Luke 1:19-25
"And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men," Luke 1:19-25.
In our text today, the angel Gabriel was sent to Zacharias to bring him these glad tidings about a son. Zacharias did not believe, and because of his unbelief he was made dumb (verse20). This means he was not able to speak. According to verses 61-63 it seems he was not able to hear either. This dialogue with the angel Gabriel is going on inside the temple at the altar of incense. Zacharias went into the temple as a normal man, he stayed in the temple longer than they usually stay, and when he came out he could not speak or hear. This is not what Zacharias was expecting, and it is not what the people outside the temple were expecting (verses 21-22). The bible says he remained speechless. The rest of the time Zacharias was at the temple performing his ministerial duties, he was speechless. As soon as his time was over, he went home (verse 23).
In verses 24-25 we see Elisabeth was cautiously excited about being pregnant. Why would she hide herself for five months? The bible is not specific on the answer. It could be she was concerned with having a mis-carriage and did not want the people to think she was just saying she was pregnant, especially at her age. It could be that she praised God for five months, "Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men," Luke 1:25. Look again at verses 6-7, "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years." In the eyes of God they were righteous, but in the eyes of men, they were a reproach. "Reproach" in verse 25 means a taunt (disgrace):- reproach. People are quick to judge by looking at the outward. Some want to appear a certain way in front of people, so they try to live up to a certain standard to acquire that recognition. Others look down on those who do not have what they have. You may have an old ugly vehicle, or your home may not be the latest and the greatest so others view you as a disgrace. During Zacharias and Elisabeth's day, if you could not have children you were considered a disgrace. They would be the talk of the town, in a bad way. Aren't you thankful that God had a plan that was not influenced by man? Man said, look at that disgraceful couple, God said, look at my faithful servants. They were not serving God for what He had given them, no, they were serving God because they loved Him. "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward," Genesis 15:1. Our God is worthy to serve, whether He has given us what we want or not. We serve Him because of Who He is. We do not know what Elisabeth's response was to Zacharias when he communicated to her what happened in the temple, but we see her praising God in verse 25.
The angel Gabriel specifically said they would have a son. He also describes what their son will do, and how God will view their son. In verse 13 Gabriel specifically said his name shall be John. After being made dumb, I don't think there was any doubt in Zacharias's mind that they would name him anything else. "John" defined means Jehovah is a gracious giver. Verse 15 goes on to say that "he shall be great in the sight of the Lord." The emphasis is again on how God sees us. The word "great" in verse 15 is the Greek word "megas", this word has a very wide application, "exceedingly, great (-est), high, large, loud, mighty, sore (afraid), strong, to years. What does it mean to be great in the sight of the Lord? Verse 15 gives us part of the Nazarite vow (Numbers 6). This is someone who is wholly set aside for the service of the Lord. A bad Old Testament example would be Samson, a good Old Testament example would be Samuel.
Someone who is great in the sight of the Lord is someone who loves what God loves and hates what God hates. This stems from a love for God more than anything else. Turn to I John 2:15-17. We even love God more than religious activities, duties, and traditions (Philippians 3:1-10). When we look at John the Baptist and Paul, we see two people who loved and served the Lord even unto death.
The bible goes on to say that John the Baptist would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be influenced by and supplied by the Holy Spirit. This person is fitted and qualified by the Holy Spirit. This is the description of John the Baptist given to us by the Scriptures. In the eyes of men, John the Baptist looked rough (Mark 1:6); and he sounded rough (Matthew 3:1-12). His message would be despised and rejected by men today, but in the eyes of God, John the Baptist would be great. He preached the same to small and great. He was not influenced by man's social status, either way.
It was John the Baptist's God given responsibility to make a people prepared for the Lord. "Prepare" means to construct. This is done by instructing and informing. He went preaching in the spirit and power of Elijah (verse 17). Many of the people shall he turn to the Lord their God. "Shall he turn" defined in a moral sense is to turn upon or convert unto. The people of that day had gotten wrapped up and blinded by the religion of their day. John the Baptist was a shock to them. He proclaimed Scripture, not man-made traditions or legalism. He truly pointed people to the One to come. Turn to Isaiah 55:10-11. God's word goes out and accomplishes His will, and God's word has not changed.
How does all this apply to us today? None of us are John the Baptist and none of us were filled with the Holy Ghost in our mother's womb, and there is much evidence to prove that. All whom the Lord saves are called to know the Scriptures, proclaim the Scriptures, live according to the Scriptures; for our good and for God's glory; and we are to prepare a people for the Lord's return. They knew Christ was coming, and we know He is coming back. More than anything else, we are to proclaim the gospel, and implore people to trust Jesus Christ alone for salvation from the wrath of God because of their sins. One more thing, John the Baptist made much of Jesus Christ, and not of himself. We have much to learn, much to proclaim, and we need God's grace to do these things, and to live for Him. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
