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Scripture Reading: Luke 1:57-80
Luke 1:5—4:13 is a section concerned with the preparation of the Man-Savior in His humanity with His divinity. In this section we have already covered the conception of John the Baptist, the Lord’s forerunner (Luke 1:5-25), and the conception of the Man-Savior (Luke 1:26-56). Now we shall go on to consider the birth and youth of the forerunner of the Man-Savior (Luke 1:57-80).
As we have begun to see, the preparation of the Man-Savior is in His humanity with His divinity. In principle, His preparation is the same as His conception, for in both the conception and the preparation we have the divine essence and the human essence. The conception of the Man-Savior was of the Holy Spirit with the divine essence in the womb of a human virgin with the human essence. In other words, the Lord’s conception was of the divine essence in the human essence. Likewise, His preparation was in His humanity with His divinity. How excellent, marvelous, and extraordinary is this preparation!
In 1:5—2:52 we have the conception, birth, and youth of John the Baptist and that of the Man-Savior. We have pointed out that the conception of John the Baptist and that of Jesus the Savior are different in essence. The conception of John was God’s miracle, accomplished with the overaged human essence, simply by the divine power without the divine essence being involved. Therefore, the result of this conception was simply a man, one who was filled with the Spirit of God (1:15) but who lacked the nature of God. The conception of the Man-Savior was God’s incarnation, constituted not only by the divine power, but also of the divine essence added to the human essence. Therefore, this conception produced the God-man, the One with two natures — divinity and humanity.
John the Baptist was born of his mother miraculously. Concerning this miraculous birth, 1:57 and 58 say, “Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to give birth, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her.”
The Man-Savior’s forerunner was circumcised on the eighth day. “And it came about on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the young child” (v. 59). This was according to the requirement in Leviticus 12:3.
When some were about to call the forerunner of the Man-Savior “by the name of his father, Zachariah,” his mother answered and said, “No, but he shall be called John” (1:59-60). Then some went on to say, “There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name” (v. 61). When they gestured to Zachariah as to what his child should be called, he wrote on a tablet, “John is his name” (v. 63).
In 1:13 Zachariah was told by the angel that Elizabeth would bear a son and that he would call his name John. The Greek word rendered John is Ioannes,meaning Jehovah is favorable, Jehovah shows grace, or Jehovah is the gracious Giver.
The people were right in saying that none of Elizabeth’s relatives was named John. The Lord’s forerunner was given this name because he was to be one who would not keep the traditions. For this reason, he was not given a traditional name, but he was given a new name.
After Zachariah wrote John’s name on the tablet, “his mouth was opened instantly, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke blessing God” (v. 64). In 1:67-79 we have a record of Zachariah’s prophecy. According to verse 67, when Zachariah prophesied, he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
In verse 68 we have the beginning of Zachariah’s prophecy: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and accomplished redemption for His people.” Here we see that Zachariah’s prophecy is concerning God’s redemptive move for His people unto their salvation. God moved redemptively for the salvation of His people by raising Christ as a horn of salvation in the house of David in His humanity and as the rising sun from on high in His deity through God’s rich mercy according to His holy covenant (vv. 68-73, 76-79). Zachariah’s prophecy brings in more light concerning the divine-human Person and the saving work of the Man-Savior than Elizabeth’s blessing brings in, yet it still bears an Old Testament color in the Old Testament style and flavor, just as that borne by Mary’s praise and Elizabeth’s blessing.
Zachariah’s prophecy concerns God’s move. This is the move of God’s redemption for His people resulting in their salvation. By raising up Christ as a horn of salvation and as the rising sun, God’s redemptive work results in the salvation of His people.
In 1:69 Zachariah says, “And raised a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant.” This horn of salvation is Jesus the Savior, who came out of the house of David (Jer. 23:5-6). A horn signifies fighting power. Hence, the horn of salvation is the fighting power of God’s salvation in the house of David. The phrase “the house of David” indicates that this salvation is in the humanity of the Man-Savior.
In verse 70 we see that the raising up of the horn of salvation was according to what God spoke “through the mouth of His holy prophets from of old.” This refers to God’s faithfulness in keeping His word.
After speaking of Christ in His humanity, Zachariah goes on to speak of Him in His deity: “Because of the merciful compassions of our God, in which the rising sun from on high shall visit us, to appear to those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (vv. 78-79). Jesus the Savior is the dawning sun to the dark age. His coming ended the night of the Old Testament and began the day of the New Testament. As the fruit in Elizabeth’s blessing (v. 42), He is life to us (John 14:6); as the sun in Zachariah’s prophecy, He is the light to us (John 9:5; Matt. 4:16). As such a One, He is the Accomplisher and the center of God’s redemption for His people’s salvation.
In 1:78 Zachariah speaks of the Lord as the rising sun from on high. Whereas the horn of salvation is from the house of David, the rising sun is from on high, that is, from God. This means that it is in His deity that the Lord is the rising sun from on high.
When we compare Zachariah’s word in verse 69 with that in verse 78, we see that he speaks concerning Christ’s dual Person. He speaks concerning His humanity and His deity. In His humanity Christ is the horn of salvation raised up by God in a human house, the house of David. In His deity He is the rising sun from the heavens. The Lord, therefore, is both Man and God. As Man, He is the horn of salvation; as God, He is the rising sun. God’s redemptive work for the salvation of His people is accomplished by raising up Christ in the two aspects of the horn of salvation and the rising sun.
God’s redemptive work is also through His mercy according to His holy covenant. Regarding this, Zachariah says, “To show mercy to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father” (vv. 72-73). Here Zachariah says that God remembered His covenant. This refers to God’s faithfulness in keeping His word, which was made His covenant by His oath.
God’s covenant is enacted upon His promise (Heb. 8:6). A promise is a common, ordinary word, a word without confirmation. In the Old Testament, after God made a promise, He sealed it with an oath. He swore by His Godhead to confirm His promise, by His oath thus making the promise His covenant.
In verses 74 and 75 Zachariah goes on to say, “To grant us that, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” Literally, the word rendered “serve” in verse 74 means to serve as priests. This service will be in holiness and righteousness. Holiness is mainly toward God, and righteousness is mainly toward men. This Gospel stresses the humanity of Jesus. Hence, it singles out holiness and righteousness here as the main characteristics of human behavior toward God.
In verses 76 and 77 Zachariah prophesies concerning his own son, the forerunner of the Man-Savior: “And you also, young child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in forgiveness of their sins.” The “Lord” in verse 76 is Jesus the Savior (1:17; Mal. 3:1).
Zachariah prophesied that the forerunner would go before the Lord to prepare His ways. The angel had told Zachariah that his son would turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God and “prepare for the Lord a people made ready” (Luke 1:16-17). He would prepare the way of the Lord by changing people’s minds, turning their minds toward the Lord and making their hearts right, thus causing every part of their hearts to be straightened by the Lord through repentance so that the Man-Savior could enter into them to be their life and take possession of them.
Zachariah’s prophecy brings in more light concerning the divine-human Person and the saving work of the Man-Savior than is found in the blessing of Elizabeth or the praise of Mary. If we compare Elizabeth’s blessing, Mary’s praise, and Zachariah’s prophecy, we shall see that Zachariah’s prophecy sheds more light concerning God’s move on earth than is shed by either Elizabeth’s blessing or Mary’s praise. In this prophecy we have a revelation of Christ in His divine-human Person and His saving work.
Luke 1:80 speaks concerning the youth of the Man-Savior’s forerunner: “And the young child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his presentation to Israel.” This verse mentions two things: that the forerunner became strong in spirit and that he was in the wilderness until the day he was presented to Israel.
The forerunner’s mother and father were both filled with the Holy Spirit (vv. 41, 67). Hence, it was easy for their child to grow and become strong in his spirit, with the result that he lived in the wilderness. For him to grow and become strong in spirit means that he was with God and for God. For him to live in the wilderness was to be away from man’s culture and religion so that God might have a free and clear way to use him as the forerunner of the Savior.
As one who was born a priest, John, like Samuel, should have spent much time in the temple. However, as a New Testament Nazarite, John lived in the wilderness, not in the temple. The wilderness is a place without culture, tradition, or religion. By living in the wilderness, John cut himself off from everything of his background. He was a Jew, but he did not live as a Jew. He was a priest, but he did not live as a priest. On the contrary, the Lord’s forerunner lived as an uncultured person.
We know from Matthew 3:3 that the forerunner of the Man-Savior began his ministry in the wilderness. This implies that God intended His New Testament economy to begin in an absolutely new way. Therefore, John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Matt. 3:1).
As the initiation of God’s New Testament economy, this preaching was not done in the holy temple within the holy city, where the religious and cultured ones worshipped God according to their scriptural ordinances. Rather, it began in the wilderness, in an uncultured way, not keeping any regulations of the old way. This indicates that the old way of the worship of God according to the Old Testament was repudiated, and a new way was about to be brought in.
The word “wilderness” in Luke 1:80 and Matthew 3:1 and 3 indicates that the new way of God’s New Testament economy is contrary to religion and culture. It also indicates that nothing old was left, and something new was about to be established.
