December 8 – John the Baptist
57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. 58 Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.”
61 Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” 62 So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited
and provided redemption for his people.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 just as he spoke by the mouth
of his holy prophets in ancient times;
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of those who hate us.
72 He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors
and remembered his holy covenant—
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,
to grant that we,
74 having been rescued
from the hand of our enemies,
would serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the dawn from on high will visit us
79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Luke 1:57-80
John the Baptist (Luke 1:57-80)
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s day of joy has finally arrived! They are welcoming their baby boy into the world. Their neighbors and friends are so happy for them!
Zechariah has not talked for months. His son is born and he and Elizabeth are overjoyed.
His Name is John
Eight days after the birth of a baby boy, the Jewish custom was to circumcise and name the child. The Jewish leaders came to perform the ceremony, and they assumed that Zechariah and Elizabeth were naming their only son after his father.
They are shocked when Elizabeth tells them, “His name is John.” John is not a family name, and the others cannot figure out why in the world Zechariah and Elizabeth would name their son that.
Consulting the Father
They are so sure that Elizabeth has gone a little crazy that they ask the father, Zechariah, to motion to them his wishes. He grabs a writing tablet and confirms his wife’s words: “His name is John.”
The angel Gabriel had told Zechariah that the child’s name should be John. He and Elizabeth were righteous people, obedient to God. They were doing what God told them to do.
A Moment of Obedience brings Restoration
Zechariah’s confirmation of John’s name opens the door for his healing. His ability to speak is restored in that moment.
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him. Luke 1:64-66
What then will will this child become?
When all the people in their town and even further heard what had happened, they wondered about the child.
The Holy Spirit answers through Zechariah. The Bible says that Zechariah was filled with Holy Spirit and began to prophecy about his son. He praises God for His mercy, faithfulness, and holiness.
He speaks of how John will prepare the way for the Messiah.
76 And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the dawn from on high will visit us
79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:76-79
The Way of Peace
I want that this season – that my feet would be guided into the way of peace. A heart, home, and life filled with the peace of God.
John Grows Up
The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Luke 1:80
John grew up. His spirit become strong. What a cool statement about their child. I hope that people can say that about my kids. That they are growing up strong in spirit and ready to do God’s will.
For that matter, I hope that people can say that about me. That I am grown up, mature, and strong of spirit.
December 8 Devotional Action Step:
Time to do a little introspection.
First, are we living immature lives or have we grown up? Are we strong of spirit or wobbling back and forth in our faith?
Second, are we raising our kids to be mature and strong of spirit?
There may be some areas of our lives in which we need to make adjustments. We may need to institute more discipline or accountability into our lives to help us grow up. We may need to help our kids spend less time on screens and interact more with us and the word of God.
Prayer:
Dear God, help me to grow up in my faith and get strong in spirit. Show me how to lead my children (or friends or grandchildren) to be strong in the Lord. You are faithful. In my weakness, You are made strong. I lean on Your strength. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Access to the other posts in this series and the free printables for this December can be found at the Series Overview page. Come join me as I pursue the peace and joy on the Savior’s birth throughout the month of December!