Luke: 1:76-79 76And you indeed, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77in order to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78because of the compassionate mercy of our God, in which the dawn will visit us from on high 79to give light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Zechariah’s song turns to the topic of the eight-day-old John, who presumably was in front of him and the gathered crowd of family and neighbors. Like all parents do, Zechariah spoke directly to baby John with these words. His words were more than a wish but were prophetic, inspired by the Holy Spirit, about John’s future ministry. Zechariah knew John was special and here declares that he will be God’s prophet. As a prophet, he would prepare people for the Lord. The reference to the Lord here is significant because it acknowledges the divinity of the one who was to come. It is more than a polite reference like “sir,” or “master” with a lower case. Everything in this passage points to God’s presence in the baby to soon be born.
The way John will prepare the way is by helping people understand their need for salvation. The salvation to come would involve the forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness (aphesei) can mean pardon but also has the sense of freedom and liberation. The coming Messiah would provide full salvation from sin, not just a whitewashing of a few past wrongs.
The reason God will do this is because he has compassionate mercy. Having these two words together implies a significant about of theology and backstory of the Old Testament. Compassionate (splangchna) comes from the cognate for the bowels or gut and reflects the deep feeling one might have for another person. A person might feel a sense of nervousness or sickness when seeing a person in pain or sorrow. God obviously does not have viscera or nerves like that but shows love and care to those who suffer. This word is in the form of an adjective describing mercy (eleous), which is another significant word throughout the Bible. God shows mercy because God is gracious and loving. Mercy is kindness towards those who need help. God is merciful to those who seek his forgiveness but will judge those who reject his offer of salvation.
Zechariah describes this mercy using three images. The image of the sun rising in the morning gives a sense of newness and the hope of a new day full of new experiences. The next image uses darkness as a metaphor for the ignorance and hopelessness of people who do not know where they are going. The last image draws the first two images together. With the dawn of a new days, the path will be clear, at least for those who accept God’s offer of compassionate mercy. The Messiah will shine a light in the darkness of the depraved world. His light will show the way to heaven. Jesus brings hope and clarity to those who are looking for meaning to life. Sadly, people choose to wander in the darkness of sin, doubt, fear, and ignorance and not look to the one who can provide eternal life.
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