Zechariah had nine months of being unable to talk, but that left him with plenty of time for thinking. I know if I had met up with an angel, I might spend more than a moment or two going over every word that this holy messenger had spoken to me. Can’t you picture Zechariah pouring over the words he heard that day in the temple, like a good attorney examines the testimony word by word and line by line? Key phrases kept popping into his mind over and over again. Gabriel said his son would be: “great in the sight of the Lord” and “filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” He would bring back “many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.” He would “go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Trust me, words like these were not lost on the aging priest. They were phrases that touched upon prophecies from the prophets of old, and it would appear that Zechariah used these months to explore them once again. Why do I think that? Because in the end, with his voice restored, Zechariah broke out into a Christmas song which had been forming during all those months in his heart and soul. No, it wasn’t a rousing version of Jingle Bells or Santa Claus is Coming to Town or even a candle-lit version of Silent Night. In church circles Zechariah’s song has become known as the Benedictus – a word meaning “blessed” for the first line of the song, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.”
Just like someone who has poured over the promises of God to send the Messiah, Zechariah spends the first half of his song rejoicing over Christ’s coming. He uses phrases and word pictures from the Old Testament like the Messiah being the “horn of salvation from the house of David” – a way of saying that He would have the power to save. Then Zechariah turns his attention to the role that his son will play in preparing the hearts of men and women and children for Messiah’s coming. It’s obvious he has spent time in book of the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi. Contained in this prophet’s four chapters is the prophecy of a Messenger who would come and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord (see Malachi 3:1 ff.). In the song Zechariah sings of how “the rising sun will come to us from heaven.” Compare this phrase to Malachi 4:2, which describes how “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing on his wings.”
Imagine the joy of knowing that his own son would be that messenger. And picture yourself being John and growing up, hearing this song over and over again. It had to have a special place in his heart, and I have to believe that he may have sung it a time or two while he was out in the wilderness. Speaking of the wilderness, one line I almost missed is verse 80 that says that John grew up “and became strong in the Spirit; and he lived in the desert.” Although the details are not given, it is obvious that both Zechariah and Elizabeth passed from this life while John was still young, so he ended up growing up in the desert among the poor who lived there. When you think about that, how much more would John have treasured this song that rolled from the lips of his father on this day? That song reflected the direction of the Psalmist who tells us:
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things;
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
So it’s clear as we seek to celebrate a John the Baptist Christmas, there is a song to be sung - a new song - a Christmas song, to praise God for sending Christ with us!
Trust me, words like these were not lost on the aging priest. They were phrases that touched upon prophecies from the prophets of old, and it would appear that Zechariah used these months to explore them once again. Why do I think that? Because in the end, with his voice restored, Zechariah broke out into a Christmas song which had been forming during all those months in his heart and soul. No, it wasn’t a rousing version of Jingle Bells or Santa Claus is Coming to Town or even a candle-lit version of Silent Night. In church circles Zechariah’s song has become known as the Benedictus – a word meaning “blessed” for the first line of the song, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.”
Just like someone who has poured over the promises of God to send the Messiah, Zechariah spends the first half of his song rejoicing over Christ’s coming. He uses phrases and word pictures from the Old Testament like the Messiah being the “horn of salvation from the house of David” – a way of saying that He would have the power to save. Then Zechariah turns his attention to the role that his son will play in preparing the hearts of men and women and children for Messiah’s coming. It’s obvious he has spent time in book of the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi. Contained in this prophet’s four chapters is the prophecy of a Messenger who would come and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord (see Malachi 3:1 ff.). In the song Zechariah sings of how “the rising sun will come to us from heaven.” Compare this phrase to Malachi 4:2, which describes how “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing on his wings.”
Imagine the joy of knowing that his own son would be that messenger. And picture yourself being John and growing up, hearing this song over and over again. It had to have a special place in his heart, and I have to believe that he may have sung it a time or two while he was out in the wilderness. Speaking of the wilderness, one line I almost missed is verse 80 that says that John grew up “and became strong in the Spirit; and he lived in the desert.” Although the details are not given, it is obvious that both Zechariah and Elizabeth passed from this life while John was still young, so he ended up growing up in the desert among the poor who lived there. When you think about that, how much more would John have treasured this song that rolled from the lips of his father on this day? That song reflected the direction of the Psalmist who tells us:
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things;
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
So it’s clear as we seek to celebrate a John the Baptist Christmas, there is a song to be sung - a new song - a Christmas song, to praise God for sending Christ with us!
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