Luke 1:63-66 63And after asking for a writing tablet he wrote saying, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue, and he spoke, blessing God. 65And fear came over all their neighbors, and all these events were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66and all who heard them put them in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For also the hand of the Lord was with him.
The gathered group of people who came to circumcise and witness the naming of the eight-day-old baby were not satisfied with Elizabeth’s response and so turned to Zechariah for the answer. Culture powerfully inserted its head in a sacred moment. Zechariah confirmed Elizabeth’s answer about the name of the baby. Zechariah must have gotten good at writing on a tablet over the last forty weeks of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. His word was firm. People wondered why such a special baby would be given a name that was not in the family.
Zechariah had almost ten months to think about his response to the angel Gabriel. After the formal declaration of the infant’s name, Zechariah could talk again. The first thing he did was bless God. The first words of the blessing are not recorded, but verses 67-79 continue the scene and at least some of what he said. Luke inserts into this scene the question of the neighbors and relatives who began to understand that there was something special about this child. They had watched Zechariah all those months and thought perhaps that he was permanently mute and had something physically wrong.
When Zechariah spoke for the first time, it was a shock and surprise. This was no ordinary birth. First, the parents were old and past childbearing years, never had a child, and now a son was born to them. Second, the father looked like he was permanently mute after entering the temple, and now could speak again. On top of this, the parents break tradition and give the child a different name than what was in the family. All of these odd circumstances created quite the stir in the surrounding hills of Judea. The rumors and questions had started. Luke summarizes the key issue in the question in verse 66: What will this child be? People saw God’s hand in all of this and had the sense that this baby boy was special. We wish we had more of the story of John’s early years. Luke focuses mostly on how God’s Spirit was working in this situation. God’s new kingdom began with the miraculous birth of John. This was a new day and new beginning.
For older posts, click here.