Luke 1:57-66
We all want our lives to have a positive impact on the
people around us. However, the only real
way that this will happen through our lives is through the divine work of
God. The birth of John the Baptist had
an impact on his family and all of the people in his neighborhood. This was a birth that had been planned and
orchestrated by God. In some ways his
birth was just like the birth of any other child and the reactions of the
people who witnessed it are predictable and normal. In other ways this was there was clear divine
intervention and involvement. There are
at least three observations that we can make about the birth of John and the
impact it had.
REJOICING TO HIS MOTHER: It is completely normal for a
mother and the friends of a family to rejoice at the birth of a child. There are naturally tense and painful moments
along the way but when a new life comes into our lives it is a reason for
celebration. That joy was multiplied
even more in the case of John’s family because of Elizabeth’s advanced age and
the fact that she had been barren. All
of the hopes and dreams of the young couple when they were first married had
faded and they had lost hope of having children. So when the news of John’s birth spread to
their friends and family; rejoicing is the only way to describe their
reaction. God has the ability to bring
hope into hopeless situations and replace our tears of sorrow with tears of
joy. In this case that joy was
multiplied yet again because of God’s special announcement that John would be
the forerunner of Messiah. John’s birth
had special significance to Zacharias and Elizabeth that the rest of the family
likely did not know. They could rejoice
in double because their son marked the approach of Jesus. God’s plan for us and all the nations is a
plan that is designed to bring rejoicing to the hearts of men. Our sin and sorrow can be wiped away by the
Lord Jesus and that is truly a reason for eternal rejoicing.
RESTORATION TO HIS FATHER: When Zacharias doubted Gabriel’s
message of John’s birth; he was made mute.
Eight days after John’s birth they brought him to the temple to be
circumcised and present him to the community.
All assumed that they would name him after his father but Elizabeth made
in clear that his name would be John.
Everyone was confused that this long awaited son would not be named
after his father or some other important family member. However, Gabriel had made it clear that his
name was to be John. As soon as his
father confirmed this name in writing; this act of obedience was rewarded with
the return of his speech. Both the loss
and restoration of Zacharias’ speech were miraculous events that clearly
demonstrated the divine intervention surrounding this birth. All who saw this miracle were impacted by
what they witnessed. It is a wonderful
thing when we can see God clearly working in our lives and the lives of the
people around us. God is in control and
is fully able to use the circumstances both positive and negative surrounding
our lives for His glory and to impact others.
God’s timing is always perfect even when it may seem late to us. I would imagine that Zacharias thought he
might speak again as soon as John was born.
God chose to wait eight days so that others could be blessed through His
work. Patience and trust are vital
elements to being instruments in God’s hands.
REFLECTION TO HIS COMMUNITY: All of the people in the community surrounding
John’s birth and God’s work in the speech of Zacharias were amazed by what they
saw. They remarked that God must have
some sort of a special plan for this child.
Right from birth John was causing people to look to the Lord and
consider what He might be doing. The
fear of God came over all who observed these proceedings and the news became
the subject of conversation all through the region. God is pleased when people talk about His
work. It is important for all of us to
testify of God’s working in our lives.
Not everything that God does is as visible to others as the events
surrounding John’s birth; but that does not make them any less remarkable or
miraculous. If the work of our lives is
going to impact the people around us and cause them to reflect of the greatness
and grace of God; we must be ready and willing to testify to others about what
He is doing. The purpose of this
testifying must never be to draw attention to us; but it must be for the
purpose of bringing glory to the Lord.
The greatest impact we can have on the lives of the people in our path
is to help them to reflect upon our Lord and the wonderful things He has done
and is doing.
APPLICATION: We must rejoice in the work of God in and
through our lives and spread that joy to others. In times of trial we need to patiently trust
the Lord to bring relief in His time and His way. Our goal should always be to testify to the
works of God in an effort to point others to Him.
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