The Angel's Announcement to Zechariah

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. ¹⁶ Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

          News agencies have exploded with some big news coming from the royal family in Britain.  The news surrounds the information that Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, is pregnant.  The hype and the speculation have begun.  Because she has been hospitalized with some rare form of morning sickness, there is speculation that she might even be expecting twins.  And that information has led to a discussion of which twin then would assume the throne one day.  All this hype about a baby or two!

 

          But isn’t that true in large part with most babies?  Most babies may not receive a whole lot of attention before they are born, but once they come into the world, parents send out birth announcements to family and friends.  That happens either through snail mail or electronically.  God also on occasion has sent out “birth announcements.”  They haven’t been the typical card with the picture of the baby along with its birth date, weight and length listed.  Instead, God’s birth announcements have taken place with the sending of personal messengers.  Often times, God has sent them out not after the child’s birth, but before.  Before the child was even conceived.  Think of the announcement made to Abraham.  Three heavenly visitors came to Abraham and told him that his elderly wife Sarah would conceive and have a child. 

 

          Now let’s move ahead to the announcement of another significant birth.  The main thrust of the Advent season is to get us ready for the promised birth of God’s Son.  To help us with this important task, God sent a personal messenger in the person of John the Baptist.  The importance of this forerunner of Christ is found in the fact that the Gospel writer Luke informs us that the birth of John the Baptist was announced by a divine messenger.  It is good for us then to turn our attention to:  John the Baptist, A Special Child Announced by an Angel. 

 

          It wouldn’t surprise you to hear that this child, John, would be special to his parents.  That is the case with most babies; they are special to their parents in particular.  But John’s birth has special significance to John’s parents. 

 

          Let’s meet the parents as Luke introduces them to us earlier in chapter 1.  Their names are Zechariah and Elizabeth.  They have a common lineage: they are both descendants of Moses’ brother, Aaron.  We might say that they were salt of the earth people.  They faithfully followed the Lord, listening to and obeying his commandments.  We also find out that they were childless because Elizabeth was barren; she was unable to have any children to this point.  And it also appeared it would stay that way because she was already “well along in years.”  Her maternal clock was running out. 

 

          Unlike today, there was a certain stigma attached to the inability to conceive a child.  Because of this, they had taken it to the Lord in prayer.  Knowing that God controls all things, they knew that it was in God’s power for them to have a child.  When the angel visited Zechariah, he told him that Elizabeth will bear a son.  And the angel gave him specific instructions: name him ‘John.’  The name John means “Jehovah is gracious.”  Could there be a more fitting name for this child under the circumstances? 

 

          The angel also told Zechariah that John would be “a joy and delight to you.”  Initially that didn’t seem the case.  Think about what Zechariah’s reaction was to the angel’s words.  He doubted it; he didn’t believe it.  Because of that Zechariah was made mute.  He was unable to speak until the baby would be born.  In contrast to that, listen to the reaction of Elizabeth once she was pregnant with John:  “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” 

 

          We can find some valuable lessons here in the example of John’s parents.  As we observe their attitude about children, we see that it is often unlike the attitude of the world around us.  When a woman hears that she is pregnant, she and the father of the child often look at the child as an inconvenience.  As such, many don’t think twice about disposing of a child as if it were some kind of cancerous growth.  It has been estimated that there have been one billion abortions around the world since the beginning of the 20^th century.  That’s 14% of the world’s population today.  Add to that the number of children who are neglected and abused.  We in the United States have been affected by thoughts that children are expensive or even burdensome.  The numbers bear that out.  Nearly 40% of women in America have one child or none at all.  Of course there is a certain percentage of those women who know what it is like to be Elizabeth, but a much larger part of that 40% don’t have Elizabeth’s outlook concerning children. 

 

          As children of God, let us look at children in the same way that our Lord looks at them as reflected in the attitude of John’s parents.  They are a joy and a delight.  The Psalmist reminds us that children “are a heritage from the Lord.”  Because they are gifts from God, they are special.  Each and every one of them! 

 

                   Each child is special.  But not only to their parents.  That is true of John the Baptist as well.  John was special not only to Zechariah and Elizabeth, but also to the Lord. 

 

          The angel indicated this fact to Zechariah as he told him that John “will be great in the sight of the Lord.”  This fact was displayed in several ways.  The angel promised that he will be “filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.”  That truth came alive when Elizabeth was pregnant with John and Mary came to visit her.  You may recall that John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary came to visit her and greeted her. 

 

          The fact that John was special to the Lord is also evident in that the angel instructed Zechariah that John was “never to take wine or other fermented drink.”  You see, John was to be a Nazirite.  In becoming a Nazirite, a person would take a vow of separation to the Lord.  Their vow included not partaking of alcoholic beverages; not cutting their hair; and not coming into contact the dead.  This vow was normally made for a limited period of time, but the length of time that John was to be a Nazirite is indicated in the word never.  The fact that he was to be a Nazirite for life is an indication of just how special John was to be.  He was permanently set aside to do the Lord’s work as a forerunner. 

 

          And his specific role is also evidence of how special John was to the Lord.  The angel said that “he will go before the Lord.”  His job was to make way for the Lord.  He was to prepare people for the coming of the Savior.  And he would do so “in the spirit and power of Elijah.”  John was the fulfillment of God’s prophecy through the prophet Malachi that said that Elijah would return before the Lord’s return.  The fact is, John was special to the Lord because of how well he did his job.  Jesus himself said that “there is no one greater than John.” 

 

                   John is a unique individual.  He was special to the Lord because he prepared the way for His Son.  John’s work, however, was not for the Savior’s benefit, but rather for sinners who need that Savior.  So above all, John is special to God’s people. 

 

          John was very important to the children of Israel.  “Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.”  The fact that there were many to bring back tells us that many people had gone astray from God.  The sad reality of the people in John’s day was that even though they had rituals instituted by God, in many respects they were empty rituals because they had fallen away from the truth.  What was that truth?  We find that out in another description of John’s work.  “He was to turn… the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.”  In large part, especially among the Pharisees, the people displayed an outward obedience.  But their hearts were far from the Lord.  They were relying on their own goodness to be saved.  They needed to hear that they could be saved only because God is good. 

 

          You recognize that John’s primary purpose was to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  He did that by preaching and teaching with the message that his listeners were to repent, for the kingdom of God is near. 

 

That message of John contains a two part message that everyone needs to hear.  Including you and me.  On one hand, the message strikes fear into the hearts of all sinners.  If the kingdom of God is near, it means that our just God is at hand.  Because of the wrong things that I do, say and think, I don’t stand a chance before God.  Because I am inherently sinful, he has every right to condemn me. 

 

On the other hand, repent, the kingdom of God is near, brings comfort.  It means that God is reaching out to us.  He is coming to us with his kingdom.  He sends a Savior to rescue us from our sins.  A Savior who rescues us through his own perfect life and innocent death.  In view of that, we are to turn from the ugliness of our evil actions, and instead turn in faith to God who forgives us for Jesus’ sake. 

 

          The angel announced the coming of a special child, John the Baptist.  Just as John was special to his parents and to the Lord, he is also special to us.  His message continues to live on as we open the pages of Scripture.  As we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth and also his return, may John’s message prepare us to say “Redeemer, come!  I open wide my heart to You.”  Amen.