The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold, Luke 1:5-25
5 1In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named [a]Zacharias, of the 2division of [b]Abijah; and he had a wife [c]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both 3righteous in the sight of God, walking 4blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in [d]years.
8 Now it happened that while 5he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot 6to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer 7outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And 8an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and 9fear [e]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “10Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will [f]give him 11the name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will 12drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [g]while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will 13turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will 14go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of 15Elijah, 16to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For 17I am an old man and my wife is advanced in [h]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am 18Gabriel, who [i]stands 19in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 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 20kept [j]making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.
24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she [k]kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to 21take away my disgrace among men.”
Footnotes
- Luke 1:5 I.e. Zechariah
- Luke 1:5 Gr Abia
- Luke 1:5 I.e. of priestly descent
- Luke 1:7 Lit days
- Luke 1:12 Or fell upon
- Luke 1:13 Lit call his name
- Luke 1:15 Lit from
- Luke 1:18 Lit days
- Luke 1:19 Lit stand beside
- Luke 1:22 Or beckoning to or nodding to
- Luke 1:24 Lit was hidden
Commentary
Luke, in accordance with his objective to write a historical account, records events in the context of other well-known historical figures and occurrences. Herod began his reign in 47 BC and was nearing the end of his life when John the Baptist and Jesus were born. I had never made the connection before, but apparently, he was friends with Mark Antony, and he was a charming statesman. However, he became increasingly disturbed and violent toward the end of his life, ordering the execution of three of his sons, one of his wives (as well as her entire family), and made an attempt at his own life (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea). He was a descendant of Esau (Gen 27:39-40) and ultimately passed in 4 BC (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1265), splitting his kingdom among his sons Archelaus (Mt 2:22), Phillip (Lk 3:1), and Herod Antipas (Lk 23:7-12, 15) (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea).
Zacharias (Zechariah) was serving in the temple that Herod was in the process of expanding since 20 BC (Jn 2:20) and was offering incense alone (Lv 16:17) when the angel appeared to him (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1265). Incense offerings expressed prayer (Ps 141:2; Rev 5:8; 8:3,4) and atoned for sin (Num 16:46,47). The smoke also “veiled the mercy seat from the eyes of the high priest so that he would not die from seeing God’s glory” on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:13) and may have had the practical benefit of overcoming the smell of animal sacrifices (The Zondervian Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 3 pg. 276).
We can safely assume that Zechariah had prayed both for a son and for the birth of the Messiah (praying for the Messiah was a common petition among the priests praying on behalf of the people), and both of these were fulfilled with the angel’s prophecy. The name Zacharias means ‘God remembers’, so even though Zacharias might have stopped praying for a child in his old age, God still remembered his prayers, and He also remembered his covenant (Elizabeth means ‘Oath of God’) when he promised a Messiah, as well as one who would come before Him. Malachi had foretold a messenger, who would come before the Lord, and Gabriel’s prophecy confirms this will be fulfilled in the person of John (Mal 3:1; 4:5-6). Because of Elizabeth’s barrenness, she may have been considered cursed at the time. Luke is sure to call out that Zacharias and Elizabeth were blameless, lest the reader think that her barrenness to that point was due to personal sin, rather than God’s divine plan (https://www.harvest.org/watch-and-listen/tv/watch/christmas-the-story-before-the-story).
Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were descended from Aaron, and Elizabeth shared the same name as Aaron’s wife. John is often referred to as the last of the Old Testament prophets, or the link between the Old and the New Testament, and this is supported by the fact that Elizabeth’s previous barrenness and elderly motherhood hearkens to other Old Testament figures, namely Sarah and Hannah (The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 2 pg. 293). I haven’t found any references that comment on the significance of Elizabeth’s heritage in Luke’s account, but I find it interesting that Luke includes her lineage, and I wonder if that lent an additional air of credibility to John’s ministry, that both his mother and father were from the priestly line of Aaron.
Zacharias was also the recipient of the first recorded revelation from God in over 400 years, so that would have been a shocking and humbling experience in itself, more so, of course, due to the idea that his elderly wife was to conceive a son with the spirit and power of Elijah, no less (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1265). Additionally, he was in the presence of Gabriel, an angel who, before Zechariah met him, had only been named twice in scripture by Daniel. The term angel comes from the Greek word meaning ‘messenger’, so the people understood that God had special correspondents who were assigned to bring special messages to them on Earth (https://biblehub.com/parallel/luke/1-11.htm).
Per tradition, the people were expecting a blessing when Zechariah exited the tent, but he was not able to give it, since he couldn’t speak. However, Luke contrasts this event by concluding his story with Jesus’ blessing while He ascends into Heaven (Lk 24:50-51) (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1265).
See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2018/12/21/the-birth-of-jesus-foretold/
Scripture References
Mt 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea 1in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
1 Ch 24:10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for 2Abijah,
Ge 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be 3righteous before Me in this time.
3Ac 2:25 For David says of Him, ‘I saw the Lord always in my presence; For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
3Ac 8:21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
Php 2:15 so that you will prove yourselves to be 4blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
Php 3:6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found 4blameless.
1 Th 3:13 so that He may establish your hearts without 4blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
51 Ch 24:19 These were their offices for their ministry when they came in to the house of the Lord according to the ordinance given to them through Aaron their father, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
52 Ch 8:14 Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for David the man of God had so commanded.
52 Ch 31:2 And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord.
6Ex 30:7 Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps. 8 When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.
7Lv 16:17 When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel.
Lk 2:9 And 8an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly 9frightened.
Ac 5:19 But during the night 8an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said,
Mt 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; 10do not be afraid.”
Lk 1:30 The angel said to her, “10Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
Lk 1:60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be 11called John.”
Lk 1:63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His 11name is John.” And they were all astonished.
Nu 6:3 he shall 12abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.
Jdg 13:4 Now therefore, be careful 12not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.
Mt 11:18 For John came neither eating 12nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
Lk 7:33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and 12drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
Mt 3:2 “13Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
13Mt 3:6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Lk 3:3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of 13repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
Lk 1:76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will 14go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
Mt 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is 15Elijah who was to come.
Mal 4:6 He will 16restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Ge 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to 17a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Da 8:16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “18Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.”
Da 9:21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man 18Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.
Lk 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel 18Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
Mt 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually 19see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Lk 1:62 And they 20made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.
Ge 30:23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has 21taken away my reproach.”
Is 4:1 For seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; 21take away our reproach!”
Is 25:8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord [a]God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will 21remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.
Ge 27:39-40 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. 40 “By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.”
Mt 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
Lk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
Lk 23:7-12 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
Lk 23:15 No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.
Lk 24:50-51 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
Jn 2:20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
Ps 141:2 May my prayer be [a]counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
Rev 5:8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Rev 8:3-4 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Num 16:46-47 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, the plague has begun!” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
Mal 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
Mal 4:5-6 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will [a]restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a [b]curse.”
Extrabiblical References
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