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“And there was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, 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.”1
In the days of old, in the days of Israel, the priests and the Levites took turns in the duties of the temple.
“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.”2 The altar of incense perfumed the temple, and the incense was a type of the prayers of God’s people rising to the Lord.
Everything they did in the temple was an illustrated sermon of Christ and His church. God was continually giving them an illustration of what He intended for His church and Himself to be like. This is why when Jesus finally came, then the temple and all of the accompanying ceremony was done away with. Because “that which was perfect had come”3 in Jesus, then all of that which was merely a picture, as Paul calls it, “a shadow of things to come,” was done away with.4
But they were still going through the illustrations in Zacharias’ day, not long before it was to be done away with when Jesus died. At the moment of His death, the four-inch-thick veil of the temple was rent in twain and the Holy of Holies was exposed! The very place of the presence of God was exposed and was now accessible to everyone, not just the high priest. God really put an end to it when that happened, because Jesus’ sacrifice was the final sacrifice as far as God was concerned.
Emperor Vespasian sent General Titus down to Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the city and the temple were destroyed and all sacrificial worship ceased. Legend has it that the Shekinah Glory left the holy place and hovered for some days above the temple, and then finally departed entirely. As the Bible said, “Ichabod—the glory has departed.”5 God’s presence was no longer in a temple built with hands—it never had been, really, except symbolized by the Shekinah Glory—but the glory departed. Now, thank God, that temple is in our hearts, in the only temple left to God today, and that’s you and me!6
John the Baptist
To give you the background of what Zacharias was going through: “And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”7 As I recall, the altar of incense was right against the veil in the center where they faced the Holy of Holies. “And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 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.”8
This was John the Baptist. God named him, no doubt a messenger from God. “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.”9 He was the greatest man ever born as far as God was concerned! That’s a big statement—“none greater born of women.”10 He was greater than Moses, greater than Elijah or Abraham.
“When Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and feared.” Do you think you’d be afraid if you saw an angel? When I saw angels, the first time it scared me half to death; the next time I rejoiced, but I was frightened too. It’s a thrilling experience!
“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord.” We’re going to learn what made him so great. “And shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”11
God has His rules, but He can make exceptions to them and do some very unusual things whenever He wants to. Here we have John the Baptist filled with the Holy Ghost before he was born! With man it is impossible, but with God nothing shall be impossible.12
“And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.” What was his ministry? Turning God’s children to the Lord. “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias”—that’s the Greek form of the Hebrew name Elijah—“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.”13
The important part of this passage was that he would be great in the sight of the Lord, he would be filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb, and “He shall go before Him.”14 Who came first? John the Baptist or Jesus? John the Baptist. Both of their births were announced ahead of time. Both of their births were predicted ahead of time. Both of their births were miraculous. John was six months older than Jesus. They were literally cousins, and God had chosen John to prepare the way for his cousin, to go before Him.
Elijah was a mighty man of God, a very courageous man of God. “In the spirit and the power of Elijah.” What spirit and power was that? The Spirit and power of God! In other words, John the Baptist was supposed to be filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb; he was to have the spirit and power of Elijah.
Jesus later says something about this, that “If you will receive it, this is Elijah which was for to come.”15 The prophets of old had testified that before that great and notable day of the Lord came, Elijah should come to prepare the way of the Lord.16 This was prophesied after Elijah was long gone and dead. So because of their interpretation of this, they thought Elijah was going to be raised from the dead and appear to them again just before the Messiah was to come and to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.
Matthew 11 has something very interesting to say in a passage about John’s ministry. The Lord is talking to the multitudes concerning John. “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?”17 A little rustling of the wind in the reeds? Is that what they went out to see? Let me tell you something, they went out to see a tornado! They went out to see a hurricane for God! Apparently John was like a wild man. They went out to see him burn!
Almost from the very beginning John lived in the wilderness, in the desert. He didn’t go to anybody’s Bible college; he didn’t go to anybody’s seminary. He didn’t go to anybody’s denomination or the Sanhedrin or get an ordination from man. Until his ministry began, he lived out in the wilderness, apparently alone with God. He didn’t start his ministry to announce the coming of the Lord until Jesus was about to begin His ministry and be baptized of John. John then began his ministry preparing the way of the Lord.
Jesus later said, “What did you go to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.”18 The usual priest or member of the Sanhedrin, is that what they went to see? The usual Scribes and Pharisees? They don’t create any sensation when they walk down the street. But if they walked down the street in a camel’s hair, rough-looking toga of some kind, with wild hair and beard, people would take another look!
I’m sure they didn’t have any barbers out there in the wilderness or the desert, and he probably had a nice husky beard. From all the artists’ conceptions of him, he was a pretty wild-looking character and he probably attracted some attention. When he walked down the street, people took another look.
Only he didn’t walk down the street; he stayed out on the banks of the Jordan River in the wilderness and the people came out to see him. There must have been something very unusual about him. He wasn’t working any miracles, as far as we know.
We know that he predicted a few things and he made one condemnation that lost him his head. He told off the king, bawled him out for marrying his brother’s wife, and that eventually cost him his head. He rebuked the government, in other words; he told off the president.
According to history, the president or the king of that day, Herod, had a great deal of respect for him. He didn’t want to throw him in prison and he didn’t want to cut off his head.19
“What went ye out for to see? A prophet?” What did they go to see? The average preacher, the average priest? No. They went to see a prophet.
What was John noted for? His miracles, his signs, his wonders? Maybe a little bit for his odd looks, his odd dress, his odd appearance, but he was noted most of all for his message, that he was a prophet. He was noted most of all for what he was proclaiming, what he was saying. They came out to see a prophet.
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John, and if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”20 This particular phrase is not used very often in the Gospels, although it’s often used in the book of Revelation.
Jesus is as good as saying in this passage that there’s a meaning here that you may not get unless you listen carefully. The meaning here, I think, is clear, that John the Baptist was that Elijah which was for to come. The prophecy which the angel was making about John the Baptist was what brought all of this on in the first chapter of Luke, the 17th verse, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.”
I wonder how successful John was at that. It was one of the ministries of John the Baptist to try to turn the hearts of the parents to their children, think of that. This guy had a lot of tough jobs, let me tell you!—Looking like a wild man, screaming out in the wilderness like a wild man, behaving like a prophet, and trying to turn the hearts of the parents to their children.
“And the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.” It’s not an easy job “to turn the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.” What do you think the wisdom of the just is? The truth. “And to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This was a tough ministry dear John the Baptist had, and incidentally, he wasn’t a member of the Baptist church! He didn’t even found the Baptist church. God bless the Baptists who love the Lord. Thank God for all Christians; thank God for all true churches of Jesus Christ, whatever their denomination.
“And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” Zacharias says, “Come on, Lord, who are You kidding? We can’t have children now!” “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.”21 He’s saying, “I’m an angel! Take a look! You don’t even believe me?” “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.”22
Do you mean to tell me an angel could appear to you and talk to you and you wouldn’t believe it? Jesus Christ appeared unto many people and talked to them personally and they didn’t believe it! “Neither would they believe though one should come back from the dead.”23
“And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled 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. And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.”24 Did he quit working because he couldn’t talk? Did he stop working for the Lord? He kept on working, doing the best he could.
“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.”25 It was a shame and a reproach to a woman not to have children in that day. If a woman didn’t have children in that day it was considered a terrible reproach and that God must have cursed her; she must be a terrible sinner of some kind—struck barren.
“Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called his name Zacharias after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.”26
The angel of the Lord told him to call him John. “And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied.”27 It sounds like Old Testament poetry, just beautiful.
“Saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began.
“That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all them that hate us. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant; the oath which He sware to our father Abraham, that He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.
“And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways: to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.”28
Originally published December 1968. Adapted and republished December 2013.
Read by Simon Peterson.
1 Luke 1:5–9. All scriptures in this post are from the King James Version.
2 Luke 1:10–11.
3 1 Corinthians 13:10.
4 Colossians 2:16–17.
5 1 Samuel 4:21.
6 1 Corinthians 6:19.
7 Luke 1:11.
8 Luke 1:12–13.
9 Luke 1:14–15.
10 Matthew 11:11.
11 Luke 1:15.
12 Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27.
13 Luke 1:16–17.
14 Luke 1:17.
15 Matthew 11:14.
16 Malachi 4:5.
17 Matthew 11:7.
18 Matthew 11:8.
19 Matthew 14:9.
20 Matthew 11:13–15.
21 Luke 1:18–19.
22 Luke 1:20.
23 Luke 16:31.
24 Luke 1:21–23.
25 Luke 1:24–25.
26 Luke 1:57–63.
27 Luke 1:66–67.
28 Luke 1:68–80.
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