“Introduction to Luke 1:56-66”

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/15/2026 9:03 AM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  “Introduction to Luke 1:56-66”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 1:56-66

            Message of the verses:  “56  And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.  57 ¶  Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58  And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59  And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60  but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61  And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62  And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63  And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64  And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65  And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66  and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.” (ESV)

            I will quote the introduction to these verses from John MacArthur’s commentary.

            “First and foremost, the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind.  It presents Him as the sovereign ruler of the universe, who not only created man, but also made His divine power manifest to him in His creation (Rom. 1:18ff.)  and revealed His person as knowable in Scripture.  The Bible reveals the triune God’s nature, character, works, purposes, will, and provision of salvation; He is the one revealed in Scripture.  Thus, Scripture is called ‘the testimony of the Lord’ (Ps. 19:7); Jesus said of the Scriptures, ‘It is these that testify about Me’ (John 5:39); Peter said of Jesus, ‘Of Him all the prophets bear witness’ (Acts 10:43); and an angel to the apostle John that ‘the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Rev. 19:10).  God revealed Himself in Scripture as the Sovereign and Savior through the written or spoken words of angels, prophets, apostles, and others; and through visions, signs, wonders, and miracles.

            “Because the person and work of God permeate Scripture, every passage discloses something about Him.  This passage is no exception, as its concluding phrase, for the hand of the Lord was certainly with him (John the Baptist), indicates.  Everything in the story of John evidences the mighty presence of God.  The hand of the Divine One was seen in the angel Gabriel’s announcement of his birth to Zacharias in the temple, in Zacharias being struck deaf and dumb for not believing Gabriel’s words, in Zacharias and Elizabeth conceiving a child when both were past childbearing years, and in Zacharias’s hearing and speech being restored when John was named.

            “As he began his gospel, Luke, the divinely inspired historian, was especially concerned that his readers see the unfolding of the plan of redemption as the work of God.  He focused on the staggering supernatural even that launched the most important era of redemptive history; the miraculous intervention that brought into the world the Messiah’s forerunner.

            “The birth of a child is always cause for great joy and celebration—but especially, in Israel, if it was a boy to carry on the family line.  Though John never married or fathered children, friends, neighbors, family members, and even hired musicians would have gathered with normal expectations and hopes to celebrate the joyous event.  The news that Elizabeth had given birth to a boy was made all the more joyous because of her barrenness, the couple’s age, and the child’s status as Messiah’s forerunner.

            “But as great as their joy was at John the Baptist’s birth, ours is even greater, because we know the answer to their question, ‘What then will this child turn out to be?’  The Gospel’s record the powerful impact of his life and preaching (Matt. 3:1).  They note the huge crowds from Jerusalem and Judea flocked to the wilderness to hear him (v.5); that in preparation for Messiah’s coming (v. 3) people confessed their sins and demonstrated the genuineness of their repentance by being baptized (v. 6); that John announced Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John  1:29); and that his fearless confrontation of sinners (Matt. 3:7-10—even those in high places (Matt 14:3-4)—would eventually cost him his life (Matt. 14:6-10).”  I will now quote the verses mention in this paragraph in the order that they are seen in it.

(Matt. 3:1)

1 ¶  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,”

 (v.5)

“5  Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,”

 (v. 3)

“3  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

(v. 6)

“6  and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”

(Matt. 3:7-10)

7 ¶  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8  Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9  And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

(Matt 14:3-4)

3  For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4  because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

(Matt 14:6-10)

“6  But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7  so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8  Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9  And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10  He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,”

            “As he continues to interweave the birth narratives of John and Jesus, Luke’s record of the birth of John reveals three truths about God:  His promise is veracious, His purpose is gracious, and His power is wondrous.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  I can see that the Lord had a purpose for John the Baptist, and that purpose was to announce the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  John fulfilled the things that God had called him to do for the cause of Christ, and that is what I desire to do with what God has called me to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to do what God has called me to do, which I believe is to continue to write my Spiritual Diaries and then post them onto the internet where I then leave it up to the Spirit of God to send them where He desires to do so.

3/15/2026 9:59 AM