key verse: 6
A COUPLE LIKE A LAMP OF GOD
Let's prepare our hearts for Christmas with a study of Luke. A doctor and historian, he wrote his gospel for the pagans, as he himself was a pagan. He was converted and worked with Paul, serving the mission with him. He was a seeker of truth, like we find in Matthew 2. Verse 4 indicates the purpose of his writing.
1. They were both righteous and upright (1-12)
Luke's first words refer to the time of Herod. It was a time of darkness. As Matthew recorded, King Herod killed all children in Bethlehem under two years of age in hopes of eliminating Jesus, whom the wise men had called king of the Jews. Moreover, he killed his wife Mariam and his own sons after suspecting a political plot. So, in these dark times, it seemed God had forgotten them. The people felt they were so unworthy that God had abandonned them. However, there was in the priestly order a righteous and upright couple. Yet, their life's great sorrow was the absence of children, especially as they approached old age. But God saw their hearts and decided to intervene on their behalf. God never abandons those who love Him.
2. The birth of John the Baptist is announced (13-17)
When Zechariah, in a rare moment, was chosen to offer incense in the temple, it was God's will revealed. God wants to give them a child, and it will not be an ordinary child. He will go on before the Messiah who is to come. He will be great in the sight of the Lord, and his mission will make him great. In a person's life, nothing can make him really great, except the mission. Abraham's departure was for the mission of blessing the world. God promised to make him great. John the Baptist's way of life would be humble and modest, which would make him powerful. He would not take pleasure in the world or in fermented drink. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit, which would also make him powerful. His message would be so powerful that the rebellious, children and adults would decide to return to God through the repentance of their sins. His sole purpose was to prepare men's hearts for the coming of Jesus Christ the Savior. Thereon, the help of the Holy Spirit will be imperative.
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