The Lord Is Gracious

December 13, 2019

The Lord Is Gracious

Luke 1:57-66

Katy Arguello

Central Truth

As followers of Christ, we are called to have our life reflect Jesus and strive to have others see the Lord within us through our words and actions.

[A]nd all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, you may be wondering why we've chosen to read about the birth of John the Baptist, who was born just months before Jesus. To answer that, it is important to know that Jesus thought highly of John and viewed him as a crucial part of His ministry. In fact, in Matthew 11:11a, Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." Despite being regarded as such, John did not see himself as worthy to baptize Jesus (Matthew 3:13-14) or even to carry His sandals (Matthew 3:11). His humility allowed him to point others to Jesus. Ultimately, John's purpose was to bear witness about Jesus so that all may believe through Him.

John's miraculous birth shows the mercy and favor of God in preparing His people for the coming Messiah (Luke 1:13-17). During the time John was born, it was custom to name sons after their father or grandfathers. However, Elizabeth and Zechariah rejected the norm and chose to follow God's plan in obedience to God's message to them through Gabriel. When Zechariah echoes the instructions of Gabriel (Luke 1:13) and declares that the child's name is John, the crowd is surprised (Luke 1:63). Zechariah is immediately rewarded for his obedience by regaining his speech, and his judgment ends as God has promised (Luke 1:20).

And let's not overlook the meaning of the name John, God's chosen name for this child. John means, "The Lord is gracious." God was foreshadowing how John would be used throughout his lifetime and also demonstrating that He is gracious to Zechariah even in the midst of his initial lack of belief.

Today's passage ends with our key verse, in which the crowd is asking, "What then will this child be?" (Luke 1:66). Little did they know, the Lord was with John, and his ministry had been predicted over 400 years earlier (Malachi 3:1). John's humility through his ministry made people marvel and wonder, and with that wonder he pointed others to God. He knew his life wasn't about him at all, but it was all about Jesus.

1. Think back over the past year. How have you seen the Lord be gracious in your own life?

2. How are you following God's commands rather than the cultural norms?

3. Is Jesus reflected in your own life by your words and actions?

4. How are you showing humility to point others to Jesus?