01-04B

Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

So John was probably given over to be a Nazarite, and filled with the HS from the womb, even though the HS was not to become available generally until after the crucifixion on Pentecost.

From the womb, could mean "in" the womb. Later he leaps in the womb, when Mary, having recently become pregnant with Jesus, comes to Elizabeth's house.

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Luke 1:44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

If the babe could leap for joy from within the womb, this should give us some direction about when life begins. JTB's personhood and even his emotional state was acknowledge prior to his birth.

Luke 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Does the spirit of Elijah mean that John was a reincarnation of Elijah? Elijah presumably never died, so if he's being reincarnated here, then this would require that he's now being given a second body. This is not evidence of reincarnation! However, there are unmistakably many parallels between JTB and Elijah.

2Ki 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

1) They dressed similarly. In John's culture, a leather belt was unusual. In general, the Israelite tied a rope or string around their waste. Leather belts were generally military in nature, since you hung your accoutrements of war from them.

2) Both had probably taken the Nazarite vow.

3) Elijah was sent to call the Northern kingdom of Israel to repentance during a time when it was backsliding, and when the nation was facing disaster. John's message was also one of repentance and he appears on the scene about 40 years prior to 70 A.D.

4) Both spent a good deal of time in the wilderness.

5) Both were persecuted by a hen-pecked king.

These similarities were not lost on the Jews of the day, but John was not Elijah the Tishbite in the literal sense.

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

Jesus also highlighted the similarities between JTB and Elijah.

Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Mat 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Mat 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

This is a reference to:

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

So in a way, it appears that Jesus is disagreeing with JTB on this point. Notice that Jesus said, "if you will receive it".

1Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This is the fulfillment of the very last words of the OT, and JTB is the first ministry of the NT. The OT ends with a prediction, and the NT begins with the fulfillment of that prediction.

So why did JTB say that he was not Elijah?

Mat 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

...

Mat 17:9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

Mat 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Apparently, from verse 10, the scribes understood Malachi to be saying that Elijah would come literally. They thought it would be the same Elijah the Tishbite from the time of Ahab and Jezebel. Jesus indicated that this was to be looked at spiritually.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

The angel identifies JTB as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi. Notice that, in quoting Malachi, the angel, instead of saying "children to their fathers" says "disobedient to wisdom of the just".

Luke 1:18 And Zechariahs said to the angel, By what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advanced in her days.

Luke 1:19 And answering, the angel said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands before God. And I am sent to speak to you and to show you these glad tidings.

Luke 1:20 And behold, you shall be silent and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because you did not believe my words which shall be fulfilled in their time.

Usually this is interpreted as a rebuke of Zechariahs. But we are told to test the spirits. Zechariahs can hardly be blamed for such an honest straightforward question. So maybe it's not as though Gabriel is saying... "So doubt my word will you? I'll show you! Blam! you're dumb 'till these things are fulfilled." Notice that Gabriel had not identified himself until after the question. Mary asked a similar question when she said, "how can this be, I haven't been with a man." and we don't see the angel striking her dumb.

This isn't a judgment, this is a sign for Zechariahs. He asked an honest question, "How can I know this is for real," and the Gabriel says, in essence, "fair enough... tell you what, here's your proof... " This seems to be more of a sign that something supernatural is afoot. It‘s a sign to Zechariahs, and it’s a sign to others. There was at least a 9 month silence (John was not yet conceived), which was broken 8 days after his son was born (at JTB's circumcision and naming). Remember that Zechariahs represents the priesthood. He’s in the role of the priest, and he’s in role of the prophet, and he is struck dumb. This seems to mirror the silence between the OT and the NT. Both times of prophetic silence were broken at the arrival of JTB.

Luke 1:21 And the people waited for Zechariahs and marveled that he stayed so long in the temple.

Luke 1:22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was making signs to them, and remained speechless.

Luke 1:23 And as soon as the days of his service were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

So the people realized that something was up. Notice, too, that Zechariahs was allowed to continue his priestly duties even though he was struck dumb.

Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months, saying,

Luke 1:25 So the Lord has dealt with me in the days in which He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

We're not sure why Elizabeth hid herself for five months? She wasn't embarrassed. She saw this as a removal of her reproach. Perhaps she wanted to spend time giving thanks to God and to reflect, and think about these amazing things.

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

Luke 1:27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.

Luke 1:28 And the angel came in to her and said, Hail, one receiving grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.

Luke 1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what kind of greeting this might be.

Luke 1:30 And the angel said to her, Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Luke 1:31 And behold! You shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS.

Luke 1:32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 1:34 Then Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I do not know a man?

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One which will be born of you shall be called Son of God.

Luke 1:36 And behold, your cousin Elizabeth also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

This is the same angel who had appeared to Zechariahs. In the case of JTB the angel went to the husband first, but here he goes to Mary first. This must have created a good deal of anxiety for Mary. In that society, if the man who got her pregnant was known, he had to marry, unless the father refused, in which case the man would have to pay the dowry. But this was only if she was betrothed to the man. If she wasn't betrothed, she was put into the category of an adulteress.

The penalty was death.

How could she persuade her parents of her innocence? This was without precedent, and it is unlikely that the Jews thought that prophecies of a virgin being with child were literal Even if they did, it's unlikely they would believe this lowly young girl was the one the prophecies were about. Imagine it, here's this lowly young girl who's pregnant out of wedlock and her defense is "I'm the one the prophecies are about." v38 is very touching. In indicates that Mary was willing to lay down her life for the will of god. Mary was a woman of unusual faith.

In considering Mary and Joseph, there's no reason to believe that these were run-of-the-mill ordinary people. The parents of JTB where unusually righteous... "blameless". Mary here shows herself to be unusually obedient and faithful. We must conclude that Joseph and Mary were people of unusual piety.

Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah.

Luke 1:40 And she entered into the house of Zechariahs and greeted Elizabeth.

The only "ace in the hole" that Mary had was Elizabeth. The angel even reminded her of it v36. Zechariahs' sign was to be struck dumb, Mary's sign was Elizabeth. These were the first miracles appearing in Israel since the time of Elijah. This must have really shaken things up in the society.

Luke tells us very plainly that Mary was a virgin.

The angel names him Jesus. Jesus means "savior".

Mat 1:21 And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.

Luke 1:32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:33 And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

This is a summary of the major lines of messianic prophecy.

Isa 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isa 9:7 There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.

Luke 1:34 Then Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I do not know a man?

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One which will be born of you shall be called Son of God.

This is a spiritual overshadowing. Some suggest a physical sexual union between Mary a godly spirit. If that were the case, she wouldn't have been a virgin. She remained a virgin even after becoming pregnant.

The angel suggests that this is the point in time when the One called the Word first enters into the relationship with God as a son.