I Wonder What kind of Child will this be ?
(Luke 1:57-80)
In the previous three Sundays, we heard of the silence of St. Mary and of her dialogue and works of ministry, but now that the feast of the nativity of the Lord Christ draws near, the church offers to us the birth of John the Baptist. We previously spoke about him in the feast of his martyrdom[1].
In his birth, St. Luke the evangelist tells us of four points dealing with our relationship with the birth of the Lord Christ and our spiritual growth:
- The naming of John [59-73]
- The wonderment: “What kind of child will this be?” [66]
- Zachariah prophesied about the salvation in the house of David [67-79]
- The child grew and became strong in the spirit [80]
- The naming of John [59-63]:
In the day of his circumcision, Elizabeth refused to call him “Zachariah” after his father, and said: “no but he will be called John” [60]. Elizabeth did not mention that she agreed with her husband about the naming of their son, therefore those in attendance were astonished when he wrote on a board that his name is John. So what is behind this name that was not called on any of her kin?
Because this child came to be the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, the parents desired, without prior agreement, that he not be related to his kin, but rather relate to the Lord who announces his kindness as a Lamb carrying the sin of the world. Likewise, it is befitting with the man of God not to be concerned with the temporal, but rather keep his gaze on the fulfillment of the message that God placed for him, for the building of His kingdom.
In a meeting with an elder and his wife, I asked them: what is your message (purpose)? In astonishment the elder said to me: this question never crossed my mind, and I do not know my purpose. I asked him to ask the God in all his prayers about his purpose that God placed in His plan.
- What kind of child will this be? [66]
All the neighbors felt that the Lord is with him, and that he had an extraordinary purpose that no one knows.
Poor is the man that is like a dead fish: which has no chosen path, but rather the waves of the sea moves it in mixed directions.
Along with the believer’s feeling of his weakness, he is confident in the work of God, through him and in him, and says with the apostle “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). The man of God places before his eyes his new position as a son of God cherishing God’s heavenly fatherhood, and trusts in the Lord’s economy in his life.
- Zachariah the priest prophesied about the salvation in the house of David [67-79]
What occupied Zachariah’s heart was not that God removed the shame from the family by having a son to inherit the priesthood from him, or what people would say about him. Rather, he remembered the words of the angel to him “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:14-16).
The babe, John, rejoiced in his mother’s womb,
and poured joy and gladness on his family,
and the joy extended to their neighbors,
and the heavenly rejoiced in him when they saw that he was great in the sight of the Lord,
and he will return many to the Lord their God, and they will enjoy the love of God and His salvation!
- The child grew and became strong in the spirit [80]
The continual growth is a sign of life, for if he was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb as the angel says (Luke 1:15), this overflow is continually renewed during his growth, and he will increase in power through the Spirit. This was what Paul the apostle strived for that he may reach the height of being filled with Christ (Ephesians 4:13).