Luke 1:57–66: Preparing the Way for Jesus

June 16, 2026

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. David. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

In Genesis 3, after sin entered the world, God promised to send one born of a woman to crush Satan (Gen. 3:15). He then chose a nation through which this Deliverer would come. God made a covenant with Abraham, the founder of that nation, promising that all the families of the earth would be blessed through the one who would come from Abraham's line (Gen. 12:1–3). He later reaffirmed this covenant to Abraham's son, Isaac (Gen. 26:2–5) and to Isaac's son, Jacob (Gen. 28:10–15; 35:9–12).

After 400 years in Egypt, God chose Moses to lead his people to the promised land, and appointed Joshua to lead them in conquering it. In time, however, Israel turned away from God, and their continued disobedience resulted in captivity under the Assyrians and Babylonians.

Still, God never forgot his promise. Through Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, he declared to the people, "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" (Mal. 3:1).

Today, we will consider the birth of the one whom God promised would prepare the way for the Messiah.

At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke recounts how the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and announced that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son. This news was shocking, since Elizabeth had been unable to have children, and both she and Zechariah were well beyond the normal childbearing years. When Zechariah questioned Gabriel's promise, the angel declared that he would be unable to speak until the child was born.

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son" (Luke 1:57). The birth of a child is always a remarkable gift from God. In the ancient world, there was even greater joy when a healthy baby was born and the mother survived the delivery. In New Testament times, childbirth was one of the leading causes of premature death among adult women.^[1] Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her (Luke 1:58). Mary was likely among those celebrating, as she remained for John's birth before returning home to Nazareth.

In keeping with Jewish law, Zechariah and Elizabeth had their son circumcised when he was eight days old (Lev. 12:3). Circumcision was practiced by many of Israel's neighboring peoples, though not by the Philistines. Among those cultures, it often served as a rite of passage into manhood. For Israel, however, circumcision was the "sign of the covenant"—a responsibility entrusted to parents that signified a special relationship with God from the earliest days of life (Gen. 17:9-14).

Not only was Zechariah and Elizabeth's son circumcised, but he was also named on the same day. The relatives assumed the newborn would be named after Zechariah or another family member. Although sons were not always named after their fathers, in this unusual case—since Zechariah was advanced in years—the family expected this long-awaited child to receive a familial name. Elizabeth, however, was adamant that his name would be John (Luke 1:60). The surprise of those present highlights that John's name was chosen by God, not according to human expectations.

Elizabeth's statement was disregarded, and Zechariah—who was still unable to speak or hear—was consulted instead. Those present made hand signs to him "inquiring what he wanted him to be called" (Luke 1:62). Zechariah then asked for a writing tablet, a small board coated with wax,^[2] and wrote, "His name is John" (Luke 1:63). As soon as he had written John's name, "immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God" (Luke 1:64), just as Gabriel had promised.

The people present recognized that something from God had taken place. Luke first says that they "wondered," when Zechariah confirmed that his son was to be called John. This is one of Luke's favorite words (Grk. ethaumasan),^[3] meaning "to marvel," "to be astonished." Along with their amazement came a sense of fear—not terror, but reverent awe in response to God's supernatural work. They spoke about the child born to a couple who had been unable to have children and about Zechariah's inability to speak and hear until the child was named.

As Mary later recounted the story to Luke, she noted that "all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 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" (Luke 1:65-66).

From the time of his birth, there was an expectation that John had a special calling.

Certainly, John would grow to become a godly man and the forerunner of Jesus, and we will continue to follow his story. Yet…as we reflect on his life…isn't the direction and mission of John's life what we would desire for our own children? We want them to follow faithfully after Jesus and to prepare the way for others to follow the Lord. This should be our fervent prayer for the next generation.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on Luke 1:57–66. How can your life, like John's, intentionally prepare the way for others to know, follow, and worship Jesus?

Talking to God: Ask God to give you opportunities to tell others about Jesus. J. I. Packer says that if you want to tell others about Jesus, pray for friends.

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