The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
This week, as I was studying this the passage we will be covering today...
I came across a wonderful note on John the Baptist from the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke...
This is what the note said:
Nothing typifies the world’s view of greatness better than the brash claim by former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali,...
“I am the greatest.”
Ali’s repeated statement generated an enormous amount of public response,...
Both pro and con, during the 1960s and 1970s.
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His boast, which Ali often backed up by dominating his opponents in the ring, helped open the floodgates of tolerance for the blatant, arrogant egotism that prevails in sports and throughout contemporary society.
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History has chronicled many truly great and honorable men, but in recent times it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish greatness from mere fame.
In today’s culture, famous people are most often celebrated for their wealth, success in business, athletic skills, acting ability, or musical talent.
Many are creations of the media; famous merely for being famous.
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A more realistic, but less common, view of greatness measures it in terms of significant achievement.
It singles out those who leave an indelible, positive mark on society, whether in war, education, science, medicine, the arts, or humanitarian causes.
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But God’s standard of greatness transcends all human measure, focusing on eternal heavenly realities, not ephemeral worldly ones.
It can best be seen by examining the life of someone whom God calls great.
Such a man was John the Baptist.
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John’s life had none of the trappings the world associates with greatness.
He was born into a common family from the Judean hill country,...
Not an upper-class family in Jerusalem.
There is no evidence that he had any formal education.
Instead of hobnobbing with the rich and famous,...
“He lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel”,...
Far from the centers of commerce, culture, and power.
John’s camel’s hair garment and leather belt did not exactly make a fashion statement, nor was his diet of locusts and wild honey likely to start a culinary trend.
The fact that he disconnected from the styles of the culture of his people, in the will of God, put no limits on his message or impact.
On the contrary, Matthew records that “Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan,” being baptized and confessing their sins.
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John was not associated with any of the official institutions of his day.
He started no social or political movements, formed no organization, founded no religious cult.
In fact, he consciously downplayed his own importance in deference to Christ, even directing his followers to Him.
Though born into a priestly family,...
He was not part of the priesthood.
The religious authorities were at first baffled by him, but soon grew to hate him for his blistering denunciations of their hypocrisy.
Nor did John fare any better with the political establishment.
Herod the tetrarch (Herod Antipas),...
Embarrassed by John’s bold denunciation of his sinful relationship with his brother’s wife,...
Imprisoned him and eventually had him executed.
As far as the world was concerned, John ended his life as little more than an eccentric preacher, decapitated at the instigation of a seductive dancing girl and her vindictive mother.
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But the world’s evaluation of John completely missed the mark.
No less an authority than the Lord Jesus Christ,...
God incarnate,...
Testified that “among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!”.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 1 and focusing on verses 5 through 17.
Our message this morning is called, “The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word...
I want to share that this message is the first of two messages that will focus on the birth narrative of the forerunner.
Of all the Gospels...
Luke’s account is the only one to contain these events...
Events that set up the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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For brothers and sisters around the world...
For ears to hear God’s truth in His Word...
For faithfulness to present God’s truth free of man’s wisdom...
For our community...
For our state...
For our country...
For the world...
That your the only name under heaven that saves...
Is the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Elizabeth’s Bareness
1) Elizabeth’s Bareness
Verses 5-7: In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Luke starts this passage by identifying the time these events took place.
The “Herod, king of Judea” is Herod the Great...
And this gives us a clear reference to the time these events are taking place.
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Herod was appointed king of Judea by Rome...
Serving really like a “puppet king”...
In fact, many of the Jews saw him as a illegitimate king as he was not a true Israelite.
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Herod received his commission to rule from Mark Antony and the Roman senate in 40 BC...
However, he did not actually return to rule Judea until 37 BC...
So, he reigned altogether from 37–4 BC...
To put that into perspective, Jesus was born in about 5 or 6 BC...
So, these events are happening towards the end of Herod’s reign.
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Herod was a king ruled by constant paranoia over his throne and was ruthlessly violent in protecting his position...
We see this recorded in the Gospel accounts when he barbarically and savagely slaughtered all male children...
Those who where two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem...
All due to his fear of one “born King of the Jews”...
Whom we know escaped this slaughter and is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Additionally, ancient records document that his paranoia and violence spilled over to his family members too.
For example, Herod murdered his own wife, several sons, and other relatives....
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Another trait Herod was know for was the fact that he was a master builder...
He is responsible for restoring the temple in Jerusalem (which the Roman army under Titus would destroyed during the capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD as prophesied by Christ)...
And he built many theaters, cities, palaces, and fortresses in his kingdom...
He also financed structures (including pagan temples) throughout the Roman Empire.
At the end of his life, Herod was ravaged by disease and died in his palace at Jericho.
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The name “Zechariah” or “Zacharias” as some translations render his name, literally means “Yahweh has remembered”...
And “Elizabeth” means “my God is an oath” or “my God is the absolutely Faithful One” or “my God is the one by whom I swear” or “my God is fortune.”
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When our passage says, “the division of Abijah” Luke is referring to how the temple priesthood was organized into 24 divisions...
Each of those divisions served twice a year for one week in a rotating roster.
However, during major festivals like Passover, Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, all the divisions served at the same time due to the traffic at the temple.
We know about this fact from 1 Chronicles 23 & 24.
Additionally, in those sections of 1 Chronicles we also learn that Abijah’s division was the 8th division...
That means this division served on the 8th week of each semester.
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The purpose of Luke recording that Elizabeth was one of the “daughters of Aaron” was to say that both husband and wife were from the priestly tribe...
And this was considered an extra blessing.
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The description of Zechariah and Elizabeth as being “righteous before God” and “walking blamelessly” is not to be confused with the thought that they never sinned...
These terms meant that they were godly and upright people in right standing with God.
They fall in line with others from Scripture described in like manner.
For example in Genesis 5:24 the Word of God says:
24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
Additionally in Genesis 6:9...
We see the language used about Noah is similar to the language Luke uses of Zechariah and Elizabeth:
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
And Job 1:1 records the character of Job as:
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
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So, although Zechariah and Elizabeth where righteous and blameless in the eyes of the Lord...
Many people in that time and culture did not see them that way.
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Regarding verse 7, the Expositor’s Commentary on the Gospel of Luke has a great note that we should all keep in mind about Elizabeth’s bareness:
“To be childless brought sorrow and often shame.
At her advanced age, Elizabeth could no longer entertain the hope of each Jewish woman to be the mother of the Messiah.
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While her situation and the subsequent intervention of God had its precedents in the Old Testament,...
No other woman had such a total reversal in fortune as to bear the forerunner of the Messiah.”
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We see many Old Testament examples of bareness in the Scriptures...
Let’s look at a few as a reminder and keep those in mind as we advance our study:
In Genesis 18:11 it says:
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.
And Genesis 29:31 says:
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
And again in 1 Samuel 1:5 look what it says about Hannah:
5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.
Although each of these accounts...
Along with our passage...
Starts the narrative with the fact that these woman where barren...
We will see that that is not the end of the story.
So, let’s look at our next point to see what happens next.
2) Gabriel's Message
2) Gabriel's Message
Verses 8-13: Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
The fact that Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple was considered a great honor...
We see this practice recorded in Exodus 30:7 which says:
7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it,
So, Aaron and those who would become the future priests...
Kept incense burning perpetually...
Once in the morning and once in the evening every day.
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The priests preformed this service right in front of the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place or Holy of Holies.
The Holy of Holies was only ever entered into by the high priest...
And that was allowed once a year on the Great Day of Atonement.
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The holy place...
Where Zachariah performed his duty...
Contained the altar of incense, the golden lampstand, and the table of showbread as its only furnishings.
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A single priest would offer the incense as we said previously every morning and every evening...
While this was happening...
The rest of the priests of that division and other worshipers stood outside the holy place in prayer.
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Due to the large number of priests that served in the temple...
Which was about 18,000 to 24,000...
Being selected to burn incense in the temple was a blessing many in the priesthood would never experience...
To be chosen for such a duty was really a once in a life time honor since no one was permitted to serve in this capacity more than once in their lifetime...
So, for Zechariah...
This moment would have been the highlight of his lifelong priestly ministry.
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A description found in the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke of what Zachariah would have experienced while preforming his duty is as follows:
“Zechariah was engaged in presenting the incense-offering on the golden altar in the holy place, a great multitude of the people were praying in the outer temple court.
After everything had been prepared for the incense-offering, all the other priests had left the holy place and only Zechariah waited there for the sign of the sacerdotal president that it was “the time of the incense-offering”.
When the signal was given, he immediately offered the incense on the altar.
As soon as the people saw the ascending smoke of the incense-offering, which was the symbol of true consecration to God, they fell down before the Lord and spread out their hands in silent prayer.
For several minutes there followed a dead silence in the temple sanctuary and in the surrounding temple-building and courts.
To Zechariah, as to every other priest, this was one of the most solemn experiences of his whole life—especially since the privilege of offering the incense, as we have seen, fell to the lot of a priest only once in his lifetime.”
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The angel who appear will be revealed a few verses down to be no other than Gabriel.
We have seen Gabriel appear in the Old Testament and will see him again in our study of Luke.
Some of these examples include:
Daniel 8:16 which says:
16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”
And what we will see further in our study in Luke 1:26 which says:
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
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Additionally, Gabriel’s appearance being at the “right side” had a very significant meaning...
The right side is generally considered the favored side or strong side...
This was to act as an indication that this angelic visit was not an ominous one...
But in fact one of favor and blessing and carried an authoritative message from God.
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Another common act we see in our passage is the response to a visitation of an angel...
Which is of almost always fear...
This reaction along with an angelic messenger’s assurance to “fear not” in seen throughout Scripture.
For example in Luke 1:30 it says:
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
And Luke 2:8-9 says:
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
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Regarding the phrase, “your prayer has been heard” from our passage I would like to share a note from the ESV Study Bible:
“Though the specific content of Zechariah’s prayer is not given, it most likely would have included at least two petitions:
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Zechariah would have been interceding on behalf of Israel as a nation,...
And he apparently also raised a second petition, for a child, as indicated by verse 13.
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Zechariah must have prayed for a child hundreds of times over many years, and now at last the answer has come.”
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It should be understood that when Zechariah was interceding for Isreal by praying for the coming of the Messiah.
So Gabriel’s response was an answered prayer for both requests as John would be the Forerunner for Christ.
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The name “John” literally means “Yahweh has shown grace” or “Yahweh has shown favor” or “the Lord is gracious.”
John’s name and the opening of Elizabeth’s womb falls in line with the biblical pattern of many key figures in Scripture.
Genesis 21:2 says:
2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 25:21 says:
21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Genesis 30:22 say:
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
Regarding Samson, Judges 13:3 says:
3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
And finally, the response to Hannah’s request for a child was seen in 1 Samuel 1:20 which says:
20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
These accounts show that God can bring life from a situation that is impossible by all human accounts...
And these men all had key roles in the Old Testament...
Yet dispute what all these individuals did in service to our Lord...
John the Baptist was called to have the greatest ministry of the Old Testament prophets...
For he was the forerunner to the Messiah...
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Other than Jesus’ ministry...
No other ministry was as vital as John’s for he was called to prepare the way for our Lord...
And this takes us to our third and final point.
3) John’s Future Ministry
3) John’s Future Ministry
Verses 14-17: And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
When Luke records that John was not to “drink wine or strong drink” it was a reference to the Nazirite vow which is mentioned in Numbers 6:1-21.
Zechariah as a priest familiar with the Word of God would have understood it this way too.
In most cases the Nazirite vow was temporary...
However Scripture records others who where under the Nazirite vow from birth...
This includes Samson as we see in Judges 16:17:
17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
And the Prophet Samuel is anther example as we see in 1 Samuel 1:11:
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
In fact, the language here in our passage is very reminiscent of the angel’s instructions to Samson’s parents...
That can be found in Judges 13:4–7 and it says:
4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean,
5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name,
7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”
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Please note that there is no mention on any restriction on the cutting of John’s hair...
However, it may be that Luke...
Who was writing to a gentile audience...
May have simply omitted this detail to avoid weighing his Gentile audience down with the details of Jewish law.
Either way, Zechariah would have know the Jewish laws and understood that John was to be under the Nazirite vow from birth.
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Additionally, please make a not that John the Baptist is said to have come in the “spirit and power of Elijah”...
This does not mean that John is Elijah himself or Elijah reincarnated.
The evidence of this is found in John 1:21 when the forerunner directly answers the question if he really is Elijah:
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
So, what this means is that John is a type of Elijah...
This would be similar to Jesus being a type of Adam or 2nd Adam.
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Observations we can make regarding how John is a type of Elijah...
Can be seen in the similarity in how both John the Baptist and Elijah appeared and that they were both known for their bold, uncompromising stand for God’s commands...
And even challenged and rebuked ruthless monarchs to right in front of their faces.
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In 2 Kings 1:8 for example the Word of God says:
8 They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
Now look at what it says regarding John’s appearance in Matthew 3:4:
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
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In addition to John’s appearance looking like Elijah...
Take a look at these prophesies from the Old Testament about the Forerunner:
Malachi 3:1 says:
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
And Malachi 4:5–6 which says:
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
See the similar language used by Luke in our passage.
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Consider too what is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew about the what Jesus says about John the Baptist...
And how He shows that the prophesies in Malachi is about the Baptist...
Matthew 11:10-14 says:
10 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
Again in the Gospel of Matthew we must consider what is said in Matthew 17:9–13...
This dialog occurs after the Transfiguration of Christ on the mountain:
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”
11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.
12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
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New Testament Scholar James R. Edwards says this helpful comment on the connection between Elijah and John the Baptist:
“Elijah is often assumed to have been the forerunner of the Messiah.
In pre-Christian Jewish texts preserved in the Old Testament and intertestamental literature,...
However, Elijah is actually portrayed as the forerunner of God.
In prophesying that “[John] will go before him”,...
Gabriel indicates that John will not simply herald the Messiah,...
But God himself, who will appear in Jesus.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close...
I would like to share another note from the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke on John the Baptist...
After extolling John as the greatest man who had lived up to that time, Jesus made the shocking statement that he “who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he”.
True spiritual greatness comes not from the tasks we do, but from the life we possess as a gift from God.
John’s earthly greatness lay in the fact that he was assigned the greatest task that any man had ever been given—to identify the Messiah.
But as great as John was in this calling, the least person in God’s kingdom is greater, because the nature of spiritual greatness far exceeds the human efforts of ministry.
Spiritual life is forever.
Because he, too, belonged to the kingdom, John the Baptist shares that greatness with all other believers—all the redeemed enjoy the same glorious honor of eternal life.
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In Christ all possess the same divine life, capable of producing the same high quality of character and exhibiting the same high level of spiritual commitment.
All have the same privilege of being filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach Christ.
Like John, believers are commissioned to the same task, to proclaim repentance, and be ambassadors of reconciliation, urging people to turn to God through saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitionary death.
It is by doing so that they share John’s greatness.
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So, beloved...
When you come across a text like Matthew 3:3 that reads:
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
Or Isaiah 40:3 which says:
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
I want you to consider this...
Just as roads where improved in the ancient world in preparation for the visit of a king,...
So John calls for people to prepare spiritually and morally for the imminent coming of the Messiah.
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The important question to ask yourself is do I know the Lord?
Have I surrendered my will and desires to the only King that saves?
The road has been paved...
The way is made clear...
The road is narrow..
And the road is rough...
But for all believers...
They are promised the Holy Spirit to guide us on the road that leads to life.
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So, if you don’t know Him...
Today is the day for salvation.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.
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