Luke 1:12-17

Luke 1:12-17

And Zechariah was being put in great distress after seeing and fear fell upon Him.  And the angel said to Him, “Do not fear, Zechariah, because your prayers were being heard.  And your wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son to you.  And you will call His name John.  And he will be your joy and intense gladness.  And many will be rejoicing upon His birth.  For He will be great in the sight of the Lord and he should surely not drink wine or beer.  And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit – even out of his mother’s womb.  And he will cause many of the sons of Israel to turn to the Lord their God.  And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers upon children and the disobedient in the understanding of the righteous to prepare for the Lord a people having been made ready.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love hearing genuine Biblical accounts of eyewitness reactions to the divine, even to the divine messengers.  How many of us honestly and secretly wish that God would just appear and meet with us face to face?  We think that it would be the coolest moment in our life.  Of course, it would be pretty neat to be in the unmistakable presence of the Lord.  But the reality is that when either God or His messengers actually do make a personal appearance the humans that are in the presence of the divine are struck by fear.  The Bible often uses the word “troubled” when human beings are put into proximity with the divine.  It would be a really cool experience.  But let’s not get it wrong, either.  It would be a pretty scary experience to know that we in our sinfulness are in the presence of an almighty God.

Do you ever wish God would make Himself physically known to you?  Why would you wish this?  Do you ever think how terrifying it would be to be in the presence of the greatest being in the universe? 

Second Thought:

The angel tells Zechariah to not be afraid.  This is a very common expression that you will hear all throughout the Gospel of Luke.  But then the angel goes on to tell the Zechariah about his son.  He is to be called John.  John is to refrain from those things in life that cause the loss of control – like wine and beer.  John will cause many to rejoice.  John will be filled with the Spirit of God.  Through John, many will be turned back to the Lord.  Many who are living life solely for their own existence will be brought back into a perspective of life that is about God and His desires.  Many will have their eyes opened to a life of sacrificial service in God’s will.  John will come to help people remember what the presence of God is like.

How do you think that Zechariah would hear this message?  What are the blessings in this message?  Do you think that any part of this would be hard to hear?

Third Thought:

The greatest part of the angels’ message is what he says last in this passage.  What is the point of John?  John is to prepare the people for the Lord.  John is to make the people ready.  He doesn’t come for his own glory or his own fame.  In fact, in the greater scheme of the Gospel of Luke, he doesn’t even play a significant role in the story as it is told.  Granted, the reality is that John does a great amount of work that isn’t recorded in the Gospel.  But that’s the point.  John isn’t going to draw people to himself and gain all of the glory.  John will draw people to God.

Do you draw people to God?  How is your life about doing God’s will?  Do you ever have a moment when you are seeking after your own will instead of seeking after God’s will?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 1:18-20