The Family of John the Baptist

In the book of Luke we can find the story preceding John the Baptists birth. What’s beautiful about this story is that in it, you can see how the Lord blessed not only him, but his entire family. Their families story, and each of their positions in it is a beautiful testament to what greatness lies on the other end of what God has saved for us.

Prayer Break

Our Heavenly Father, Thank you for your word. For you did not have to give us signs, stories, and examples that strengthen our faith but you did anyway. Thank you Lord for allowing us the privilege to learn from those before us. Thank you for making it easier for us, when you did not have to. Lord I pray that we can be strengthened by the stories of those before us who followed you. I pray that we can find ourselves in these stories, so that we can understand them from a personal level. I pray that Your word touches us in the way you see best fit. Lord I pray that with you, by growing in love with you, we can strengthen, position, and posture ourselves to serve, teach, and minister in the ways you have prepared us to. For God you are good, even when you shouldn't be. God you love us, and you protect us, even when we are undeserving. And when we do good, in light of you Lord you do more than we deserve, you move mountains with the faith that we have in you, and for that Lord I say thank you. You are a good God, you are a loving God, you are a caring God. Lord you see us in the midst of our brokenness, in the place of our pain. Lord you pull us from the shadows, and bring us into the light. You bring life, into places where life has been destroyed, where life could have never exist. Lord you are good. I thank you for all the people who are reading this, I pray that where they are you find them, and that where they are, they find you Lord. I pray that they can be reminded of your goodness, and trust your ever so perfect timing. I pray that you restore their faith, and fill their hearts. I pray that your love, fills them, I pray that the Holy Spirit reaches them. For I know Lord that all you do is from a place of love, whether it be discipline, or victory, I know that it is all done by your hands, for you Lord have the final say so and I pray that each and everyone here can grow in their faith to trust your end. For I know that you work out all things for the good of those that love you.

Thank you Lord for it all,

I pray for forgiveness for our sins, and for the strength so that we can do better,

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen

Beginning in Luke 1:5 we are introduced to a husband and his wife known as Zechariah and Elizabeth. It is written that they were both righteous in sight of God, a couple who observed the Lords commands and decrees blamelessly. Though they were old in age the couple had not birthed any children, as Elizabeth was believed to be unable to conceive.

Zechariah

Zechariah Chosen to burn incense

To understand the magnitude of God’s wonderful works in this story we are going to take a little dive into some history. As it was written in Luke 1:8-10, “once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by a lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord to burn incense.” While this may seem like some simple background info, this is an example of why it is important to do some extra work to understand what is taking place during the time that the scripture you are reading took place. In my learning I have found that biblical context, helps you to understand the magnitude of God's works, through deepening your understanding of an individuals emotions, feelings, and the circumstance that they may have been under, not to mentions far more. It also leads to a lot of what I would like to call full circle moments, because what you understand about the time, place, and situation, brings more sense to the greatness of the miracles that were done.

So now, let's take a moment to educate ourselves on priestly divisions. The priestly divisions were 24 different groups that were established during King David’s reign (Chronicles 24:7-18). The priests among these groups were descendents of Aaron who was the first high pries of Israel. These divisions were put in place so that the descended priests could all have a turn to serve the lord in the temple. Now the number of priest in each division varied depending on how many priests were available to serve. On average the number fell somewhere between 750-1500 or more priests per 1 division. So that would mean that 750-1500 people that make up one of the 24 divsions, would get to serve twice a year, for just one week long. During Zechariah's time there was just one temple in Jerusalem. Keep it mind that there were about 18,0000-24,000+ total priests at the time of King David.

The number of priest needed to complete tasks outside of the temple were far higher than those needed inside. This is because the tasks outside of the temple included teaching the law, serving as a judge, inspecting ritual purity, performing purification rituals, overseeing vows, handling tithes and offerings, offering counseling, community leadership, sanctifying, and judging the cleanliness of animals and objects. While the priests primary roles were centered on temple serving, legal and spiritual authority was needed outside of the temple to ensure that the law was being observed by the people in their daily lives, and practices. In simple terms duing these weeks of service the priests had a key role in the job of ensuring that the Law of Moses was being followed by the people at the temple, and in the wider communities nearby. Because there was a lot of people and grounds to cover this would mean that on average 500-1,500 priests would be needed to serve outside of the temple. That is out of the 750-1500 that we estimated earlier. Some tasks that would take place inside of the temple included morning and evening sacrifices, burning incense (Zechariah’s job), replacing showbread, cleaning and keeping up with the temple, supervising the courtyard sacrifices, and supervising the temple overall. Which would only require 20-40 priest on average. The job of burning incense in the temple which Zechariah did was one of the most sacred and honored duties in the entire temple, inside and out. Because of the large number of priests, a task as honorable was decided by casting a lot, similar to drawing names from a bin. The task that Zechariah was chosen for could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it was for many, as just one priest from each division would get a chance to do this during their entire time serving that week. And yet, Zechariah was chosen.

Sis, I find it hard to believe it was by chance...

Now I know we covered a lot of history and numbers here, but it is intended for you to gain an understanding of just how favored Zechariah must have been to be chosen for the task at hand. It was not by mistake, or coincidence, it was by the favor of the Lord our God. Imagine, what seems like the impossible, what seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity, with God’s favor, it is yours. When God choses you whether it is out of 24,000 or the 7.6 billion of us here on Earth today, it is not by mistake, but by favor. No lot, no resume, no application stands before the Lord, because when it is up to God, and God says it is your turn, you are the ONLY person in line.

Zechariah & The Angel Gabriel: Questioning your blessings

It is written that while Zechariah was burning the incense an angel of the Lord appeared to him. In verse 12 it reads “When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

And then in verse 18… it says “Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Let’s just talk about this right here for a second. When God gives you that blessing sis, take it. Sometimes we can be so fixated on trying to make sure that the blessing is ours, or too busy trying to make sense of it. Maybe you do this by testing the blessing, pushing it away to see if it’ll pull closer, or walking away from it entirely to see if it’ll ever come back. I know I have. Whatever it may look like for you, girl claim it, and believe it. Sister believe that God would want a blessing that big for you that much. It’s not unbelievable, and it is not too good to be true. When God gives you those clear signs, those blessings that are beyond comprehensible, beyond undeniable- sis, step away from all that doubt, and step into your faith! I know it is so much easier said then done, but let us learn from our brother Zechariah.

God still disciplines us

If you’re anything like me you might have questioned why or how Zechariah could be silenced after this one question, I mean it did say earlier that he was obedient, and righteous in sight of God. So why would he need to be silenced after tripping up this one time, just for asking for some clarification? Sis I think this is a great reminder that the Lord will still discipline us.

Now I love to talk about God's grace but babe, to keep it simple, it just ain't always gone be that sweet. Now God gives us an abundanceee of grace. You know what's crazy about the way we handle the grace that God gives us. Sometimes we take advantage of it. Paul actually talks about this, so sisters, I suggest you set some time aside to read about it further. There is so much wisdom and knowledge to gain regarding this topic, let's take a little look into it now. In Romans 5:20 Paul writes that "The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Based on my understanding what is being highlighted here is that the law was set in place to make people aware of the sins they were engaging in. But it says God's grace is greater than sin, far greater in fact. No matter how much sin increases, God's grace overflows even more. But if you continue onto chapter 6:1 it says “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live it any longer? This may be a bit off course, but I just wanted to remind you that we can be strengthened through discipline. Sis, don't be fooled to think that just because God gives us grace, that means we gon' be all good in his book while we continue to go on sinning. We died to sin babes, how can we live in it any longer.

Anyway, back to being strengthened by discipline. Zechariah doubted the Lord in that moment, his muteness served as a disciplinary measure for his lack of faith in the promise God made to him. Not only is this a reminder of the importance of trusting God’s word, it is also a reminder that the Lord will indeed discipline us out of love. It is quite literally written in Hebrews 12:4-11: “ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

So if at all you questioned or wondered how such a righteous man, could be subject to becoming mute, be reminded he was disciplined out of love. And that he was given grace, trust that this was not the end of the story for him...

Elizabeth

Have you ever had a battle like Elizabeth? Maybe you are having trouble conceiving, or maybe your battle is with another no, can’t, won’t, or impossible. Has someone, or something, ever told you that you would never be able. Well, well, well, our God is greater!

As it was mentioned previously Elizabeth was believed to be unable to have children. In this story we are also introduced to Mary, Jesus's mom, who had her blessing on the way at the time as well. When Mary got a visit from the Angel Gabriel he mentioned Elizabeth to her. Mary had asked the angel how it could be that she would become pregnant since she was a virgin. Then in verse 35-36 it writes the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” Girl when we talk about powerful words, I think about this right here. She, who was SAID to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. That thing, whatever it may be for you, that thing that was SAID to be a no, be reminded here sis, with God it is a YES. Glory to God, Amen,,, Amen!

After her conversation with the angel Mary went to visit Elizabeth for herself. It is written in verse 41 that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greetings, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. I thought this was so beautiful, because I saw it as a reminder that God sends us sisters in Christ like he did Mary. In the next verse, 42 it is written that In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”  CAN WE TALK ABOUT FAITH! Imagine how much faith Elizabeth must have had to have trusted that the Lord would fulfill his promise to her. She had every reason to doubt it. I mean she was old in age, she might have tried in the past, based on the world's standards, it was a no.But God saved Elizabeth to have a child, to be the mother of, John the Baptist. She was positioned to wait in one season despite her desire, but in the next God exceeded her want and provided her need. Can you blieve it. Elizabeth, who was too old in years, birthed the man who would eventually baptize Jesus Christ, a man that would bring back many to our God in heaven.

John the baptist

Okay if we want to keep John the Baptist short we can take a look at Luke 1:13 where it says “But the Angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord in spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” I mean talk about a blessing! Girl, if we wanted, we could end this right here, but you should know by now we won’t hahah. Now quite literally before he was even placed in her womb John was blessed. The Lord had a plan, and a purpose for him from the very start. When I imagine how we were all created, it is exactly like this here. I believe that the Lord has put an unimaginable amount of thought into us, that he has chosen, and illustrated the plans he has for us to align and fulfill our purpose. You were not sent here by mistake, or without purpose sis, I know the world and circumstances may convince you otherwise, but don't sell yourself short. Look at the plans God had for John, your plans may be different, but they are not short in purpose. John went on to make a profound impact just like the angel Gabriel said he would. In fact John had a big role in the shift from the old covenant to the new one. He called so many to turn away from their sins, to live right, baptizing them as a sign to others, an open invitation to many toward Christ. His message prepared many to be ready for Jesus, and he eventually baptized Jesus too. You know many would consider that the first moment where Jesus's ministry began. John wasn't afraid to speak the truth, more specifically his truth regarding the Lord, even if it meant he would be put in danger, judged, or even killed. John's boldness and commitment to the Lord represented the fulfillment of what the Angel Gabriel spoke to his father that very day. As it was said John ended up bringing back many of the people of Israel to their Lord,their God. He also turned the hearts of many parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteousness- and made ready a people who were prepared for the Lord.

A Blessed Family

Now I see a lot of crossover in these blessing, truly the entire family was blessed in the end. In the story it was written that eight days after his birth John was to be circumcised. The Bible says that the neighbors and relative had come to pay baby John a visit. It is written that during their visit they decided that the baby would be named after his father Zechariah. Now imagine ya'll, you done waited your entire life for this blessing, and someone else, is going to tell you how to handle it. I mean can you relate? Think about it. But then it says instead Elizabeth spoke up and said (60) “No! He is to be called John.” The Bible explains that because no one among their relatives had the name John the group did not see fit that the baby should be named John. Can you believe this? Now I commend Elizabeth for speaking up, because I know it must have been hard for her. In doing so Elizabeth went against the very strong and familial cultural expectations of that time. By giving the child a different name she would be defying the cultural norm, and breaking a tradition known to them. What Elizabeth did would be deemed as disruspectiful, and very rebellious to her relatives and neighbors (and in general). But Elizabeth was courageous, and her courage was rooted in God’s will. Though she might have been afraid, and though her decision might have had repercussions Elizabeth casted her fears away and stepped into her faith in God’s plan. When the family questioned Elizabeth she could have backed down, she could have let it go and settled for what everyone else was telling her was right. You ever felt like that? Like the majority is against you? Like you know what you’re doing is right, you've prayed about it, and trust that God is at the center, but it’s just not aligning with what everyone else is telling you to do? Well Elizabeth stood firm in her faith. She showed her willingness to deal with and face all the criticism, the chance of being misunderstood, and being looked at crazy. She stepped into her faith to follow God’s plan and his instructions. Sis, I pray for courage like Elizabeth, and I pray we can be like her.

Okay, let's go back a little bit Remember how Zechariah questioned the angel Gabriel of how he could be sure that Elizabeth would get pregnant? Though Zechariah couldn’t speak at the time, it is written that he too confirmed the name and moved in alignment with Elizabeth. This made me think back to the begining of this story in verse 6 where it said “both of them were righteous in sight of God, observing all the Lord’s command and decrees blamelessly” well, I see it now. Even though he couldn’t speak as it is written in verse 63 “ He (Zechariah) asked for a writing tablet, and to everyones astonishment he wrote, "His name is John.” The bible says immediately Zechariahs mouth was opened and his tongue was set free and he began to use his words to Praise God. And girl his praise was beautiful, it can be found in verse 67-80, don't forget to read it. Though Zecheriah needed a little bit of discipline, in the end he stood on business. It turns out that the discipline only shaped him up for the better. And remember how we talked about God's grace. God gave him back his ability to speak despite his wavered faith. I wonder what Zechariah would have done though, if the angel had not made him mute? I wonder how differently things would have gone for the both of them had he walked away with his doubts. Would he have projected his doubts? Would Elizabeth have had the same experience and privacy during her pregnancy? Would he have honored the name God gave Elizabeth to name John? Would he have supported Elizabeth as she stood courageously? Only God know's the answeres to all those questions, and he also know's what would have happened otherwise. Yet, regardless of it, God gave Zechariah grace, even though it came with some discipline. But you know what, through that discipline, Zechariah was strengthened. I get it now, Hebrews 12:11, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Sis, God is Good!

With Love,

Ebaisin Fessie