NOTES for Luk 1:57-66
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. |
58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. |
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. |
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. |
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. |
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. |
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. |
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. |
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. |
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. |
Hide
On the day of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Church offers us readings that tell of the relationship between God and His chosen people. And although John is first mentioned only in the New Testament, he has the most direct connection with all the preceding history of Israel. Sometimes he is spoken of as the last prophet of the Old Testament, and this is truly so. Being the son of one of the priests of the Jerusalem Temple, he became heir to all the piety of the Old Testament, and not only by origin. He experienced an encounter with the Lord even before his birth into the world, and the Lord called him "from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him" (Isa. 49:5).
John continued to carry out his service to God, calling people to repentance, even after the beginning of Christ's preaching. But by his actions he "fulfilled," that is, brought to fullness, what the whole people of Israel had been called to do during the Old Testament period: to live before God and bear witness to the world about the coming Savior. He shows the fullest possible holiness for God's people: the closest possible approach to God by human strength. But as the Lord Himself said, "among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he" (Matt. 11:11), because our efforts alone are not enough. And the Lord wants us to make efforts, to try as much as possible to draw near to Him, and He will fill up the rest by coming to us.
Readings for 24 June 2026
After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free. | ||
