His Name is John

His Name is John

Luke 1:57 – Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son. 58 – Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 – On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.

Verse 60 – But his mother replied, “No! He must be named John.” 61 – They said to her, “But none of your relatives bears this name.” 62 – So they made signs to the baby’s father, inquiring what he wanted to name his son. 63 – He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 – Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he spoke, blessing God.

Neighbors and relatives felt it was proper to follow tradition and assumed that the child born to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age would be named after Zechariah or at least after a relative. This was not the instruction of the angel Gabriel. According to Gabriel the message from God was to name the child John.

After failing to persuade Elizabeth they turned to Zechariah himself who wrote upon the tablet, “His name is John” and immediately his ability to speak was restored. He believed the message of Gabriel. Both parents believed the message and tradition took a back seat to faith.

John’s name means: Jehovah is a gracious giver. John’s calling was to “make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.” People would see through the Spirit in John that Jehovah had graciously given Jesus to be the Savior of humankind.

His name indicated his unique calling. Who knows how many generations of Zechariah’s there were. Zechariah’s name means: Jehovah remembers. At a time most critical Zechariah lived the calling given to him with the Support of Elizabeth (Oath of God). They were determined, in their obedience, to proclaim that God had not forgotten them. Jehovah remembers!

Generations of faithful obedience led this couple, by the Spirit, to obey when it was most critical. Zechariah even wavered, doubting that an old prayer no longer prayed would be answered according to a prophecy that pre-dated their births. Jehovah remembered even when almost everyone else had forgotten!

The naming of John was the evidence that Jehovah had not forgotten. In fact the plan of salvation was going forward in a most significant manner with the births of both John and Jesus. Now look where we are today! How many generations of faithful Christians have walked the earth since the time of Jesus? And now we are counted among them! Let us not waver in our faith though the wait seems long. God has not forgotten! Jehovah will remember! And He is a gracious giver! He has given us Jesus who will soon return to take His people home. May we all be found faithful and ready for His arrival today!