The Birth of John the Baptist
Book of Luke Chapter 1 Verses 57 through 80
Elisabeth's pregnancy goes full term without complications, naturally.
John's life began to develop in his mother's womb, just as all babies do.
Elisabeth already knew that she would have a son because the angel Gabriel had said that God had decided.
God had decided the name for this son would be John and not Zacharias or another name from the family of Zacharias.
The birth of John the Baptist brought great joy to this family because they had recognized that the birth of John was due to the mercy of God.
The birth of John the Baptist was a significant event for every generation, including today.
*****Luk 1:57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
Luk 1:58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
Elisabeth had forgotten her baroness because it had been replaced with joy.
We too can have joy because we live in a time when the Lord Jesus Christ could return in the clouds at any moment.
The Lord Jesus Christ said His return could be somewhat compared to the birth of a child.
Joh 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
Joh 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
Because the birth of John was a miraculous birth, many people wondered what manner of child he would be.
Elisabeth had forgotten all those years she could not have a child.
She was ready to give her love to this child of God.
Her friends and family had come by to rejoice with her.
The birth of John the Baptist was proof again that God will do what He says He will do.
The birth of John was of God's power over nature.
The birth of John was evidence that God is the God of life.
Nothing is impossible for God.
Luk 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Psa 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Prophecy was fulfilled.
Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
The Lord Jesus said that John was the fulfillment of these prophecies: Mat 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
The birth of every child is an awesome miracle of life.
The birth of John showed us a merciful God who so loves us.
The birth of John the Baptist is not much different from our own birth.
It is our job to prepare those we meet to meet the Lord Jesus Christ.
John was used in God's plan of salvation, and we have the same job on a smaller scale than John had.
God allowed John the privilege of being the forerunner for the Messiah.
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
All of the family and friends of Elisabeth rejoiced with her.
The mercy of God was not just for Elisabeth but was for the entire world!
God always does exactly what He says He will do!
*****Luk 1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
Luk 1:60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
Luk 1:61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
Luk 1:62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
Luk 1:63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
It was on the day of circumcision, the eighth day after the birth, when a Jewish child was named, and most names came in relation to the father and the father's family.
John was named by God Himself, and some of these friends of Elisabeth were confused.
We should know that it is on the eighth day that the blood of a newborn will clot to stop the bleeding, naturally.
This is why God chose the eighth day.
Lev_12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Circumcision was the sign of the covenant God made with Abraham.
Gen 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
We should also understand that circumcision is also a type of Christ.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Those friends and family of Elisabeth and Zacharias could not grasp that something new was at hand, a New Covenant.
John was circumcised as a sign of the New Covenant that God was about to make for His people.
Most of the Jews have not accepted the New Covenant even today, but they will while going through the tribulation period of seven years.
Rom_11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
The Jews did not stumble to be rejected but once they stumbled, God offered His "grace" to the Gentile world with the purpose of provoking Israel to jealousy.
The fact that this son was named John is enough proof that this whole event was true!
Zacharias confirmed it by naming the child John.
Immediately, the chastening of Zacharias ended, and his voice returned to him.
*****Luk 1:64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
Luk 1:65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
Luk 1:66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zacharias knows that John will be his only son, but he does not give him his own name, which was tradition.
By doing so, he renounces his rights to John and acknowledges that he is giving him to God.
He originated from God; he therefore belonged to God!
Zacharias had a baby dedication by dedicating him to God.
Unbelief had closed the mouth of Zacharias, but faith had made him free!
Jhn_8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Zacharias had not spoken in nine months, but the first words he had were to praise God.
All those who were there did not understand what was going on.
They could not explain it, nor could they deny it.
They could not understand because they had no faith.
The one thing they knew was that John was something special because they could tell the hand of the Lord was involved in these things.
They went about all Judaea telling them what had happened on that day of John's circumcision.
They would not forget what they had seen and heard but kept them in their hearts.
After our salvation, we should be praising God continuously.
We should be amazed that the Lord would do such a thing as die for our sins.
We should be spreading this "Good News" everywhere we go.
We should see that our destiny lies in the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Psa 111:9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Psa 89:7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
*****Luk 1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
There is one thing we know for sure, and it is that God will never go against His own words.
God will never break a covenant that He has with us as a group or that He has made with us individually.
No sooner than when his tongue was loosed, Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Once Zacharias obeyed God, God removed His chastisement from him, and he was healed of his dumbness, and he could speak again.
1) Zacharias was forgiven for his sin of unbelief.
We must be aware that every time we question the Word of God, we are committing the sin of doubt, doubting God, doubting our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember, it is by faith we are saved!
2) Zacharias being filled with the Holy Spirit is a great picture of what happens to every child of God who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
We believe and obey God, then and only then, are we filled with God the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
*****Luk 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
Luk 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
Luk 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luk 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luk 1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luk 1:73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
Luk 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
The birth of John is the reason for this song of prophecy by Zacharias, but this song is about the yet unborn Jesus Christ.
This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit at work.
The Holy Spirit will always, ALWAYS, lead us to the Lord Jesus Christ!
It is this same God of Israel who is God the Father of Christianity!
Just as Jehovah will stand up for Israel as He has done many times already, He is now standing up for Christians throughout this world.
Notice an important thing here: Zacharias is speaking as if these events are already fulfilled, while they are still in the future.
Why, because God's promises are guaranteed. God will do just as He says He will do!
It is God Himself who visited this earth in the person of the Messiah.
God will not neglect this earth until He has taken all His children to our new home on the New Earth.
Why has the Messiah come first?
1) He came to redeem His children.
2) He came to rescue His children from sin
3) He came to save His children.
Though it is wonderful for those who have faith and accept the Gospel, God paid a tremendous price.
He paid a life for a life!
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Just as promised, the Messiah would come from the House of David.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
That word "horn" is always a symbol of strength, power, and might.
The Lord Jesus, the "Horn," is the Mighty One of salvation because He alone possessed the might, the strength, and the power to save.
We should also add that He is willing.
These are acts of "mercy and grace".
These acts prove that God remembers His covenants.
Every prophet of the Old Testament is proven to have told the truth, and they were murdered just because they spoke the truth of God, just as many are murdered today just because we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God is working on His plan for this world at all times; He never rests from looking out for His children.
Jesus is the same Messiah named in the Book of Genesis.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The world may have driven a nail through the feet of Jesus, but He still walks through the lives of Christians, and He will walk again upon this earth.
Satan will not overcome that blow to His head.
God will remember the promises made to Abraham.
Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
We may think there is turmoil in and around Israel now, but things are going to get worse until the Lord sits upon the throne of David.
God saves us so that we might serve Him and fulfill the purpose He has for each of us upon this earth.
God saves us so that we can live righteously and serve Him forever.
We can be at peace knowing that we do not have to fear what the world can do to us because the worst thing the world can do to us is the best thing that can happen to us.
We must have a clear understanding that we do not need to fear our enemies; we have been saved from them!
We will stand one day in the presence of our Holy God in a new world designed especially for us.
1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1Jn 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Now back to John the Baptist.
*****Luk 1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Luk 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Luk 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Luk 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luk 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
John would be a prophet of God.
There had been no prophets for four hundred years, and John would be the first prophet since the prophet Malachi.
Here in this same verse, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Highest.
Jhn_10:30 I and my Father are one.
Highest means the Supreme God, just so no one gets confused.
John was to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the "Dayspring from on high". The morning light, the rising sun.
The Messiah, Our Lord Jesus, was sent to give light to those who had been in darkness.
The Messiah was sent to those who are in the shadow of death.
The Messiah was sent to guide our feet through this sinful world.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
The only place in Scripture we see anything about the childhood of John the Baptist is in verse eighty.
He was a boy with a strong heart and commitment.
He had a strong will and decisiveness.
He was strong in his convictions.
He was a servant of the Most High God!
He was committed to follow, obey, and serve God.
He separated himself from the world until it was time for him to preach.
John stayed in the desert till the day of his showing.
John is not told to form a political party.
John is not told to make known God's thoughts to His people.
John is not taught all the fighting methods of his day.
John is not told to form an army.
John is told to trust the Lord!
Our one greatest test is, "do we have faith in the truth of God"?
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Amen
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