When Elizabeth's time came to bear the child and she brought forth her son, her neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her.
On the eighth day, they came together to join in the ceremony of circumcising the child. It was expected they would name the son, their only child, Zacharias after his father, but Elizabeth answered and said "No. He shall be called John."
This created drama. "There is no one of such a name in all your family! You cannot call him John!" Gracious! Why must people try and spoil an affair of celebration with their own opinion?
In an effort to thwart Elizabeth, the ceremony was held up. They insisted on asking Zacharias what the name of his son should be... But when Zacharias was asked what he would have him called, he indicated that he would write out the name.
"His name is John," he wrote. And they marveled. Marveled that he would break with tradition, that he would willingly allow his wife also to break tradition.
Isn't that just the way life goes at times? Everyone is happy and having a great time and celebration and someone suddenly gets upset because someone else has chosen to do something differently, has not done things in the way they supposed they would be done. And just to prove that one is wrong they will ask another.
Yes, I am sure they marveled.
But they truly marveled more when Zacharias opened his mouth and for the first time in 10 or 11 months spoke and began to praise God. Now here was something to be talked about! Why he'd been mute for months. Many doubted he'd ever speak again. And here he was praising God!
"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel!" Zacharias first words were for the coming Christ child, the Redeemer, announcing His nearing arrival, but these were the words he spoke over his own son...
Luke1:76-79 76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.
Although the order of verse is presented differently in the Bible, I believe that Zacharias' praise of God and for his own child came prior to verses 65-66...
Any protests were quieted following the speech. Luke tells us 1:65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them (the neighbors and relatives who were present at the circumcision) and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts (pondered them) saying, "What kind of child will this be?"
Extraordinary. Right from the start. As God meant him to be.
song: Benedictus - Laura Wright
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