Carey's Bible Study Notes
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john the baptist
life of christ: luke 1.5-25;57-80
the birth of john the baptist
introduction
Although our curriculum stops its study of the OT references to Christ with the passages in Ezekiel, God did not stop predicting the coming of Christ with Ezekiel. Ezekiel lived in the first part of the 6th century BC (586 BC); however, God continued to prophesy the coming of His Son up until the 5th century BC (~400 BC) with the prophecies of Malachi. After Malachi�s prophecies though, God ceased with His predictions of the coming of Christ. In fact, all revelation from God stopped at this point. For the next 400 years, no more prophets emerged in Israel speaking God�s word to the people. (Not only do Christians acknowledge this; Jews likewise acknowledge that God ceased to speak at this point.)
Although God was silent, this does not mean though that He was not at work. For the next 400 years, the Jews would be oppressed by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans. During these 400 years, God was preparing the ancient world for the coming of His Son and the evangelistic mission the messengers of the gospel would undertake following Christ�s ascension. With the coming of the Greeks, God brought a universal language for the ancient world. Up until that time each nation had its own particular language. Alexander the Great was intent on not only spreading Greek power but also Greek culture�the Greek language. After Alexander conquered the ancient world, one common language united the ancient world. No longer would the missionaries for Christ have to learn hundreds of languages before they could communicate the gospel; knowing Greek alone enabled them to speak to most of the peoples in the ancient world. The Roman empire further helped in the area of communications by building roads which linked the various parts of the ancient world. Sea travel accelerated. Whereas before it would have taken months or even years to travel great distances, those same distances could now be traveled in days and weeks. We marvel at the communications revolution which occurred this past decade; however, in terms of real impact, the present revolution does not even compare with the communications revolution they experienced during those 400 years. All was ready for the message of Christ to be spread throughout the ancient world. Now all that was needed was the coming of Christ Himself.
Christ does not just burst upon the scene. No king would ever come to his people unannounced. If Clinton were to visit Corsicana next week, he would send forerunners and security to prepare the way. In the same way, protocol must be observed with the coming of the King of the kingdom of God. Heralds must be dispatched to announce the coming of the king. John the Baptist�s coming accomplishes this very purpose. With John�s coming, all is now ready for the coming of the king.
Before we look at the text, note one thing here. During the beginning of his Gospel, Luke basically tells us that he is writing as an historian. He has based his Gospel upon historical sources and is writing in chronological order. Whereas some of the other Gospels may be writing thematically (e.g. Gospel of John), Luke is writing the events in the order in which they occurred. Luke demonstrates this right at the beginning of his Gospel by noting that this event happened during the days of Herod the king (also known as Herod the Great). Luke is impressing upon us that he believes what he is writing is true. He does not believe he is writing a myth but that he is actually writing about historical events. Whereas people may not accept what Luke writes as historical, they should not reject the fact that he believes he is writing about actual historical occurrences.
announcement of the birth to zechariah (1.5-25)
Luke informs us that during the days of the reign of Herod the Great, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah while he was offering incense in the Temple. Zechariah was a righteous man who was married to Elizabeth who was also righteous and also from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of priests. Luke further tells us that not only is the couple childless but that they are also advanced in years. In other words, they are highly unlikely ever to have children.
Note that the angel appears to Zechariah while he is offering incense in the Temple. According to Luke, Zechariah was of the division of Abijah. By that, Luke is referring to the fact that the priests were divided into 24 divisions, one of them being the division of Abijah. Each division served in the Temple twice each year. During the 3 major feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, each division shared in serving in the Temple. Although each division served twice in the Temple each year, a priest could perform the service of offering incense in the Temple only once during his lifetime. This was because 18,000 priests were in existence during the time of Christ. If a priest served more than once in this capacity, he would have prevented other priests from experiencing this great joy.
Offering the incense consisted of aiding the other priests in preparing the Holy Place for the offering, for example, preparing the fire for the altar. After the other priests had already finished their tasks and left, the one priest would then take the incense and offer it on top of the burning wood or coals. The incense which arose from the altar represented the prayers of the people to God, especially the prayer for Israel�s deliverance and salvation with the coming of the Messiah. Zechariah would have been praying this prayer at this time too; however, Zechariah had been praying some other prayers previously too. Like any normal Jewish couple, he and Elizabeth would have prayed for the birth of children, especially for sons; however, so much time had passed that these prayers had probably ceased by now.
The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and tells him that both of his prayers have been answered. God was going to give Zechariah and Elizabeth a son (answer to the first prayer) who would be none other than the forerunner of the Messiah (answer to the second prayer). Zechariah is amazed at this and questions how this could be. Because of Zechariah�s lack of faith, Gabriel promises to give him a sign which will convince him of the accuracy of the prophecy�Zechariah will be unable to hear or speak until after the birth of the son.
Whereas this may seem a little harsh to us, remember that Zechariah is being addressed by an angel and not by some ordinary man. Moreover, this angel was none other than Gabriel who had the prestigious position of standing in God�s presence. Whereas you might doubt the message from another angel, you should never doubt Gabriel�s word. Third, Zechariah had numerous OT examples of God giving children to couples advanced in years�Abraham and Sarah, the mother of Samuel, etc. Whereas it is easy to understand why Abraham would have doubted since he had no examples before him, it is not easy to justify Zechariah�s doubt.
Before looking at the fulfillment of this prophecy, we also need to focus on God�s timing. For years Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for God to give them a son, and for years God had not granted them their request. Was God being harsh? Well, suppose God had granted them their request when they first made it�say 40 years earlier. What would have been the outcome? They would have had a wonderful little boy; however, that boy would not have been the forerunner of the Messiah because the timing for the birth of the Messiah was crucial. Moreover, neither Zechariah nor Elizabeth would have made the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke which millions have read over the past 2000 years. We need to offer our requests to God and then trust that His timing will be absolutely perfect.
I need to remind myself of the times God has demonstrated this same principle in my life. I went through a rough period between the ages of 25-31. During those 7 years, I was single and unhappily single. During that time I was seriously involved in 2 relationships, one which resulted in an engagement. There were times I really wondered whether or not God was going to provide me with a wife. In fact, at times even though I prayed, I got frustrated with God. After I got engaged, I realized I had made a mistake and decided to end the relationship. I told God at the age of 31 that if He wanted me to remain single the rest of my life, then I would gladly remain so. I would rather be single and in His will than married and out of His will. Within a few months after that commitment, God brought Nancy into my life. How grateful now I am that God did not allow me to get married when I wanted to, according to my timetable. If God had given me what I wanted when I wanted it, then I would not have either Nancy, Nathan or Molly. That thought saddens me deeply. His timing for me getting married was perfect. Moreover, His timing for me in the present and in the future will continue to be perfect. I just always need to relax and allow Him to accomplish His will in my life at the proper time, that is, His time!
Next, notice the significance of prayer in this passage. All this transpires while the people outside the Temple are praying and while Zechariah himself is praying in the Holy Place. When you read the 2 books written by Luke (Luke and Acts), you will observe the emphasis he places on prayer in the Christian life. God grants Zechariah his wish while he is praying. Jesus prays while being baptized and also on the night before He selects His disciples. Jesus prays during His temptation in Gethsemane. The disciples pray during the 10 days leading up to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The angel appears to Cornelius while he is praying. God reveals to Peter that He is going to save the Gentiles while Peter is praying. Moreover, it is in the context of prayer that the church at Antioch receives instructions from God to send Paul and Barnabas out on their first missionary journey. If we are going to grow seriously in our relationship with God and if we are going to experience all that God has for us, then we are going to need to commit ourselves to times of serious heart-searching prayer.
the birth of john the baptist (1.57-80)
Approximately nine months later, Elizabeth gives birth to a son. All her neighbors and friends marvel at how gracious God had been to Elizabeth by giving her an easy childbirth. In partial fulfillment of the angel�s prophecy, the people rejoice greatly because of the birth of the son. Eight days pass, and the time comes to circumcise the son and also to name him. When the neighbors and friends quiz Elizabeth as to what the name of the son will be, she responds that his name is to be called "John." Like most nosy neighbors and friends, they protest and insist that he be called either Zechariah or the name of one of his relatives. The name John simply would not do since neither Zechariah nor any of his relatives bore the name John.
When the neighbors and friends turn to Zechariah for support, he responds by writing on a wax tablet (the wax being poured out upon a wooden slate) that the boy�s name will be called "John." At this point, God opens Zechariah�s mouth and ears so that he utters the following prophecy. (The following prophecy has been called The Benedictus by Roman Catholics because in the Latin translation of the NT, the first word in this poem is benedictus which means "Blessed.")
praise god for the salvation he is now bringing to israel (1.68-75)
The hymn or poem is divided into 2 major sections . Zechariah first blesses God for what He is about to do through this son who has just been born. The words John expresses and the activities he engages in will not come from John but from God Himself. As a result, the way we respond to John constitutes nothing less than the way we respond to God. Moreover, Zechariah blesses God because of what He is going to do through John. What God accomplishes through John will be so wonderful that the only appropriate response to God is to bless and praise Him.
What is God going to do through the ministry of John the Baptist? Because God has labeled John as the forerunner of the King, John�s coming means nothing less that the King is about to arrive on the scene. What a marvelous King this Messiah is going to be. He is the "horn of salvation" who will deliver Israel from all her enemies, especially the spiritual enemy of sin. When the Bible calls Jesus the "horn of salvation," it is using the image of the strong bull who focuses the full force of his strength in the area of the horn. His whole body works to help the bull thrust the horn into the opponent�s body in order to defeat him.
Well, God has placed His full strength in Jesus to achieve a great victory over Israel�s enemies�especially the enemy of sin. Although God works in our lives right now to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ, the basis for all God does in us is the forgiveness of our sins. That means whenever I become arrogant and start taking pride in the wonderful person God is creating in me, I need to remember that God had to forgive me in order even to begin to make me into the image of Jesus. Whenever I feel like I am not becoming all that God wants me to be, I need to remember that I should not be surprised that I�m not all I think I should be cut out to be. God knows I need forgiveness, even after I made that initial commitment to Him and confessed Him as Lord and Savior. I need to walk humbly with the realization that I need forgiveness even today. I need comfort even today by the realization that God knows I am going to sin and that He stands ready to forgive me.
Why does God do all these wonderful things for me? That I might serve Him. God did not save me so that I could use all the talents, gifts, resources, etc. to spend upon myself. He has worked in our lives in a wonderful way so that out of sheer gratitude we may serve Him. At the point of salvation, God placed His Spirit in our lives so that He might give us a spiritual gift with which to serve Him. Although there are a lot of different spiritual gifts, sitting in a chair is never mentioned as one of them. God has given us our gift in order to further His kingdom through the local church. God is going to hold us accountable for the ways we have used or not used our spiritual gifts in this church.
Note some other elements of this hymn. First, Zechariah claims that the Messiah is going to come from the House of David, one of the major themes of the OT we�ve been discussing for the past several weeks. Second, what God is going to do in Jesus is nothing less than the fulfillment of God�s promises to the OT prophets, especially to Abraham. Out of all the OT promises Luke could have mentioned, he mentioned only the promise to Abraham because as we said earlier, God�s covenant (promise) to Abraham is THE great promise (covenant) in the OT. All that follows that covenant either develops, expands, or shows the need of that covenant. Luke affirms this right at the beginning of his gospel. (This should not surprise us since Paul who develops this thought more than any other NT writer is one of the primary sources for Luke).
the relationship of john to the messiah (1.76-79)
The second part of the hymn focuses on the relationship of John to the Messiah. Zechariah prophesies that John will be the prophet of the Most High who will prepare the way of Jesus the Messiah when He comes to His people. Whatever else characterizes the kingdom of God, righteousness is one of its key characteristics. If a person is going to be a part of God�s kingdom, then s/he is going to have to be righteous. The main hindrance to their receiving Him is the sin in their hearts; John, therefore, will preach a message of repentance which will prepare them for the King�s coming.
Notice that in describing John, Zechariah describes him in his relationship with Jesus. John is significant only because of his role in his relationship with Jesus. He won�t be significant because he will be a wonderful preacher. His significance will not be due to the fact that he baptized the Jews. He will be significant because he was Jesus� forerunner. He will be significant only because he will prepare Israel not for his coming but for the coming of Jesus.
We need to apply this to our own lives. Today we live in an identity society as opposed to a survival society. The people of the 30�s and 40�s lived in a survival society; they were just trying to make a living. Today making a living is far easier than it has ever been. So many different options are open for the person who gets the right education and training. Today we are trying to find ourselves by having the right career, the right house, etc. Many men get their strokes from their jobs. I have more clients than anybody else. I sell more tickets than that person over there; therefore, I am significant. I�m in a competitive profession; therefore, I need to win more games than anybody else. Women try to find significance in their looks, clothes, homes, and children. People try to find significance in how much money they have, the society they keep, and what society thinks of them. Such thinking is totally vapid.
The only true significance people ultimately have comes out of their relationship with Jesus Christ. You and I are so significant because Christ died for us. He considered me worthy enough to die for. I find significance in what Christ accomplishes through me. After 26 years of ministering, I�ve discovered that the only thing which ultimately lasts and therefore which ultimately has significance is what Christ accomplishes through me. That is the reason you and I need to be sensitive so that we can discover what God wants to work through us so that He can accomplish His will and not ours.