Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G010 The Birth of John the Baptist
and the Praise to the God of Zacharias
Luke 1:57–80

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Luke 1:57-80

57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she bore a son.

58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59 Now it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they started to call him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

62 So they made signs to his father about what he wished him to be called.

63 And asking for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they all marveled.

64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he started to speak, praising *God.

65 Then fear came on all who lived around them; and all these things were being talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord *God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people,

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,

70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began,

71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,

73 the oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,

78 through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;

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.”

80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

In this lesson, we learn about the birth of John the Baptist and his naming; Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, praising God, prophesying about the salvation of the God for the people of Israel, and prophesying about the ministry of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:57-58

57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she bore a son.

58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

Not long after Mary returned to Nazareth, Elizabeth came to the time to give birth. She bore a son, just as the angel had spoken to Zacharias, her husband.

We do not know when Elizabeth informed her neighbors and relatives that she was pregnant. But on the day she gave birth, they all knew and rejoiced with her. The event of Elizabeth’s conception and giving birth to a son was regarded as a great mercy of the God shown to her. For this was what she and her husband had longed for, yet she had been barren until she had passed the usual age for women to bear children.

In our life on earth, we may have rightful desires, desires that the God Himself has placed within our being. Such as the desire for a peaceful, warm life with our loved ones in the family. The desire for an occupation that suits our interests and a sufficient income for the needs of life. The desire for a husband or wife who dearly loves us, and for children who are wise, beautiful, and filial… Yet, not every rightful desire of ours is granted to us by the God. Everything that happens in our lives depends at the same time on our attitude toward the God and on the God’s mercy toward us. And there are also cases in which the God does not grant us certain rightful desires, because that would be better for us. God’s Word teaches clearly:

″And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.″ (Romans 8:28-29)

The ultimate purpose of the God for each of us does not belong to this life but to the life to come, in the Eternal Kingdom of the God. Therefore, everything the God allows to happen to us in this life, if we truly love and revere Him, is to fulfill the purpose that He has predetermined for us in His Kingdom.

Luke 1:59-60

59 Now it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they started to call him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

According to the law of the God, a son born among the people of Israel had to be circumcised on the eighth day, also called the cutting of the foreskin (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3). According to Genesis 17:9-14, circumcision was the sign of the covenant of the God with Abraham and his descendants, including the slaves who were bought from other nations. Therefore, males born in the lineage of Abraham as well as male slaves were circumcised on the eighth day after birth, according to the command of the God. Circumcision in the flesh symbolized the cutting away of the desire to sin in the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Colossians 2:11).

Perhaps the neighbors and relatives of Elizabeth thought that since this was the only son of the couple, they suggested naming the child after his father, Zacharias. But Elizabeth immediately rejected that suggestion and asked that her son be named John.

That could have been because Elizabeth was divinely inspired to know that her son must be named John or because Zacharias had told Elizabeth, by writing it down, about the event when the angel appeared to him in the Temple, announcing that she would bear a son and that they must name their child John.

Luke 1:61-62

61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

62 So they made signs to his father about what he wished him to be called.

The Israelites had the custom of naming their children after one of their ancestors. This way of naming both expressed remembrance of their forefathers and confirmed that the child belonged to the family lineage. At the very least, the child would be named after the father or the mother. The neighbors and relatives of Elizabeth reminded her that there was no one in her family who had been given the name John.

Next, they turned and made signs to Zechariah, asking what he wanted to name his son.

Luke 1:63-64

63 And asking for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they all marveled.

64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he started to speak, praising *God.

At this time, Zechariah was still mute. Therefore, he motioned for them to bring him a writing tablet so that he could write his answer. His answer astonished everyone when they saw that it was exactly the name Elizabeth had just spoken.

Immediately, Zechariah’s mouth and tongue were opened. He was no longer mute. The event happened just as the angel had spoken to him (Luke 1:20). He began to speak and to glorify the God.

Luke 1:65

65 Then fear came on all who lived around them; and all these things were being talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

The fear mentioned here is the fear of the God.

″All who lived around them″ refers to the residents in the neighborhood of Zacharias and Elisabeth.

″All these things″ are the matters concerning the event of the angel appearing to Zacharias, the birth of John the Baptist to Elisabeth, the naming of John the Baptist, the muteness of Zacharias, and his healing. The whole story was spread beyond their city and throughout the hill country of Judea, including Jerusalem. Zacharias was one of the priests serving in the Temple of God in Jerusalem; therefore, it is possible that he himself was the one who related his story to the other priests.

Luke 1:66

66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Anyone who heard the story of John the Baptist’s birth at that time had to acknowledge that it was the work of the God. Therefore, they remembered the story and asked one another about John the Baptist’s future. They understood that the God had set John the Baptist apart for a purpose of His own. They believed that the omnipotent power of the God was upon John the Baptist. The expression ″the hand of the Lord was with him″ implies that a person is endowed with the God’s power and is protected by Him.

Luke 1:67-68

67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the holy spirit, and he prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord *God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people,

Zacharias was inspired by the Spirit and filled with holy spirit; he both praised the God and prophesied about the ministry of John the Baptist. His first words were a praise of the God, whom he called the God of Israel. In reality, the God is the God of all peoples and nations in the world (2 Kings 19:15; Isaiah 37:16). But the expression ″the God of Israel″ emphasizes the covenant between the God and the people of Israel when they acknowledge Him as their God. Similarly, when the Apostle Paul says ″my *God,″ he emphasizes the personal relationship between himself and the God. It is the God who redeemed him, and he believed in that redemption and wholeheartedly worshiped and obeyed the God, thereby becoming His child.

Through the inspiration of God, Zacharias understood that the birth of John the Baptist marked the beginning of the God’s visitation and redemption of the people of Israel.

At that time, there had been no revelation of the God offering salvation to all nations; the focus was solely on the salvation of Israel, the people with whom the God had made a covenant. Even when the Lord Jesus sent the apostles to preach the Gospel, before He completed His redemptive death for humanity on the cross, He sent them only to the people of Israel (Matthew 10:5–6). It was only after His resurrection that He sent the disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19).

Luke 1:69

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,

The noun ″horn of salvation″ is used to refer to Christ. A horn symbolizes strength, as it is a weapon some animals use to attack and defend themselves. The ″horn of salvation″ signifies the power of salvation. Christ is the power through which the God saves humanity from slavery to sin and the consequences of transgression. King David called the God, the Self-Existing and Eternal One, his ″horn of salvation″ (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2).

The fact that Christ was born into the family of King David and that Zechariah called Him the ″horn of salvation,″ signifies that this power of salvation had arisen within the house of David.

Luke 1:70

70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began,

A prophet is someone the God uses to proclaim His word to humanity. The term ″holy prophets″ emphasizes that the prophets are set apart for the God. From ancient times, the God’s holy prophets foretold the coming of the Christ, such as Jacob in Genesis 49:10; Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15; Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6-7 and Isaiah 53. Through God the Holy Spirit, Luke confirmed that, from Moses onward and through all the prophets, the Lord Jesus explained to His two disciples all the things concerning Him in the Scriptures (Luke 24:27).

Luke 1:71

71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

The ″horn of salvation″ promised to the people of Israel is Christ. He came to bring salvation to them. Their enemies are Satan and his demons, who tempt them to sin; together with the wrongful desires of the flesh, that is, the cravings that lead to sin and rebellion against the God; death, which is the consequence of sin; and all who oppose the God.

″The hand of all who hate us″ refers to the control exercised by those who hate the people of Israel. This includes the devil and all nations hostile to Israel, seeking to destroy them or enslave them.

Luke 1:72-73

72 to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,

73 the oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

In the God’s plan, at that time the moment had come for Him to grant deliverance to the people of Israel, out of His mercy toward their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

When He began the work of saving the people of Israel, which is also the salvation of all humanity, through the birth of John the Baptist, He was Himself recalling His holy covenant with Abraham. This covenant was made with Abraham under oath, using His own Name (Genesis 22:16). It is called a holy covenant because it is unconditional, comes from the God, and is unchanging.

The covenant includes those born in Abraham’s physical lineage but also extends to anyone in every nation who has faith in the God as Abraham did. Through Christ, all nations are blessed with the benefits of the God’s salvation. The God declared three times that the nations would be blessed through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). The Apostle Paul explained the phrase ″offspring of Abraham″ as follows:

″Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises spoken. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.″ (Galatians 3:16)

And it was also the Apostle Paul who, inspired by God the Holy Spirit, taught everyone that:

″And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.″ (Galatians 3:29)

Anyone who truly repents of their sins, fully trusts in the atoning death of Christ, and wholeheartedly lives according to God’s Word is counted by the God as belonging to the seed of Abraham, regardless of their nationality.

Luke 1:74-75

74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

The ″enemies,″ as explained regarding verse 71, are Satan and his demons, together with the sinful desires of the flesh, death as the consequence of sin, and those who oppose the God. Those who receive the God’s salvation will be delivered from the control of all hostile powers. The remainder of their life on this earth will be filled with joy and peace, without fear, as they serve the God in holiness and righteousness before Him.

Holiness is the state of not violating the God’s commandments. Righteousness is doing the good works that the God has prepared for each person.

Regrettably, except for a small number of people in Israel at that time who accepted the God’s salvation, the majority rejected Christ, refusing to acknowledge Him as the Savior the God had given them. They even handed Him over to the Romans to be executed. Consequently, Israel, as a nation, suffered greatly under all their enemies. In AD 70, Jerusalem and the Temple of God were destroyed by Roman soldiers, millions of Israelites were killed, and the entire nation of Israel was forbidden to live in Jerusalem. During World War II (1939–1945), about six million Israelites were killed in prisons and gas chambers by the Nazis.

Even today, Israel as a nation still does not recognize the Lord Jesus as the Christ. Nevertheless, the God’s promise to Abraham continues to be fulfilled. According to the prophecy of Hosea, after two days, the spiritually dead Israelites will be made alive by the God.

″Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.″ (Hosea 6:1-3)

The ″two days″ prophecy in Hosea 6:2 refers to the approximately 2,000 years during which Israel rejected Christ. They rejected Christ and caused Him to be crucified on the Passover in the year 27. By the Passover of 2027, a full 2,000 years will have passed. For the God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). Therefore, we can believe that Israel will experience spiritual resurrection after the Passover of 2027.

In fact, the God caused Israel to experience a physical resurrection when He restored their nation in a single day: May 14, 1948. That was when the God replanted the ″fig tree of Israel″ in the Land of Canaan, the land He had promised them forever. On June 7, 1967, during the Six-Day War with the coalition of Arab nations, Israel fully gained sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. That was when the fig tree of Israel began to sprout and put forth leaves (Matthew 24:32-34), preparing for the God to spiritually revive them, as prophesied in Ezekiel 37. Following this will be the God’s judgment over the whole world through the End Times, lasting seven years, as foretold in the Book of Revelation. The Church will be taken out of the world by Christ’s appearance in the heavens before the End Times, as He promised in Revelation 3:10.

Luke 1:76

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

After praising the God for His mercy and faithfulness, Zechariah began to prophesy about his son, John the Baptist.

John the Baptist would be called the prophet of the Most High, that is, the spokesperson of the God, proclaiming His holy will to mankind.

John the Baptist would carry out his ministry before the appearance of Christ, preparing the hearts of the people of Israel, calling them to repentance, and readying them to receive Christ when He came.

Luke 1:77

77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,

John the Baptist brought understanding of the God’s salvation to the people of Israel when they heeded his preaching and call, humbled themselves in repentance, and were baptized in the Jordan River. That baptism served as a symbolic act representing the cleansing of their hearts to receive the God’s forgiveness.

Luke 1:78

78 through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;

Salvation is the deliverance from the power of sin and from the consequences of sin. The power of sin causes those who have sinned to be unable to stop sinning, while the consequence of sin is eternal death. Salvation is obtained through the God’s forgiveness for those who sincerely repent and accept His pardon. This forgiveness is granted by the God out of His mercy toward sinners.

The God’s salvation given to humanity is likened to the dawn from on high, shining upon a world immersed in darkness.

Luke 1:79

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.”

Sitting in darkness means being bound by sin. Sitting in the shadow of death means being under the power of death, overshadowed by it. The God’s salvation enlightens those who sit in darkness by delivering them from sin; it enlightens those who sit in the shadow of death by delivering them from the consequences of sin.

As long as a person sincerely repents and fully believes in the God’s salvation, that person is immediately forgiven by Him, freed from the power of sin, and delivered from the punishment of sin, that is, eternal death in hell. That person receives the God’s salvation, guided by His Word, to live a life of peace.

Luke 1:80

80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

John the Baptist grew up with his spirit full of God’s power. Perhaps from the time he turned 20, he left his family and went to live in the wilderness until he appeared before the people of Israel to preach repentance, calling them to prepare their hearts and be ready for the coming of Christ.

We thank the God for the salvation He has given to all humanity; because of it, each of us now enjoys salvation and holds the position of sons and daughters of the God. We were known by Him from eternity past. We were called by Him, and when we responded to His call, He chose us. His ultimate purpose for each of us is to allow all circumstances in our lives to occur to train us to become like Christ. Through this, we are united with Christ and reign with Him over the God’s inheritance, His Eternal Kingdom. Let us wholeheartedly remember the God’s grace, utilize every weapon and the almighty power He has given us to overcome all trials and temptations, accomplish the good works He has prepared for us, and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If on the path of following the Lord, for any reason, we stumble and sin, we must quickly come to the God, sincerely repent, grieve over our sins, ask Him to forgive us, and restore us. Be like Peter, who repented in spirit and boldly stood up to continue the ministry the Lord had called him into. Do not be like Judas Iscariot, who only repented according to the flesh. Do not separate ourselves from fellowship with the Church, from the Lord, and from His mercy.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
10/15/2022

Notes:

[1] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-great-revolt-66-70-ce

[2] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/estimated-number-of-jews-killed-in-the-final-solution

[3] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-day-of-the-lords-death-and-the-day-of-the-lords-resurrection/

[4] https://preachingfromthebible.net/067-the-end-of-the-world-and-the-year-2027/

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.