Text: Luke 1:67- 80

Dear Brethren,

"THE PROPHET OF THE HIGHEST"
Zacharias' heart was brimming over with fullness of joy. His mind dwelt on the Lord God of Israel, and how He had visited and redeemed His people. He had not forgotten the house of His servant David, for from his seed, "a horn of salvation" would arise (Luke 1:69).

God would send them a Saviour who would redeem them from the hand of their enemies, and from the hand of all who hated them (Luke 1:71). It was God who promised with an oath that He would always keep His covenant, and now the day of redemption was very near! Their long-awaited-for Messiah would come, and deliver them from the hand of their enemies (Luke 1:74).

The coming of this great Redeemer had been prophesied by the prophets (Luke 1:70). With all his heart, Zacharias believed that all would be fulfilled in the very near future. Thus his heart was filled with the highest sense of expectation and joy.

There was one more element to his joy. It involved his son. It was his privilege to have such a son. He now fully believed what the angel Gabriel had said to him. How could he have disbelieved the words of the angel who said,

"For He will be great in the sight of the Lord,
And shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah…
To make ready a people prepared for the Lord" Luke 1:15-17

Humbly, Zacharias now declared, concerning his own son, in full agreement with the words of the angel Gabriel,

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins" Luke 1:76-77

A GLORIOUS MINISTRY ENVISAGED
What hopes fill the heart of parents? What are the fondest wishes of parents for their children when they grow up? What are your wishes for your children when they grow up?

For Zacharias, the greatest wish he could ever have for his one and only son would be that he would be a good and faithful servant of the Lord. He was mindful that it was through "the tender mercy of God" that he would have a son at all. Much more important than having a son was the fact that the Messiah, here called the "Dayspring" (or literally "the rising of the sun") had come to visit them with His blessings! (In Malachi 4:2, the Messiah is called "The Sun of Righteousness"). Filled with the Holy Spirit, Zacharias envisaged the glorious ministry of his son, John. To be the prophet of the Highest was the greatest honour he would ask to be given to his son.

THE GREATER MINISTRY OF THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ("Dayspring")
Isaiah was one of the prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah. In Isaiah 9:6, which he now recalled, the Messiah would come,

"To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace" Luke 1:79

In comparison and in contrast, John's ministry was just to " go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways" (Luke 1:76). The actual giving of salvation, belonged solely to the Messiah Himself.

Zacharias was correct not to begin his hymn of praise on the subject of his son, John. He was also wise not to conclude his song of thanksgiving, with thoughts of John. He recognized that first and last, the Lord must be extolled and worshipped. That his son had a place at all in the service of the Messiah was reason enough to be filled with the greatest sense of joy and gratitude.

"SO THE CHILD GREW AND BECAME STRONG IN SPIRIT" Luke 1:80
The birth of John was well announced. The powerful prophetic word of the angel Gabriel was fulfilled to the letter. He was after all the messenger of the Lord, and thus carried tremendous power and authority.

The angel had specially instructed Zacharias that he must remember that his son was to become the forerunner of the Messiah. He must therefore be brought up most carefully. The responsibility to bring him up was left to Zacharias and Elizabeth. Did they succeed?

It is of course not possible for Luke to include too many details as to how Zacharias and Elizabeth brought up their son, John. However, this statement about the growth of John is sufficient to inform us that they took their task of parenting seriously.

John grew well. He became strong in spirit. He was "in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel" (Luke 1:80). In these words, we are reminded of Elijah the prophet. He too was strong in spirit, and lived in the deserts" before God manifested him to Israel as His servant (1 Kings 17).

To survive in the desert calls for a very hardy physical constitution. To not mind dwelling in the deserts must also call for a very strong mental and spiritual constitution. When John was finally manifested to Israel, he had become a very powerful prophet. There was of course the special ministry of the Holy Spirit in his life, but we may add that Zacharias and Elizabeth had done their part admirably to bring up their son to be a good servant of the Lord.

Prayerfully,

Pastor Charlie Tan