01-05B

A truly humble person is humbled by praise. This seems to be Mary's reaction to Elizabeth's affirmation. Mary simply pondered these items in her heart.

Luke 1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

Luke 1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Luke 1:54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

Mary seems to be identifying herself with "the lowly", "the hungry", "His servant".

Luke 1:55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

She saw what was happening her in womb as a fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise. (v55)

It should be observed that Mary was well educated in the promises given to Abraham, even at this tender age. There is a sense (v52) that she had this same generic Jewish idea that the Messiah was coming to overthrow Roman oppression. (Apparently JTB fell victim to the same false understanding, and was discouraged by it in when he was in prison.

Mat 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

Mat 11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Mary, and Zechariahs, and JTB all knew that Jesus was the Messiah... it was implied in their prophecies, but they probably did not fully understand what the Messiah was about to do.

Mary was often perplexed by what Jesus did. These guys didn't quite grasp what His mission was. Their insight is mixed with misunderstanding.

Mar 3:21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

...

Mar 3:31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

At one point Mary and her other sons even thought that Jesus was out of his mind.

Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Mary seems to have remained with Elizabeth until the birth of John.

Luke 1:57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.

Luke 1:58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

Luke 1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zechariahs, after the name of his father.

It appears that they didn't name the child until the 8th day, on the same day as the circumcision. The modern practice of christening probably has its origin in this.

Luke 1:60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

The neighbors were probably sincere in trying to look after Zechariahs who could not speak, and who, in his old age, had no son to carry on his name.

Luke 1:61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

Luke 1:62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

v62 is a funny revelation of human nature. They made signs to him... as if he was deaf. He's not deaf... he's mute.

Luke 1:63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all.

They marveled at Zechariahs' choice. For one thing, Zechariahs is a great name. There are 36 biblical characters that bear some form of this name. Furthermore it was the father's name. John is not even an OT biblical name. John may even be a Greek name. Lots of John's in the NT, but none in the OT. There's no Israelite tradition in this name.

v69 This cannot be a reference to JTB, because JTB was of the house of Levi. Zechariahs was Levite, and so was Elizabeth (from Aaron). Normally, JTB would have, by Jewish tradition, become a Levitical priest at age 30. But instead he was called into the wilderness to be a prophet. There was precedent for this in Jeremiah, and in Ezekiel, and in the Zechariah of the OT. In the very years that they would have become priests, they became, instead prophets. (In Ezekiel's case it would have been tough to be a Levitical priest since Israel was in captivity at the time.)

Luke 1:64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed,
and he spake, and praised God.

Luke 1:65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings
were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.

Luke 1:66 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.

Luke 1:67 And his father Zechariahs was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied,
saying,

Luke 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, Luke 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

v69 must be referring to Christ in Mary, and this reinforces the idea that the genealogy given in Luke 3, is the genealogy of Mary not Joseph.

Remember that Zechariahs being struck dumb is a parallel to the prophetic silence in Israel between the testaments. As soon as Zechariahs' dumbness is lifted he begins to prophecy, not of JTB, but of Christ. The silence ends with the coming of JTB, and it ends with a message about Christ.

"Horn" is symbolic of power, usually political or military power. Hannah mentioned a "horn".

Again Zechariahs may have been looking for a political savior.

Note also that it's common in prophecy to speak in the prophetic perfect tense. That is to say, that even though he's speaking as though it already happened, it hasn't been fulfilled at the time of the speaking. The profit can see things so clearly and so certainly that they refer to them as though they've already happened. Jesus hasn't even been born at this time.

Luke 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

Were there prophets since the world began?

Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

It must have been exciting to live in the time that was so important that not one prophet had neglected to prophecy about your generation. Most biblical scholars think of this as our generation, but most prophecies find their fulfillment in Christ.

Luke 1:73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

Again the coming of Christ is interpreted as a fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant.

Luke 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

Luke 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Zechariahs seems to be thinking of this as a deliverance of Roman oppression. It is not certain that Zechariahs (and earlier Mary) interpreted these prophecies this way, but it seems likely. But even if they misinterpreted the prophecies that they themselves were giving, it is still important to remember that the words themselves are inspired. (v67) He was filled with the HS and prophesied.

So, even if vv 71, 74-75 Weren't speaking of Roman oppression, they are still inspired by the HS and therefore must be true. So even though they may not have been delivered from their political enemies, we are certainly delivered from our spiritual enemies.

Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Sin is certainly a more sinister enemy than the Romans.

Mic 7:14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

Mic 7:15 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.

An analog of the Exodus is being drawn.

Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Remember that the Egyptians, the oppressors of God's people, were drowned in the depths of the Red Sea. Now a similar fate is described for our sins.

Luke 9:30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

Luke 9:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

If the word "decease" were to remain untranslated, it would be "exodus". This is the second exodus. An analog to the Israelites coming out of Egypt.

Jesus death eclipses the Exodus. The Passover meal thus became a memory of Christ’s sacrifice, then, rather than a commemoration of the Exodus.

Luke 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

Luke 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

This statement is true in the sense that we can be delivered from our sins, and serve God in holiness and true righteousness all the days of our life. Many Christians don't expect or believe this--that we can be delivered from our sins.

Luke 1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

Now he turns and prophecies to JTB.

Luke 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

He does grasp here that salvation is a matter of remission of sins, as opposed to political deliverance.

Isa 59:7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

Isa 59:8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Luke 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

There is a way of peace. This has to be learned. The wicked don't know it. But JTB was to guide our feet into this way.

To understand "dayspring" it's best to look back at the parallel to this in Malachi.

Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Parallels v76

Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

So "dayspring" means sunrise. And is associated with Christ's coming.

Isa 9:1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

And this prophecy fulfilled in...

Mat 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

Mat 4:14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Mat 4:15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

Mat 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Isa 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Luke 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

JTB probably went off into the desert around the age of 12 or 13 or, in any case, from a fairly early age, until the time his ministry began.