Luke 1:57-66 NIV
“When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, ‘No! He is to be called John.’
They said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives who has that name.’
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, ‘His name is John.’ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ‘What then is this child going to be? For the Lord’s hand was with him.”
Don’t you wonder what the people must have thought about Zechariah and Elizabeth? They were there when Zechariah had come out of the temple and could not speak. Not only did he not speak, but he didn’t have a message for the people, only for himself. They watched as Elizabeth went into seclusion for five months (Luke 1:24). And imagine their surprise when the old lady finally emerged with a baby bump!
It’s eight days after the birth of their son and they are ready to name him. Rather than naming him Zechariah, Elizabeth insists on naming him John. John? That made no sense. Zechariah writes it down, because he still can’t speak, J-O-H-N. And then, the Lord opens Zechariah’s mouth and he can speak.
Pay close attention to what Zechariah does. He praises God. He lifts his voice in praise to the Lord.
Today, rejoice! Rejoice in the blessings of the Lord! Rejoice in His goodness! Rejoice with Zechariah! Rejoice, today, my friends, rejoice!
