Zechariah’s Prophesies About His Son
Luke 1:57, 58, 67-79
International Sunday School Lesson
December 15, 2013
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
“Jed, All of your children are going to accomplish great things, they will not struggle in college, they will find and marry the love of their lives. Their careers will be successful in that they will enjoy what they will do for a living. Their children will be healthy and happy. Most importantly, they will be pleasing in God’s sight.”
Wow! I sure wouldn’t mind having a visitation or divine inspiration that told me all that about my kids, especially when they were newborns. But alas, I did not and I have spent and continue to spend much time every day in action or thought to help do my part to help it happen for my kids.
That is how it is for most parents and that is how the children know they are loved and do end up walking a right path most of the time.
Though not without some precedence in the Bible where people like Abraham and Isaac had some vague idea about how a child would turn out the information was much more substantial as given to Zechariah not just about his son but about the Messiah both in today’s scripture and in Luke 1:8-17.
With some assumptions we can presume that was all Zechariah knew. He probably didn’t know that his son would live in the desert until his ministry began. He probably didn’t know that he and Elizabeth were not going to see these things come to fruition but due to their age he may have surmised.
Zechariah as you will recall was a priest and had to be very pleased indeed that he knew his son would “give his people the knowledge of salvation” as he was told by an angel of his son’s role and under inspiration here as we read today.
We also are priests and we cannot know how our children or our charges will for certain turn out but we know how the entire end turns out. I feel strongly that a big part of our priestly role is to not only ourselves give people this knowledge of salvation but see that those upon whom we have an influence, especially our children, are doing so as well.
I myself have always told my kids that my goal was that they be better in their roles then I have been in mine. They would be better children, better spouses, and better Christians. I hope I get to see it happen but if it turns out for me as I suspect it did for Zechariah that I don’t get to see it fully happen I can at least try and be as certain of it through my efforts that I can be.
What about you? Whether you have children, grandchildren, students, neighbors and so on are you thinking about the impact they will have for the kingdom?
For Discussion:
1. Discuss what you know about John from this entire chapter such as he was a Levite and so forth
2. Discuss the enemies mentioned in this prophesy
3. Discuss the fulfilled promises as mentioned in this prophesy
4. Discuss serving God without fear
5. Discuss what John would be doing that was different
Upcoming Lessons
12-15-13 Zechariah’s Prophesies About His Son, John Luke 1:57, 58, 67-79
12-22-13 Jesus is Born Luke 2:1-17
12-29-13 Jesus is Presented in the Temple Luke 2:21, 22, 25-38 or 2:25-38
1-5-14 Honoring the Sabbath, Luke 6:1-11
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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