.
The angel speaks ...
Luke 1:13-17, "But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you son, and you will give him the name John. And he will be joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb (birth). And he will turn around many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he himself will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to prepare a people who have been built for the Lord."
The angel has good news for Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth
- they are going to have a son. The story also reveals that Zacharias
had been praying for a son - he had petitioned God. Not only
will they have a child, but that child will also be joy and gladness
to them. Such is not always the case, so this must have been
welcome news.
Even greater news is that even at his birth many will rejoice,
and that he will be great before the Lord. He will be different
in that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his
mother's womb.
The first part of the verse makes it clear that he will be great
in his relationship with the Lord. ENO.PION is a preposition
which denotes face to face relationship. John will have that
kind of relationship.
Second, there is the matter of John's abstinence from alcoholic
beverages. This also probably indicated that he would refrain
from social life.
Finally, John is filled with the Spirit from birth. The preposition
EK indicates separation, and this case, separation from the womb.
This preposition may indicate source - the origin of something
from someplace, but even so, the separation is now effective.
It is no longer there at the place of its origin. EK does not
indicate the existence of one thing inside another.
There is no precedence for interpreting this preposition to mean
'from inside', as is often done.
The adverb ETI is the key here. This together with EK translates
"ever since." The Liddell-Scott lexicon makes this
very clear on p.703. ETI does have some flexibility - it can
be taken in the ascensive meaning, which shows surprise on the
part of the writer. It strengthens the phrase in which it takes
part.
It was surprising that an infant would be filled with the Spirit
from birth. Often this is interpreted as being in the womb because
of verse 41 in this same chapter. Verse 41 in no way indicates
that the fetus was filled with the Spirit in the womb. In fact,
it is quite clear that it is Elizabeth who is filled, as we shall
see.
With the ministry of the Spirit upon him, John will turn the
hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient
to the attitude of the righteous; so as to prepare a people built
for the Lord.
It had been quite some time since a prophet had ministered in
the nation of Israel. There had been many false prophets, but
not a single true one. The gift had gone out from the people.
Now the fullness of time had come, and with it a prophet to proclaim
the coming of the Messiah. The people must be humble; they must
be obedient; they must be built inside their own souls.
Humility precedes obedience.
Knowledge precedes obedience.
Zacharias' failure and his discipline
Luke 1:18-23, "And Zacharias said to the angel, 'How shall I know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.' And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I have been 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 when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which shall be fulfilled in their proper time.' And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. But 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 it came about, when the days of his priestly service were ended, that he went back home."
Zacharias - in the Holy Place in front of the archangel Gabriel,
the very messenger of God - wants proof!
All this time he has prayed for an heir. All this time he has
done the right thing. But when push comes to shove, Zacharias
fails to believe. He and his wife are too old, he thinks, for
God to work a miracle.
The angel Gabriel is mentioned in three other passages in the
Bible.
o When he appears to Mary, to announce her role in the Messiah's birth.
o And twice in Daniel, 8:16 and 9:21, to interpret the Word of God.
o Not only does this angelic being have an awesome presence, but he is also one of the highest ranking of all angels, if not the highest.
The angel refers to his duty, his rank, and his mission. His
regular duty station is in the presence of God. He is an angelic
attendant in God's throne room, and he is often sent as God's
personal messenger.
Now, all elect angels were and are trustworthy, but Gabriel is
likely the most trusted of all. The wise king always uses his
best men as his messengers; the wise general his best as couriers.
So it is with Gabriel. His mission was as a messenger, sent personally
by God to communicate the good news of the birth of the one who
would follow.
Because of Zacharias' unbelief, he is disciplined to be silent.
As Gabriel was a messenger to him, so also he could have been
a messenger to the great crowd of people who were outside. He
could have had the honor of the first announcement of the coming
Messiah. Instead, he is silenced. Silenced until the day of the
birth of his son. We will contrast this with the response of
Mary.
Zacharias comes out of the Holy Place; and there arrayed before
him is a great crowd, all of whom were wondering why it took
so long for him to do his duties.
Now comes the charades routine. Zacharias makes signs - he tries
to make them understand the message, but they just cannot understand
him. They come to the conclusion that he has seen some kind of
vision and they most likely wrote it off as another kook.
Zacharias goes home when his duties are over. We know from a
later passage that he uses the time to become childlike in his
humility, and to turn his heart to a righteous attitude. He builds
himself up in the Lord, until he develops a proper response.
When he finally opens his mouth - good things come forth.
Elizabeth conceives ...
Luke 1:24,25, "And after these days Elizabeth his wife became
pregnant; and she kept herself in seclusion for five months,
saying, 'So this is what the Lord has done to me in the days
when he looked to remove my disgrace among men.'"
Elizabeth makes an expression of disgust here - not of praise.
She is living in seclusion, not excited to be a part of God's
plan for the Messiah, but ashamed to even go out. It is going
to take a visit from Mary to get her out of her funk.
Elizabeth Gives Birth to the Forerunner
Luke 1:57-66, "Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. And it came about that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. And his mother answered and said, 'No indeed; but he will be called John.' And they said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.' And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet, and wrote as follows, 'His name is John.' And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. And fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. And all who heard them kept them in mind, saying, 'What then will this child turn out to be?' For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him."
Remember, Mary had gone back home, leaving Elizabeth to fend
for herself. Elizabeth had fully recovered from her funk over
conceiving at such an advanced age. She gave birth to a son,
and many of her neighbors and relatives heard about it, and so
they rejoiced over the birth of this child, fulfilling the prophecy
of Gabriel.
It is funny to note that people make signs to him when he is
not deaf, only unable to talk. Zacharias names the boy John,
and immediately his tongue is freed, and immediately he speaks
praise to God. He had had nine months in which to contemplate
his earlier failure. He recovered and now says the most wonderful
things. The local population is astonished at these events, and
they wonder what the child will grow up to be. A prophet? The
Messiah himself? There was a lot of serious thinking going on
the subject.
Zacharias' Prophecy
Luke 1:67-69. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant - as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old - Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His way; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.;"
Zacharias concentrates on the cross first. Zacharias realized
the need for salvation, and that it had to come before any national
independence or prosperity.
Then he talks of national freedom from oppression. He calls to
mind the covenant of God, the Abrahamic covenant. He brings up
the fact that peace gives one the opportunity to concentrate
on God all the more.
John is the one who will prepare the way for the savior, to make
smooth the path for him. He is to get people to the point where
they can handle the ministry of our Lord.
Christ's ministry will be hard to swallow, because it is about
a personal redemption that requires humility. The people of Israel
wanted national redemption without the sacrifice of individual
pride. John will preach the message of salvation and forgiveness
of sins.
Zacharias concentrates on the mercy of God, because Christ is
the visible manifestation of mercy to all mankind. The Sunrise
from on high is a term that is used to denote the resurrected
status of Jesus Christ.
o anatole means sunrise in the sense of the rising again of the sun in the east. ana is a preposition which means both up and again.
o When you add the term from on high, it is obvious that this is God.
o So, Zacharias looks forward to the manifest mercy of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially concentrating on the resurrection.
The sunrise shines upon those who are in darkness and the shadow
of death.
o Darkness refers to the cosmic system of Satan - his design to prevent us from believing in Christ, and to destroy our relationship with God.
o The shadow of death refers to physical death.
The light guides us into the way of peace (prosperity).
John the Baptist's Childhood
Luke 1:80, "And the child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel."
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