The Book of Luke: The Angelic Birth and Announcement of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25)
We will begin this morning by learning about the parents of John the Baptist. The reason we should be interested in learning about Zacharias and Elizabeth, the reason that the Bible gave us so much about these individuals is because of who they raised. Matthew 11:11 says this about John the Baptist “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”.
It’s interesting to me that Jesus would make this statement. Of course Jesus is not including himself in this list. What he is saying that of normal human beings that are not deity, John the Baptist is the greatest man who came. Luke talks about the parents of John the Baptist. These are the people that God chose to raise John the Baptist. It is interesting to look at the parents who raised the greatest man who ever lived. These are some of the most successful parents who ever lived.
When we go from Luke 1:4 to Luke 1:5, we go from introductory statements to the story. Luke 1:5 “5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias,…”. The first thing I want you to see is that Zacharias was a priest. According to the Bible, to be a priest you had to be a descendant of Aaron. At this time, a lot of the tribes and knowledge of heritage and genealogy had been lost. Only the tribe of Judah was really intact. However, we do know that Zacharias was a descendant of Aaron.
Firstly we see the pedigree of Zacharias. Leviticus 21:14 tells us that the priests were to marry a virgin woman. This shows us that Elizabeth was pure when they got married. Luke 1:5 shows us that Zacharias married a woman who was pure but also a descendant of a priest. This would be like marrying a Pastor’s daughter. Luke 1:5 “5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.”.
We see the pedigree of his parents. However, we also see their piety. This means they were very spiritual. Luke 1:6 “6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”. The Bible tells us that his parents were blameless. One thing we learn is that the parents who raised John the Baptist so successfully had a close walk with God themselves. What does it mean to be right with God? It says they were walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
Ask yourself this question, when you read the Bible or hear a sermon and God tells you something, what is your reaction? How obedient are you to the word of God? I’m not just saying how much do you know but how obedient are you to what you know? You don’t have to be raised in a Pastor’s home to live like a Pastor does. You can choose to be obedient to God’s word also. Sometimes people think that Pastors have these really strict requirements of rules they must obey but all of us should obey the laws of God.
Blameless does not mean sinless. It means you live above reproach. It means you don’t have major sins that people can hold against you. Timothy was given strict guidelines as a Pastor but he was told to be an example of the believers. We are not meant to be an example to you but an example of you. You should look at the Pastor and say “That is how I should live.”. The parents of John the Baptist were real with their walk with God. They were righteous and obeying the commandments of the Lord.
I want you to notice a key word in Luke 1:6. “6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”. If you want to raise children that really love God, you need both parents that are on fire for God. It’s sad when you see families and only the husband wants to serve God. Sometimes you find families where only the wife wants to serve God. The beautiful thing about the parents of John the Baptist is that they were both walking in the commandments of God. This was not a marriage where only 1 spouse read the Bible, where only 1 spouse prayed, where only 1 spouse went to Church or came soulwinning. I thank God that he has given me a wife that reads the Bible and prays and serves God. I wonder if one reason they raised such a godly man is because both parents were serving God.
I’m not saying that if you are a single mom then it is a lost cause. I am saying that you better get connected to a good Church where your children have a good influence. However, it is not the will of God for children to only have 1 parent in the home. If that is the situation that you find yourself in then I am not trying to make you feel bad. I want you to realize the importance of Church though.
Not only do we see the pedigree and piety of Zacharias and Elizabeth but we see the pain of them. Notice verse 7 “7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. “. Luke is telling us that they are too old at this point to have a child. During this time period, not having children was considered a shame. People wanted to have children. I’m not saying that it should have been a shameful thing but that is how society looked at it.
Let me give you an example from 1st Samuel 1. 1st Samuel 1:1-6 “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. 4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb. 6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.”.
Notice the response of Elizabeth when she is finally able to have a child. “25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”. She refers to it as a reproach. I believe this is an example of taking a good principle too far. It is a blessing to have children but we should not look down on those who are unable to have children. Children were considered as a blessing from God as opposed to a burden. The Bible tells us that God is the one who opens and closes the womb. If the womb is closed then as believers we should be willing to say that the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away.
At our Church, we have embraced the fact that children are a blessing. We are a family integrated Church. We don’t send the kids off somewhere else. We have around 70 kids in our homeschool group. I’m here to tell you that children are a blessing from the Lord. Aren’t you glad that these parents who waited for years and had many disappointments but they never quit on God. They were pious through their pain. Sometimes we have the attitude that we will serve God as long as he blesses us with good health or a good job. What if things don’t turn out the way you planned them? Will you still serve God? Zacharias and Elizabeth were very godly individuals but their lives did not turn out how they were hoping.
Next we see their prayers. Luke 1:8 “8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”. Because there were so many priests, they divided things up into different requirements and responsibilities. We studied before that there was an outer court and an inner court also. Zacharias is given a great honor to be able to enter the holy of holies to burn incense. This was randomly chosen by a casting of lots. Luke 1:10 “10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.”. I’m going to show this to you in a minute but there is this connection with prayer and incense. Zacharias was randomly chosen for an honored duty.
Look at verse 11. “11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”. When we read these stories, try to picture these things. I imagine Zacharias showing up to do his priestly duty and feels greatly honored to get to burn incense which is a picture of prayer. I envision that Zacharias was at this table burning this incense and was very somber and very serious and was praying. Then appears an angel of the Lord. He opens his eyes and there is someone standing there. Remember, no one was supposed to be in this temple. The result is that it startles him. “12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.”.
Luke 1:13 “13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”. I don’t think that the prayer that was heard is in reference to the prayer he was making at that time. I think it’s referring to the decades they prayed for a child. Prayer is something that is a sweet smell to God and goes up before God. This is why incense is a picture of it.
Revelation 5:8 “8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”. A vial is a small container used to contain liquids. Notice how it says “are the prayers of saints”. I wonder how many vials are filled with my prayers or your prayers. We saw their pedigree, their piety, their pain and their prayers.
When we pray, sometimes the answer is no but sometimes the answer is “not yet”. Notice Luke 1:14 “14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.”. This is in reference to the birth of John the Baptist. Notice 1 thing that they did in verse 15 “15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”. They raised their child to be separated from the practices of the world such as drinking alcohol. Young person, you can be filled with the Spirit of God. This is not just something for adults.
Luke 1:16 “16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”. John the Baptist was separated from the worldliness but was a soulwinner. We also see that John the Baptist was a servant as he prepared people for the Lord.
Let me ask you a question. What if the greatest thing that you do for the cause of Christ is not something that you did but someone that you raised. It’s not necessarily some great sermon or personal accomplishment but raising someone for the Lord that has a lasting impact. Have a vision to raise kids who are separated and spirit filled and soulwinners and servants of the Lord.
Proverbs 22:6 “6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”. We live in a day where we think that simply giving your kids food, a roof over their head and clothing is what God wants from us. That is not different than jail. There better be something else that you are giving to your children.
Proverbs 29:18 “18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”. This is a great verse that we use a lot but the real context comes from verse 17. “17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”. We need to get a vision for our children. I wonder if Zacharias were such great parents because they not only prayed for their child but they had a vision at an early age for his life.
We saw the pedigree, piety, pain, prayer and now we see problems.
Luke 1:18 “18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”. Here Zacharias says this in a critical way. We know this because of the response in verse 19. “19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.”.
Why did Zacharias doubt this? Because in verse 18 he focuses on himself and says that he is an old man and his wife also. Zacharias doubted because his focus was on himself. Gabriel responds by saying that he was sent by God. He is trying to tell Zacharias to focus on God and not himself. All of our doubts come when we focus on ourselves rather than focusing on God.
We saw the pedigree, piety, pain, prayer, problems and now we see postponement. It’s interesting that they prayed about this and God answered the prayers but notice what happens to John the Baptist in verse 20. “20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.”. Luke 1:21 “21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.”. People were waiting on him and he was taking a while but he couldn’t tell them what happened.
Up to this point, it had been around 400 years since God had spoken to his people. There is around 400 years known as the silent period between Malachi and the Gospels. A lot happened in this time period. Finally God speaks to Zacharias through an angel ending that silent period and yet Zacharias can say anything about what he was told. In the Old Testament they are told that a man who would come to prepare the way of the Lord.
Luke 1:23 “23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”. The Book of Luke begins with this message to Zacharias after 400 years of silence but he has to wait to be able to speak it.
Let’s pray.