John the Baptist Is Born
The Messenger Who Prepares the Way
Luke 1:5–25, 57–80Something amazing is about to happen — but first, everything is quiet.
In the days of King Herod, there lives a priest named Zechariah. He and his wife Elizabeth love God deeply and follow His commands carefully. But they have one great sorrow: they have no children, and now they are both very old. It seems like that door is closed forever.
One day, it is Zechariah's turn to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem. This is a great honor — priests take turns, and only a few ever get to enter the inner room to burn incense before the Lord. Zechariah goes inside, and the people wait and pray outside.
Then something happens that changes everything.
An angel of the Lord appears, standing at the right side of the altar. Zechariah is terrified! But the angel says, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John."
The angel tells Zechariah that this son will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will be a prophet — someone who speaks God's words and prepares God's people. The angel says John will go before the Lord "in the spirit and power of Elijah" to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Zechariah can hardly believe it. "How can I know this?" he asks. "I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."
Because Zechariah doubts, the angel — who tells him his name is Gabriel — says that Zechariah will not be able to speak until the day these things happen. And sure enough, when Zechariah comes out of the Temple, he cannot say a single word.
Just as Gabriel promised, Elizabeth becomes pregnant. She stays at home for five months, full of wonder at what God is doing. "The Lord has done this for me," she says.
When the baby is finally born, the neighbors and family rejoice with Elizabeth. On the eighth day, when it is time to name the child, everyone expects him to be called Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth says, "No! He will be called John."
They look at Zechariah. He asks for a writing tablet and writes: "His name is John." Immediately, Zechariah's mouth opens, his tongue is set free, and he begins praising God!
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah speaks a great prophecy. He praises God for keeping His covenant — His unbreakable promise — with His people. God remembered His promise to Abraham. God is sending a Savior from the house of David. And his own little son John will go before that Savior to prepare the way.
The whole hill country of Judea hears about this, and everyone wonders: What then will this child become? God's hand is clearly upon him.
Christ in This Story
John the Baptist is born to prepare the way for Jesus — the Savior Zechariah's prophecy calls "a horn of salvation" from the house of David. God is keeping the covenant He made with Abraham and David, and John is the final prophet who points directly to Christ. Just as ancient prophets looked forward to God's promises, John stands at the very edge of their fulfillment, announcing that the One they all waited for is finally coming.
Historical Context
Zechariah served as a priest in the division of Abijah, one of twenty-four priestly divisions established during David's reign (1 Chronicles 24). Each division served in the Temple for about two weeks per year, so the opportunity to burn incense in the Holy Place was genuinely rare — some priests never received this honor in their lifetime. The incense offering took place in the outer section of the Temple called the Holy Place, not the innermost Holy of Holies, and was offered morning and evening as the people prayed outside. This context helps explain why the crowd was waiting and why Zechariah's extended absence alarmed them.
The angel Gabriel is named in the Bible in only two places in the Old Testament — both in the book of Daniel (chapters 8 and 9) — where he also delivers messages about God's future plans of redemption. His reappearance here in Luke 1 signals to a Jewish reader that something of enormous prophetic importance is unfolding. Zechariah's song, known traditionally as the Benedictus (Latin for 'blessed'), draws heavily from the Psalms and the covenant promises to Abraham and David, reflecting the rich scriptural world that devout Jewish families like Zechariah's and Elizabeth's would have known deeply.
✦ This story also appears in the Quran
For parents: This biblical account has a parallel in the Quran (Islam's holy book), but the two versions differ in important ways. The Quran retells many Old and New Testament stories — sometimes similarly, sometimes with significant changes in detail, meaning, or theology.
This is a great opportunity to help your children know the biblical account well, so they can recognize differences if they ever encounter them. The Bible is our authoritative source; where the Quran diverges, we hold to what God's Word says.
Let's Pray
Lord God, thank You for always keeping Your promises. You remembered Your covenant and sent John to prepare the way for Jesus, just as You said You would. Help us to trust that You are always working, even in the quiet times when we cannot see what You are doing. Amen.