Advent Journey: December 19th

© Michael Livesay-Wright

Questions and Reflections

QUESTION: Does the story of the priest and his wife (Zachariah and Elizabeth) remind you of anyone?

There are quite a few stories of men and women who longed for children in the Bible, but the one this brings to mind is the one we recently read about -- Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham and Sarah a very special child. And just as with Abraham and Sarah, God promises Zechariah and Elizabeth a special child, long after the usual time when people would have been able to have children. Why do you think God does this? Sometimes it seems God wants to be exceptionally clear that a set of events could be carried out only by Him. This was one of those events. If you have time to read about the story of God's promise to Zechariah in Luke 1, it's a great story. Even though God doesn't always remove pain and fix our problems the way He would like Him to, it sure is a beautiful thing when He gives someone a beautiful gift as He does for Zechariah and Elizabeth. But God is doing something even bigger. As it says in the poem, He is both fulfilling very old prophesies and preparing the way for the next important baby we will meet. But more of that in a moment?

QUESTION: Why was the baby called John?

The short answer is that God said that was His name. An angel appeared to Zechariah and said that the baby was coming and told him to name the baby John. But John also means "God is gracious." Isn't that wonderful? To be gracious has so many implications, but it carries with it favor, kindness, and a leaning towards to give benefits. And so John was both a specific demonstration of grace to Zechariah and Elizabeth, but on a larger scale he was also a demonstration of God's grace to the whole world. In Luke 1:14 the angel says to Zechariah, "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth" (ESV). This baby was coming to fulfill prophesy (John would be "A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God" Isaiah 40:3, ESV) and to point towards the Messiah. It was almost time!

QUESTION: What does it mean to be baptized?

Although many people have a specific idea of baptism today, at this time baptism is most related to a couple of different Jewish ceremonies. One is ceremonial cleansing written about in the law - cleansing both literally and symbolically purifying someone who has contaminated himself in some way. The other that had become more common was a ceremony for a non-Jewish person to enter into the Jewish faith. So it's interesting that John came to the Jewish people with a message of repentance and baptism. He was quite clearly communicating to God's people that (a) they were contaminated by sin and (b) they needed to cleans themselves in order to enter into a right relationship with God. It is not enough to simply be born into the Israelite nation (as John makes very clear 2:8). But this was only the beginning. John did not claim to be offering salvation. He spoke openly of the coming Messiah saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 2:16, ESV). It will be much later in the story that we learn what that reference to the Holy Spirit and fire are truly about, but for now remember that John is pointing us towards God and towards God's plan.