The Miraculous Birth of John the Baptist

Luke 1:5-25

In order to accurately portray the events and teachings of Christ completely, it was necessary to show the basis for believing he is the Messiah. This necessitates the examination of prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah, and whether they were fulfilled. Malachi 3:1 prophesied that one would come to lay the foundation before Messiah came. “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

If Jesus Christ is the Messiah, it is essential that this prophecy be fulfilled just as every other must. Luke shows that John the Baptist fulfilled this role. He starts by explaining the situation with John’s parents when the prophecy was made.

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.” (Luke 1:5-12)

John’s birth is to be a miraculous birth in it’s own right, since they were both beyond the normal childbearing years. The angel gave specific directions as to his raising, similar to the command given to Samson’s mother in Judges 13:7. “But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.” While we are never told that John was a Nazarite, his subsequent lifestyle would seem to indicate that he was.

“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:13-17)

The angel makes it clear that John is to be the fulfilment of the prophesies by Malachi that we already read, and the one in Isaiah 40:3. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” He is to prepare people to receive Christ’s ministry. Like Sarah in Genesis 18:11-15, Zacharias found the prophecy of having a child at their age hard to believe. He asked for a sign to prove it.

“And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” (Luke 1:18-20)

God expects us to verify that what we hear is the word of God. He instructed Israel to check what the prophets said in Deuteronomy 18:20-22. “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

Samson’s parents asked for proof that the angel was from God. Believing that God would speak the truth. Zacarias, on the other hand, believed the angel was from God, but asked for proof the message was true. He was to be punished for his failure to believe God. Romans 14:23 states, “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” The proof would be judgment on Zacarias himself.

“And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.” (Luke 1:21-22)

The prophecy was fulfilled immediately, demonstrating that the angel was speaking God’s word. That the prophecy was fulfilled got the attention of the faithful at the temple immediately, although they didn’t know what it meant at the time. They began to see the prophecy fulfilled within just a very short time, causing rejoicing on Zacarias and his wife’s part.

“And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” (Luke 1:23-25)