You and I live in the morning times. We roll out of bed, full of thoughts of yesterday; thoughts of what has been done; thoughts of what had been started and left unfinished. Hopefully, we also face the morning with thoughts of what can be done; thoughts full of hope and anticipation. We live in the “in between” times. We are full of the awareness of what God has done. We revel in the story of the Christ; of God in the flesh; of the teachings and examples; of complete submission to the gospel plan; of the cross, the grave, and the right hand of God. God has burst into our world and accomplished salvation. But the story does not end there. That is yesterday and it is glorious. Majestic even. But it is not the end. God is still working redemption. So we are filled with hope not only because of the cross (the yesterday) but because of the New Heaven and the New Earth (the already started, but not fully accomplished later). This hope drives our today; our now.
Luke 1:68-79 is called the Benedictus, which is Latin for the word translated “blessed” in verse 68. But before we get there we are told that Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and that he prophesied. The Benedictus is his Holy Spirit filled prophesy. And we begin with a call to speak well or praise the Lord. What follows is the reason we should bless the God of Israel. He has visited or come with care. He has created redemption for his people. We bless the Lord because of what he has already done with the birth of the Messiah – the rising of the horn of salvation. This is not an uncertain plea; a whimpering hope. This is the strength of salvation rising up. This is the fulfillment of prophecy. This is a rescue from all of Israel’s enemies. At this point we may wonder exactly how much did Zacharias understand. Did he believe that Israel would be physically snatched out of Rome’s hands? Or did he understand God’s rescue mission was about spiritual freedom? I don’t know. I believe the Holy Spirit gave him the message. How much of it he understood is anyone’s guess.
It is significant that the coming of the Messiah (and the house of David makes it clear we are to think of the Messiah) is referred to as God remembering his covenant with the fathers – the promise he gave to Abraham. The Holy Spirit intended this message to be about the continuity of God. Jesus was not a U-turn. He was not God’s plan B. He is the fulfillment of the covenant. And because he fulfilled the covenant, Israel can now serve God the way they were always meant to serve – without fear. Before Christ, the priests entered the Holy Place with fear, wondering if they would be accepted or killed. The people waited outside in the courtyard in anxiety until the priest came out to them alive and well. Because of God having visited them, they can now worship in holiness and righteousness. Did Zacharias understand that all could now minister before the Lord? He surely understood that there had been a major shift.
Then, Zacharias specifically prophesies about John’s role. John is to be named as the prophet of the Most High. This most likely refers to Deuteronomy 18:15-18. The idea of going before the Lord and preparing his way is from Malachi 3:1 and pictures John as the coming of Elijah. As Elijah, John will bring about the knowledge or experience of salvation through forgiveness of sins. This forgiveness is preparatory for the forgiveness given by the Christ. It is a preparing the way for the Lord. And all of this is because of God’s heartfelt mercy. It is again the coming of God with care for his people – the visiting of God. This coming of God is described as the sunrise. Many connect this to the Messiah and that is possible. In Isaiah 60:2-3 it is prophesied that God himself will rise upon the people who were until that time in deep darkness and that fits nicely with verse 79 which quotes Isaiah 9:2. This coming is put in the future tense. So, God has visited and will visit. We are in the “in between” times of those visits. And hope rises.
John continued to grow and become strong in the spirit. He lived in the morning. The coming of God had already burst upon the scene, but God was still coming. Hope rises. We have a hope because God has already visited; he has already come with care for his people. Hope rises. We have a hope because God is coming with care. Hope rises. We have a hope because Jesus came and Jesus is coming. And that rising hope shapes our now. We will continue to grow and to become strong in the spirit because there is work to be done in the morning time. We want people to experience salvation; to know the Christ. We want people to be amazed by the gloriously splendid rising of hope. Hope rises. Peace, Walter